In reflecting on 2025, one big trend I noticed was almost nothing in my life was intentional–it was one long slog of Wake Up, Commute, Work, Commute, Task A, Phone Zombification, Task B, Bed and then I’m left scratching my head trying to figure out where the heck my day went.
Very little of my life was intentional, which was very annoying to me. I’m not one of those lame NPCs! Right? Right? Hey guys, right?
I recognize before I wake up most of my day is already decided for me due to my 10 hour 9-5 job. I’ve been asking myself this question: How Can I Live Life More Intentionally Despite Having So Much Already Pre-Programmed Into My Day?
More Time Reading For Enjoyment
One of my great joys in life is reading books! Oh, what fun they are! While I still love them, some of the thrill is gone.
I wish I could recapture the feeling I had when reading The Wheel of Time books while in high school, or reading Lord of the Rings on the back porch on a cool spring day, or exploring The DaVinci Code like I did in college, emailing secret codes to friends.
Perhaps I’m just nostalgic for the good old days, or maybe I miss being surrounded by a book-lovers. Either way, in 2026 I’m aiming to capture the joy again that used to accompany book reading!
More Time For Writing
My goal is to be a full-time writer and in order to do that I gotta write! Hopes and dreams ain’t gonna get me there without the consistent work of a lot of writing.
I understand I have to be intentional my writing sessions. The first battle is convincing my lazy bones to get out of bed with my early alarm to start the writing session! I’ve finally been winning that battle, but it’s tough!
The second battle is to be intentional during the writing session! No lollygagging and daydream about the finished product! Hit those word counts, buster!
For 2026 I’m committed to:
- Writing and publishing three articles a week
- Working on my novel after the week’s three articles are done
More Time For Exercise
What’s the point in being free with writing words when your body is to exhausted to do anything?
I’m committing myself this year to 3x exercise sessions per week! I know that’s not gonna make me the next Mr. Olympia, but it will keep me loose and limber and strong enough for what I want to do!
More Camping Trips
I’m at 106 out of 175 Florida State Parks.
Camping trips with the family have been a consistent activity and great joy! The family goal is to complete all 175 parks before my eldest son moves out, he’s 14, which comes to about 20 parks a year to get to the goal!
We are off to a good start, knocking out 6 new parks with our annual New Year Camping Trip!
More Board Games
Analog board games with my wife and kids are great fun! Why don’t we play more of them? My wife and I used to not have a TV and played an insane amount of board games and life was good.
We have a TV now and I don’t think I’d wanna go TV-less again, but I wouldn’t mind getting back into the board game grove. Luckily, we just cracked open Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 and got hooked. Hopefully, I can ride the wave into a future of more fun board games!
Putting My House In Order
Lately, I’ve been feeling like I live in absolute chaos. I’m living life by the “seat of my pants.” I’d like to have a bit more control and order in my life. There’s lots of little things around the house that need fixing. There’s lots of little chores that need to be organized.
I’m hoping by putting my physical environment into better order will lead to my head not spinning anymore! That would be great!
More Family Time
Last but not least is more family time.
Camping trips goes a long way toward family time, but I want more. My oldest is 14 and I realize before I know it he’s gonna be an adult and out of the house and there will be an empty space in my heart.
I must treasure the time I have left with him, but not just with him! My other kids are getting older too and I need to make sure I am being conscious about spending time with them.
All this to say, I aim to live life more intentionally in 2026. How about you?