Can you believe that we’re already half way through 2026? Time flies so fast! We had a heatwave in the UK last week when the record for the hottest June day in history was broken three days in a row, but I also started seeing ads for Christmas events (and may have already booked some…). But back in January, I wrote about the list of my New Year’s resolutions for 2026. Just like I did last year, I wanted to share my progress every quarter. So, it’s time to take a look at my progress 6 months in. The first check-in, at end of March, was fairly successful. This time… I’m not so sure! Time flew so fast last quarter, and I was focused on making the most of the spring weather, spending most of my spare time outdoors. In all honesty, I didn’t even think about my resolutions… until last week, oops. Well, let’s have a look.
Fitness – get back into a (balanced) routine
Last year, fraught with endless injuries and other health issues, my previously busy gym routine was thrown out of the window. So this year, I wanted to build a new, sustainable routine.
Three months ago, in my first check-in, I said I felt I was on the right track, with about 2 resistance training sessions, a dance class, and 1-2 cardio sessions a week. I mentioned that I wanted to potentially include another cardio session, which, in hindsight, was a stretch! What I had 3 months ago seems perfectly reasonable already.
I did attempt to push myself harder with the resistance training sessions and tried to swap at-home workouts that I usually do (with the limited equipment I have) for a proper gym session. I did one great gym workout, came back a couple days later to repeat it… and injured my back within 20 minutes. Gahhh! I might need to accept that my lower back simply doesn’t accept working out with heavy weights.
Sadly, this forced me to take a short break. I also had a few trips planned for the previous quarter, and didn’t work out much whilst away. And now, melting in nearly 40°C, I try my best to keep up the routine, but it’s rather difficult.
I still try to force myself to do 2 strength training sessions at home every week, and I have my weekly dance classes. Other than that, my main cardio is in daily walks and weekend hikes. For instance, on Saturday a week ago, I walked 35km near Box Hill in Surrey. I also did a few gym sessions on the stair climber in June and really enjoyed those, but had to pause them for the heatwave – I don’t think I could do that in the record-breaking temperatures.
Overall, I feel like I could push myself a tiny bit harder – maybe when the temperatures aren’t so extreme – but overall, I’m doing just fine. After all, I wanted to build a sustainable, balanced routine!
Fitness – flexibility, stretching, back exercises
I had a short period earlier this year when I did a lot of flexibility exercises, pretty much on a daily basis, but with the main goal being splits, not back health. This didn’t last long. Frankly, I can definitely do better – especially after another round of back issues in May! However, my at-home strength workout includes two back health exercises, so at least I’m doing something. I could throw in a short session of physio exercises somewhere in the week, though. Plan for the next quarter, I guess?
Crafts – two wearable projects
The next category of my New Year’s resolutions was about arts & crafts. The first resolution was to make two wearable projects – crocheted or embroidered.
Last time, I mentioned the granny square tote bag that I started working on during Christmas 2026. It was only missing the handle and some final touches back in March… and I made no progress whatsoever since then, oops. Haven’t even taken it out of the bag once. Not much to add to this – it’s a complete failure, I need to do better!
Crafts – use up hoarded supplies
My next resolution was to use up some of my hoarded arts & crafts supplies and assorted DIY sets, whilst resisting the urge to buy more of them.
I feel like I did a great job at the start of the year resisting to buy new crochet and cross stitch sets, and I managed to keep it up. I still get incredibly tempted by them every time I walk into TK Maxx, but I’ve been able to control myself. I also finished a few projects from sets I had bought in the past, slightly reducing the overall number of assorted craft kits that I still have, unopened, waiting for their turn.
Sounds like success? Well, it would be, if it wasn’t for developing a brand new interest, this time in watercolours. I always make handmade birthday cards for family members, and this year, I made most of them with watercolour paintings. And suddenly, I decided I was super obsessed with watercolour painting and raided TK Maxx for new paints, brushes, and paper. Send help! I still enjoy watercolour painting… but this new fixation certainly didn’t help my New Year’s resolution. Hopefully, no more new hobbies for the rest of the year…
Be minimalistic/reduce consumptionism
This resolution links to the previous one. Living in a small London flat, I accumulated a lot of… stuff, over the years. It’s really easy to fall into that hole. Relative to wages, things like clothes or makeup are pretty cheap. And yes, there’s a cost of living crisis and prices generally went up – but I’m comparing my experience growing up in Poland and living in the UK in 2026 – the stronger currency makes items from international chain stores much more affordable.
I feel like I’ve managed to keep this resolution in the back of my mind every time I walk into a shop. Have I been perfect at controlling my shopping? Hell no! But I’m trying, and that’s a step in the right direction. I also try to be more pragmatic when doing things like wardrobe clear outs, in an effort to reduce the number of items I already have. Overall, I wouldn’t say this resolution has been a clear success, but it’s not a complete failure either.
Reading – 7 books
My resolution for this year was to read 7 books, and I was confident that I could smash it. What’s 7 books compared to over 100 (!) that I read annually as a teenager? Well, so far, I finished two and recently started reading the third. Not quite where I should be at the half way mark, but at least it’s not 0! I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors last quarter, mainly on long walks and hikes, not sitting at the beach. Hopefully, I can still reach my goal?
Study my Spanish textbook from high school
After finishing the Spanish course on Duolingo last year, my resolution was to continue learning Spanish. My plan was to go through my old Spanish textbook from high school. I wanted to go through that old textbook this year. It has 15 units: 3-4 per quarter of the year. I got through 5 by the end of the first quarter… and haven’t touched the book since. Yikes! This is certainly the biggest failure last quarter, but I should still be able to reach my goal by the end of the year. I put the textbook next to my bed and will pick it up in the evening instead of unnecessary screen time!
And just to make it clear, I still do my daily Duolingo review lessons. They added a lot of new content to the last section a few months ago, which I never had to officially learn, having already finished the whole course before. So now, even though I only do the review sessions, I occasionally see a new word or sentence, which is a nice improvement.
Learn to incorporate AI in my job
Another resolution I made for 2026 was to get better at using AI in my day job as a software engineer. The sad reality is that AI isn’t going to disappear, and to be successful long term, one needs to learn how to co-exist with AI and use it efficiently. I actually made a little bit of progress in recent weeks – not because of this resolution, but because it was the reasonable and useful thing to do for the task. I still have a lot to do in this area before I can consider the resolution a success, but at least I managed to take the first steps!
Push myself to do two things I always wanted to do but lacked the courage for
I made this resolution with two specific things in mind. The first one, I hoped to do right after the New Year’s, but other things came up and I wasn’t able to.
The second thing I had in mind… I actually completed! It involved signing up for a very specific class (I actually did two, not just one), which required stepping out of my comfort zone. I survived, and actually enjoyed it! I would actually like to do a full course in the same space, but that will need to wait a bit – I have a few trips planned this summer. Apologies for being so cryptic about this resolution. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to share more details!
I still need to find one more opportunity to push myself to do something challenging in order to complete this resolution. I have 6 months left, I’m sure I can do that.
Final thoughts
So that’s my progress on New Year’s Resolutions 2026 at the half way mark. I may not have made a huge amount of progress in the last three months, but overall, it’s not going too bad! I still have a lot of work to do, but I’m still proud of myself for making progress, and checking on my resolutions after 6 months. I feel like most people forget about their New Year’s resolutions within a few weeks. How about you? Do you still track yours?
Also see:
Alphe's Corner 