As someone who is chronically trying to do too much, I want to be more disciplined about what I do and don't do. After reflection, I've come up with three words that I think best capture my personal and professional aspirations for 2026.
Recharge
First and foremost, I want to work less and vacation more this year after how much I worked in 2025. We have a big trip planned to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary next summer, and I really want to be able to relax during that time. We also want to go visit some family members who are on sabbatical in a fun place.
In my normal non-vacation life, I want to keep dancing, going to therapy, and paying attention to and making time for the things that fill me up.
Simplify
I need to ask myself, Does this make my life simpler? and try to make as many decisions as possible that point clearly to Yes. If not, I should have a good justification for anything that doesn't make my life simpler.
All the decluttering I want to do this year falls into this category. We're also financially secure enough that I should stop introducing complexity for relatively small savings (e.g. coupons and many rewards programs). If it costs a little more to simplify my life, so be it. I don't need to pinch pennies.
Clarity
This boils down to identifying and clearly communicating what I want. If I know what I want, then I can be much more effective. Clarity makes all other decisions easier. I need this both personally and professionally.
Usually I also write some specific goals, hopes, or predictions for the year. I've organized many of those elsewhere for myself, but I'm going to keep it simple this year (see what I did there?) here on the blog.
I'm looking forward to 2026, and hope that anyone reading will find what you're looking for this year.
