I actually can’t believe it’s already 2026. I once heard someone say that days are long, but years are short – I 100% agree with that statement. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might remember that I set myself New Year’s resolutions for 2025. I actually recently posted a summary of my progress – check it out if you’re curious to see how I did! It was a mixed bag of huge achievements and big flops, but I feel like I learnt a lot just through attempting to reach my goals, regardless of the results. So, we’re doing it again in 2026. I chose a handful of goals for myself, in a few categories. Here is my list of New Year’s resolutions for 2026!
Fitness – get back into a (balanced) routine
Let’s start with the most cliché resolution ever. I feel like almost everyone who makes New Year’s resolutions has one around going to the gym.
I haven’t done it in years, simply because I already had a busy gym routine. Almost too busy, at times. But, injuries and other health issues around the summer knocked me out of the gym, and I’ve struggled to fully get back into it. I’m still pretty active, but I’m mainly having trouble forcing myself to do strength training more than once a week.
My resolution is to get back into a routine, but also make it sustainable, instead of going from 0% to 200%, like I tend to. I don’t have any measurable metrics for this goal, but I’ll know it when I’ve got there.
Fitness – flexibility, stretching, back exercises
My second resolution is also fitness related. It’s actually rolled over from 2025, when I didn’t quite achieve my goal.
My aim is to do stretching and flexibility exercises, mainly to support my dodgy lower back. In an ideal world, I should do them every day, really. Realistically, doing them every other day will be a good result. Even a short, 15-minute session every other day will be a success.
Crafts – crochet two small wearable projects
Last year, one of my resolutions was to learn to crochet. And although I had a slow start and found it incredibly challenging, I kept myself accountable and persisted. And guess what – it paid off! By the end of 2025, I was able to read and follow simple patterns, and managed to successfully crochet a few items.
This year, my goal is to take it to the next level. I’d love to make a wearable item for myself. Naturally, a cardigan would be perfect, but that’s a massive project. I want to be realistic and crochet something smaller to begin with.
My goal is to crochet two wearable items in 2026. I’m keeping my options open, but currently, the items I have in mind is a pair of mittens and a granny square tote bag.
Crafts – use up my hoarded supplies
I have a confession to make. When it comes to craft supplies, I’m a hoarder. I really do try to control myself, but every time I venture into TK Maxx and see all of those heavily discounted assorted DIY kits, I can’t resist. I often leave the shop with 5+ new craft kits, proud of myself for resisting to buy another 10, even though they were equally cute, and completely ignoring the fact that I already have 30 other sets at home waiting to be opened. Oops.
So, my resolution for 2026 is to reduce the amount of craft supplies and assorted sets I have in my storage. This means for example:
- using up that block of air dry clay I’ve had for about 2 years
- completing a couple of painting by numbers sets I got for Christmas a few years ago
- completing the cross stitch sets I already have and resisting to buy more (I probably have up to 20 of those sets waiting for their turn)
- using up some of the stretched blank canvases I bought during the pandemic
I will have to eyeball my progress on this goal, but overall, I just need to try to push to use up the supplies I have instead of just buying new ones.
Reading – 7 books a year
My goal for 2025 was to read 6 books in a year, and I failed it. I ended up reading around 4.5, with the majority read around Christmas.
I’m still on a roll from that period (currently finishing that remaining half of a book from last year), and I hope to keep up the good habit. So, even though I didn’t quite reach my goal last year, I’m increasing it this time to 7 books in a year. Honestly, my teenage self who used to read over 100 (!) books a year would have smashed this miserable goal in a week.
Learning – expand Spanish learning beyond Duolingo
My biggest achievement in 2025 was finishing the entire Spanish course on Duolingo. I wrote a post about what happens when you reach the end of a language course in Duolingo, you can read it here! Now, the app only gives me a few random lessons a day, and I’m worried that I might forget everything I already learnt. Moreover, I won’t progress that way either, and I’d love to further improve my Spanish skills.
I recently rediscovered my Spanish textbook from high school. It’s quite a hefty tome, with lots of content. Technically, it’s on a lower level than the Duolingo course – Duolingo, supposedly, gets you to B2 level. My textbook is labelled as A1/A2 -> B1. That being said, just by having a quick look inside, I saw lots of words that I haven’t encountered on Duolingo. The textbook also has good grammar reference pages, and is written in European Spanish. I could do with learning European Spanish – Duolingo uses American Spanish, which is slightly different.
So, my resolution for 2026 is to get through that textbook, making solid effort to actually learn the vocabulary and grammar. The textbook has 15 Units, which means that I should go through 3-4 Units per quarter. At least there’s an easy way to measure my progress in this resolution! I’ve been meaning to properly go through that textbook for ages, and now it’s officially my goal for 2026.
Try to be minimalistic (reduce consumptionism)
Last year, I made a resolution to be more organised with my house chores, and I failed miserably. So this time, I’m going to try a different approach, and aim to reduce the amount of clutter I accumulate. I need to resist buying things I don’t need, and declutter things I already own. This resolution will also be tricky to measure, but I’m certain I can objectively estimate my progress.
Learn to incorporate AI in my job
Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean employing AI to run this blog on my behalf! I mean my day job, where we widely use AI to analyse and summarise documents, and aid with daily tasks overall. Some of my colleagues are absolute pros when it comes to smart use of AI, and I should probably learn from them. As much as AI scares me, for various reasons, I think it’s time to accept that it’s here to stay, and those who learn how to use it efficiently will benefit from it long term.
I don’t really have a measurable way of tracking this resolution, which is unfortunate, but I’ll try to objectively assess my progress (or the lack thereof) when writing my quarterly check-ins.
Push myself to do things I’ve always wanted to but lacked the courage for
The older I get, the more determined I am to ignore other people’s opinions or society expectations, and focus on living my life on my own terms. And yet, there are some things I’ve wanted to do for years but lacked the courage for. I have some specific things in mind, but I’ll keep them to myself for now, until I’ve accomplished them. My goal is to push myself to do 2 or 3 of such things.
Final thoughts
And that, my dear readers, concludes my list of New Year’s resolutions for 2026. I feel like I managed to come up with a reasonable list this year! All of my goals seem achievable, but also push me to develop my skills or improve my health and wellbeing. Just like last year, to keep myself accountable, I will post about my progress every quarter. Stay tuned, if your interested! And if you’re setting New Year’s resolutions too, let me know what your goals are, I’d love to get inspired for next year.
Also see:
Alphe's Corner 