2026 Goals
As the years go by, I’ve come to the realization that I find it really useful to have a set of goals defined for the coming year. I don’t think of them as New Year’s resolutions, because those sound to me almost like promises or even challenges you set for yourself, and that’s not really what I’m trying to do here. I’m very comfortable changing or abandoning these goals if they stop making aligning with the direction my life is heading, and I don’t feel like I’ve failed in any way if I don’t end up achieving them (which is what I feel happens when people don’t go through with their New Year’s resolutions). But having these goals defined helps me navigate the year and keep track of what I think is important.
This is going to be my third year defining these goals in an organized fashion, meaning I actually write them down and try to set some measurable outcomes for them, and, to my own surprise, I’ve been achieving most of them. So I thought that writing more actually is one of my goals and that lead me to creating this blog, a dedicated post about my goals makes a lot of sense. So, without further ado, here are my goals for the year, divided into four categories:
Habits
- Start the day by reading a newsletter, blog post, or article
One thing I decided I want to do less this year is doomscrolling. I feel like I reach for my phone whenever I get a second of free time, and this includes immediately after I wake up and while I’m making or eating breakfast. One of the ways I came up with to cut down on doomscrolling is to stop doing it first thing in the morning, like I used to, and instead use that time to read something that people actually invested time in writing and polishing, instead of a barrage of unimportant tweets.
This might be a little harder on days when my girlfriend sleeps over, because we tend to watch something together while eating breakfast. But still, I think I can manage to read at least one piece a day, which would also help with the growing pile of archived newsletters and favorited websites I keep saving “to read later” but almost never get to.
- Read at least 10 minutes every single day
My reading habit is something I’ve been desperately trying to fix for many years now. It’s not as bad as it could be, I actually manage to read a couple of books each year (including massive ones like Infinite Jest and Moby Dick, for example). But I’m very inconsistent. Sometimes I read up to 20 pages every day for a week, then I spend an entire month without touching a book, then I read a couple of pages twice a week, then another week without reading anything, and so it goes.
My idea is to consistently read a very small and manageable amount every single day to see if I can build the habit of reaching for a book more often. Hopefully, I’ll get used to these 10 minute sessions and eventually increase the time I spend doing this.
- Go to the gym / exercise at least 200 days this year
This is a follow up to a goal I set last year that was exactly the same, but with 150 days. I’ve always struggled to maintain a consistent exercise routine, but I managed to end last year with 182 days of exercise under my belt, which I’m extremely proud of. I think that now that I’ve finally found a way to make going to the gym an actually enjoyable activity for me, I just need to focus on expanding on what I achieved last year.
Studies/Hobbies
- Start studying japanese
I’ve been entertaining the idea of studying a new language for a while now. For a while I thought about studying French, inspired by my girlfriend, who has been learning it for a couple of years, but eventually I settled on Japanese. I feel like Japanese is much more present in the things I’m particularly interested in, like movies and video games, and I really enjoyed my visit to Japan in 2024. I’ve been meaning to go back for a while, and I think being able to speak the language would make the experience even better.
I plan on finding a Japanese tutor, and if I end up enjoying learning the language, I’ll try taking the JLPT exam (the japanese language proficiency test) this July, to see if I could get the lowest level of proficiency.
- Take art classes / Learn another art form
This one isn’t set in stone yet, but I’ve recently found some very cool ateliers in my city that offer classes on a variety of things. The ones I’m most interested in are oil painting and ceramics. I don’t see myself as particularly skilled in any art form, but I want to try developing some of these skills this year and see what comes out of it.
I’ve also been thinking about getting lessons to start playing the drums, something I’ve wanted to do for a while now and I think it fits well into this category.
- Keep writing more
Not only on this blog, but in general. I feel like I should try to voice my opinions on more things, social media, sites to review movies, albums, or games, whatever. Expressing myself through writing forces me to think more critically about the things I consume, and putting my thoughts out there might be a good way to connect with people who have similar interests.
Travel
- Go on at least one international trip this year
I really love traveling, visiting different countries and experiencing different cultures, but unfortunately, because I changed jobs twice last year, I wasn’t able to do that at all in 2025. I went to São Paulo a couple of times (and I already have plans to go again in March), but I really want to travel outside the country again this year.
Me and a friend who usually travels with me have plans for a UK trip that would take us through England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. It’s a matter of both of us organizing ourselves financially and work-wise, but I’m really hoping we manage to make it happen this year 🤞
- Live in another country for a month
This is probably the goal I’m most nervous about (though not necessarily in a bad way). I recently started a new job that is fully remote, after almost 4 years of working hybrid positions, and I intend to take full advantage of that.
My idea is to go somewhere in the northern hemisphere toward the end of the year, just as the weather is starting to get colder. I’m still not 100% decided on where I’d like to go, but I’m leaning heavily towards Japan. I really enjoyed my trip there, like I mentioned before, and the time zone would actually work well for my job, since some of my coworkers live on the US West Coast. Meaning that I could work in the mornings and collaborate with them in their afternoons.
Lifestyle
- Stay in university
I dropped out of college in 2021, as the pandemic was coming to an end. I was working full time at a startup at the time, and I would’ve needed to return to campus full time as well, so I had to choose what to drop. I think I made the right decision by prioritizing my career over my academic studies, but I do wish I had tried a little harder to juggle both, especially since I was close to finishing my degree.
I don’t necessarily feel the need to have a diploma right now, but given the amount of uncertainty in the job market, especially for software engineers with the rise of AI, I think having a degree could open some doors in the future if I ever need or want to pursue an MBA, a master’s degree, or anything like that.
- Keep trying to buy an apartment
Lately, I’ve had a strong urge to get a place to call my own. That could be due to me turning 30 this year, because I’m getting stressed out by all the renovations happening in the building where I currently live (and having no say in them), or simply because a couple of friends are now homeowners and I’m feeling a bit of FOMO. I’m not entirely sure what the reason is, but the urge is definitely here.
My goal is phrased as “keep trying to buy an apartment” instead of just “buy an apartment” because there are a lot of variables involved in this process (and a lot of money I don’t have and would need to borrow) so I’m trying to be realistic and at peace with the possibility that this might not happen this year, but I still want to actively keep trying.
That’s it! I do have a couple more goals, but I prefer to keep those private. When I started writing this post, I thought it would end up being pretty short, and I was a bit afraid it might feel like I was phoning it in. It turns out I’m way more goal-oriented and organized than I expected by the looks of it.
Anyway, thanks for reading all the way through if you did. I was going to write “and have a happy new year,” but it’s already January 6, and the image of Larry David judging me and saying it’s “a little late for that, frankly” just popped into my head so I won’t.