What 2025 was and ideas for 2026

What 2025 was

I am writing this on the first day of the new year, 2026. I’ve mainly been using this blog/website to host my article about my Arch Linux install and I’ve kept that up-to-date with changes I’ve made to my system in the last two years (idea being: having a document that describes my setup so I could reproduce it, because I always forget which modifications I did).

2025 was the first year in my new house. We moved in July of 2024, It’s an old mansion (built in 1897). Our moving was something that simmered and we decided to just do it. The house is in good condition. One of the big things we did this year is to isolate the roof (effectively a new roof) and replace all glass with more modern isolating glass. I’ve kept track of gas usage so far, and early indications seem to be about 30 percent reduction in gas usage compared to 2024, which is great, because gas is expensive.

I also turned 50 in November which is kind of surreal.. A few days ago I was re-reading my reflections on 2023. It is a bit unsettling that I have to admit that that feeling of “purpose” that I mentioned there, hasn’t really emerged. Motivation has been a real struggle in 2025. It’s not for lack of doing big new things: new house, new project at work, working in a new programming language, a big sailing trip to Norway, been to the Carribean last year.

If I would have to summarize 2025, it would be as: too much.

The big reasons for that are not the fun things we did, like the vacations, and the travels, but I think they mostly stem from two things:

• Difficulty applying focus on work-related subjects
• A weekly schedule that leaves no room for flex

I’ve had more trouble than usual applying focus on work-related tasks. If I look at how that works, I think it is because of having to do things that really require focus, but having a schedule that has zero room for flex. My schedule is so tight that I constantly find myself having to stop what I’m doing and rush into the next have-to-do task, which can be anything from a weekly meeting, bookkeeping and administrative work for my company, to picking up my daughter for school or ballet.

From how 2025 has felt, I have a few ideas about what to do different in 2026..

Ideas for 2026

So 2026. A new year ahead. I have a few ideas that I will try to do this year:

• A more restful/sustainable pace
• Less planning and schedule
• Stop the daily grinding
• Leave time for just normal things
• Like going for a walk in the park
• Or taking time to cook something nice
• Create space to work with focus
• Not all over the place, single subject
• Re-start my bouldering exercises

To do the above, means making some choices, specifically about what not to do, what to leave out, because a schedule can only get less crowded by simply not doing certain things, consciously.

I also hope to share a little bit more regularly here. I have a few good subjects in mind that deserve their own article.

Happy new year to all!