I remember 2025 like it was just the other day.
…okay, I won’t try any more jokes.
As I wrote the other day, last year was defined by my work. This year I have no intention of repeating that.
That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy my work or that I don’t wish to move my career forward. I very much would like to do those things. What I am saying is that I want to do a lot more than just my day job and I’m excited that this year it all looks possible.
A Running theme on these posts
There is a running theme for every new year that I will continue to carry over into 2026:
I want to work on my health. 2025 was not a good year for my fitness or diet. This year I want to get back on track to at least the level I was at when we arrived in Chicago. This means losing 15 pounds, reducing how much we dine out and drink, and getting my activity level back up to something I’m not embarrassed about.
Honestly, these should be doable. The biggest obstacle to my health was my last job and I’ve already started to get better since leaving in August. The only parts that haven’t started to recover are my fitness level and my weight, both of which are tied together and both of which have continued to falter mostly because I managed to get sick more than once this past fall.
I’ve got this.
I’m excited for new projects
For years I’ve struggled to find tech to work on that is fun for me. I think I failed at this mostly because I kept trying to do things in WordPress. I’m not going to make that mistake anymore.
I’m slowly starting to learn Swift and SwiftUI and have a few project ideas in mind. I’ve also got a lot of things I want to do with this site, from new post ideas to a new theme. Add that to some general utilities I’m working on for myself and I think 2026 will be the first year in many where I’m genuinely excited about doing something in tech again.
I’m comfortable with the tech I have
Part of the excitement of new tech to learn is I’ve stopped agonizing on my tools and have embraced the tech I have, currently all Apple devices. I still have a Framework laptop that can run Linux, but’s it’s mostly been put away in a drawer. I’m done trying to force Linux into my workflow.
Since I shelved the Linux laptop, sometime around August, I’ve found new ways to work with my iPad and my MacBook Pro. It’s amazing what a machine can do when you stop spending all your time trying to make something else work even though something “good enough” is already on your desk.
That’s not to say I’ll never work with a Linux machine again. I did enjoy it. It’s simply an acknowledgement of the fact that Linux doesn’t work for me right now and that’s OK.
All tech is flawed. Instead of trying to fix that I’m going to embrace what I have that works for me today and, honestly, doing so has been fun. I even find myself browsing sites like MacRumors more often and looking forward to new features and hardware. I hadn’t let myself do that in many years.
We’re going to get out more
Outside of projects to work on, I’m also excited for the prospect of traveling again this year.
The last real trip I took was a work trip to Limerick in February 2024. From that time until we spent a weekend in Carbondale this past October the only “travel” Joy and I did was to either my Dad’s or her sister’s house. This year we’re going to fix that.
Next month I’ll go to Athens for the first time for a work trip. At the end of that, Joy and I will meet in Rome for a week to explore and unwind. I can’t wait.
Later in the year we’re talking about a trip to Germany as well as road trips to finally visit friends we haven’t seen in far too long. I’ll take vacation for some of it (especially the trips to Europe) but I’m going to try to take advantage of my remote status and work wherever we land.
So much of our travel in the past was for a reason. Either work, a wedding or family would give us the reason to visit a place and we’ve been horrible at traveling for anything else. This year we’re going to change that and I can’t wait.
I need to stop doomscrolling
Finally, if there’s a real resolution for this year it will be to stop doomscrolling.
Almost every night I find myself sitting down with my iPad after work and, rather than doing anything productive, doomscrolling until it’s time to go to bed. That has to stop.
From reading, to writing, to side projects I’ve tended to replace them all with mindless scrolling. I get why, it was easier when I didn’t know what I wanted to work on, but that’s no longer the case.
Today I have a lot of things I’m actually excited to learn and work on. I don’t need to scroll on here to mask that anymore. That prospect alone is exciting to me.
2026 is here. I’m going to embrace it
All this is to say that I’m excited for 2026, both the good and the bad that will come of it.
For the first time in a very long time I’m in a place that feels like home with family and friends nearby. I’m in a job I love. We have a chance to travel again and I’m genuinely excited for a chance to work with new and exciting tech.
I’m hopeful this will all come together for a 2026 worth embracing, even when things don’t work out as planned.