My 2026 Goals

Hello, Reader!

Are you excited about 2026? I know I’m sharing this a month later than most people but, with everything that happened in December, it feels like the first of the year for me. I’ve got that fresh start motivation and I can’t wait to work through this year’s projects. Even if that new year glow has already faded for you, I hope you’re satisfied with how 2026 is going so far. The last few years seem to have been rough for everyone and I’d love to see things turn around for the positive this year.

Between buying a house, moving, and dealing with the flu, we didn’t get to enjoy the holidays the way we usually do. I also missed out on my normal end-of-the-year planning that helps me start the new year off strong, so we spent January getting caught up. We focused on settling into our new place and tried to make up for lost time by squeezing in some belated holiday activities once things calmed down a bit. Now that the house is unpacked to a functional level, and we’ve had a chance to breathe for a minute, I’m finally able to flesh out my 2026 goals and start working some writing and editing time into my days again.

As I said in my previous post, I’m not trying to meet any deadlines at the moment. I want to get through the beta reading process before I start setting anything in stone. I do hope to publish this year but I’m not going to put any unnecessary pressure on myself while I regain my health and get back into the habit of writing everyday. My book needs me focused and feeling good in order to finish it, so I’m going to strive for working smarter not harder. I tried to do too much while recovering before and it always backfired. I plan on being more intentional and grounded with my efforts this year.

Main Goals

Finish Book 1 and Prepare to Publish: Obviously, the number one business goal is to finish my book if at all possible. I’d like to publish at the end of the year but it’s entirely possible that I’ll have to wait till 2027. Finishing the editing process, and then getting it polished and proofread, is what I’m going to focus on accomplishing. Anything beyond that will be a nice bonus.

Regain My Health: This is my number one personal goal this year. Just being in a new environment was half the battle, but now I have to focus on detoxing the mold spores from my body. It may take awhile, which is why I’m not setting hard deadlines for anything related to my book this year. Any flares ups could make it difficult to keep a steady pace. I have to stay flexible and take things as they come.

Publish Multiple Blog Posts (Ideally 2 Per Month): I currently have a list of blog posts tentatively planned out through the end of the year and I’m hoping to post 2 of them per month. Some will depend on whether I hit certain editing milestones, though, so my official goal is to post more regularly than I did in the last couple of years. Sharing updates about my writing journey will help keep me accountable and motivated to finish the book.

Finish the First Draft of Book 2: If I finish Book 1 in time, I’d like to draft the rest of Book 2 in November. I’ll have to revise a few chapters I’ve already written, thanks to a major world-building decision I made, and I’ll have to expand my outline for the remaining chapters. Revising shouldn’t take long, but I expect drafting the rest will be a bit more time consuming than I’m hoping. The story is a lot bigger now. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish the whole draft before I take a break for the Christmas season but I want to try to get as much done as possible. Again, this is assuming I have Book 1 all wrapped up and ready to be published by that time.

Outline Book 3: Regardless of if I manage to finish the draft of Book 2, I hope to make time to do a chapter outline of Book 3 so I can start 2027 with the entire story mapped out. I’m not sure when I’ll fit this in, but outlining can be done at any time so I’ll watch for an opportunity. I may simply choose to do it when I’m adjusting the outline for Book 2 since that’s when the rest of the story would be fresh in my mind.

Make Time for Reading and Other Fun: Last year, I made a little more time for reading and it helped pulled me back from the edge of burnout. In recent years, I’ve enjoyed nearly all of my entertainment while doing dishes or other chores so that I don’t “waste” my time because there’s always a small voice in my head telling me that I’m lazy if I sit down and get comfortable for even a few minutes. I need to learn how to be more fair about my time and how I see my progress this year. Reading, playing games, and crafting will force me to sit still long enough to refill the well.

Secondary GOals

Work on My Photography and Illustration Skills: Though I’ve been making my own stickers for awhile, I’d like to improve my illustration skills to be able to create landscapes and character art for my book. I have no idea if I have the skills to do that kind of work but one can certainly try. I also haven’t had much time for photography in the recent past, so I want to make some time to dust off my amateur skills and hone them.

Resume Posting on Instagram: I haven’t posted anything on Instagram for at least a year and I’ve barely even opened the app since I felt guilty about not sharing anything of my own. Once we’re fully unpacked and my office is organized, I’m hoping to get back into the habit of uploading something a few times a week. No specific goal, though. I just want to get used to using the app again.

Read 36-48 Books and Make a Dent in My TBR List: My hope is to read 4 books per month, or 1 per week, and this year’s TBR list is mainly books that are currently on my physical shelves. There are so many great new books coming out that I’m dying to read, and I’m sure I’ll read some of them, but I think it’s about time I finally catch up on the ones I already own. Some of them have been sitting there for years, waiting for me to feel better and make time for them.

Remember to Write Book Reviews When I’m Done Reading: I haven’t been very good about writing reviews in recent years. (To be fair, I also didn’t read much until recently.) I always have the best of intentions, but then something comes up and I forget to write anything down while the story is fresh. When I remember it later, I feel like I need to read the story over again to be able to do a review justice. I’m planning to find a notebook or something to keep track of my thoughts while I’m reading. That way, even if I can’t leave a review right away, I’ll have something to reference when I do have time.

Be Done with Christmas Shopping at the Beginning of December: Every year I tell myself I’m going to start working on Christmas gifts in October so I can enjoy December without being stressed, and every year I’m searching for gifts until the last minute. I have no idea if this goal will be feasible or not, since the end of the year tends to get busy, but I’m going to try.

Create a 5 Year Writing Plan: Once I’m done with Book 1, I hope to be able to publish a new book every year or so. The rest of the trilogy are the next in the lineup but I want to start thinking about the projects that will follow when I’m done. While I do plan to revisit my debut series in the future, I think I want to take a breather and try either a standalone fantasy or start a series in a shared universe first.

Refilling My Well

Bake More (Especially During the Cold Months): One of my favorite things to do when fall rolls around is to bake cookies or banana bread, and I haven’t had the energy to do it for a few years now. I’m determined to make my favorite baked goods and try a bunch of new recipes this year. I’m even debating whether or not I’m ready to dive into making sourdough bread. It’s a bit of a commitment, though, so I’ll probably wait a little while longer before I take that plunge.

Read Nightly: Instead of scrolling on my phone before bed, I plan to either read or listen to an audiobook. I find that I sleep better when my imagination gets a workout before bed, and it’s the perfect time to read because there are no other obligations to worry about.

Finish Watching TV Shows to the End: I have a really bad habit of moving on to a new show when I get into the last season of the one I’m currently watching. I’ve seen too many bad season finales and now I hate to see anything I’m enjoying come to an end in case the finale doesn’t land right. I have several shows that I need to finish and I’m going to make an effort to get through them this year.

Make Time for Playing Video Games Occasionally: I used to love playing video games but, in recent years, I’ve prioritized reading over games since reading helps strengthen writing skills. I recently found my old Game Boy systems and I have a strong desire to revisit some of my favorite games from childhood. Sometimes returning to the things that brought us joy as kids is just what we need when we’re feeling tired and worn out as adults.

Make Time for Seasonal/Holiday Crafts and DIY Projects: One of the best ways to boost my mood is to create something new, and my favorite times to be creative (outside of writing) are during the holidays and when the seasons change. I love fall, Halloween, Christmas, and the Fourth of July the most, so most of my crafts center around those times of year. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been able to devote any real time to crafts, so I hope to have the opportunity to create at least a few fun things this year.

Repurpose Old/Worn Out Clothes into a Homemade Quilt: I have been meaning to take my son’s old clothes (the ones that hold the most memories) and turn them into a quilt for him so he can enjoy them again. It’s definitely a bigger undertaking, especially since I haven’t made a quilt since he was born and I’m probably rusty, but I finally have all the material nicely organized into the same box because we moved and I think it’s time I start working on it.

How I Plan to Achieve These Goals

The most effective method for me to stay on task is to make sure I have a place to thought dump everything and a planner to organize it in. The problem is remembering to check my to do list everyday. I discovered awhile ago that digital planning stressed me out and I needed the tactile sensation of a paper planner to get my tasks organized effectively. Unfortunately, I would then forget to consult it the next day. It’s like my brain is so satisfied with the weekly planning that it considers the job done and I’ve come to the conclusion that I need digital reminders to actually make use of it. I hope that setting notifications on my phone will enforce the habit and I won’t have to be reminded down the road.

I’ve also time-blocked my work day and I’m setting reminders on my phone for when it’s time to move on to the next thing. I tend to get hyper-focused on a single project and often run out of time to finish the other things on my list. It can be a good thing to zone in on a single project, especially if I’m on a deadline, but not at the expense of other necessary tasks. I’m sure it will get easier the longer I maintain the habit, but it’s definitely going to be a struggle at first. I like to see things through to the end when I’m on a roll.

I have my own office now, with a door that closes, and I plan to take full advantage of it when I’m working. Aside from previous health issues, distractions are the number one reason that my writing gets derailed. I used to write in the living room, which was the main walkway in the house, and it gave the impression that I was available for conversation, even if I had my noise-canceling headphones on. Being able to close my office door should help enforce the boundaries around my work time.

One of the things I plan to stop doing is thinking I can’t pause to enjoy anything until everything on my to do list is done. The to do list will never be done. So much of my focus over the last several years has been about survival and it’s exhausting. I have to make a real effort to do more of the things that make it worth living. It’s impossible to keep pushing forward without a proper break to refuel, and those things that bring us joy and happiness are the things that give us the energy and motivation to get through the hard stuff. It’s just as important, if not more.

The first quarter of the year is definitely going to be a balancing game but I’m glad I get to play it. 2025 was rough, and it took a lot of work to get past everything that happened, but we survived. Life is already getting better, even though we have more work to do than usual. Sometimes a fresh start makes all the difference. There’s still a lot of work ahead, both with the move and with my book, but I feel like this is going to be the year I check a lot of things off my list.

If you’re a writer, what kind of goals have you set for 2026? If you’re a reader, which books are you looking forward to this year?

*Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash