I wrote 2025 Goals and Onward last year to reflect on where I thought life and work were heading.
As usual, I’m writing this a little late. It’s April, we’re already a third of the way into 2026, and I’m finally sitting down to write this. But maybe that’s the point. I’m less interested in perfect plans and more interested in a better approach.
Part of that is admitting something I’ve fought for a long time: sticking to a clean schedule doesn’t always work for me. I work in a field that changes fast. There are deadlines, emergencies, and curveballs that show up out of nowhere. And when I try to force everything into a rigid plan, I usually end up feeling behind, frustrated, or like I’m failing at something that was never realistic in the first place.
So one of the things I’m practicing this year is flexibility – staying responsive without letting the chaos run my life. Giving myself a break when things don’t go perfectly. Finding small ways to create steadiness, even when the work gets unpredictable.
Looking at 2026 now, a lot of what I wrote last year still feels true, but a lot has changed, too. Or maybe a better way to say it is that a lot has become clearer.
Seeing Life More Clearly
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to build a life that feels sustainable, meaningful, and present. Not because everything is suddenly uncertain, but because some things have simply come into sharper focus.
I’m getting married in May, and it’s been making me think more seriously about the future I want to build. Not in a “marriage changes everything” kind of way, but in a way that makes things feel more real and more worth protecting. Part of that future is not working 24/7 the way I used to.
Life has a way of gently reminding us what matters. The people we love get older. We get older, too. Priorities shift. And sometimes clarity comes not from a big dramatic change, but from quietly realizing what you want to protect more carefully.
For a long time, I was used to working all the time. Work filled the gaps, shaped my schedule, and became the default. That worked for a while, but I know now that life cannot just be about work.
I want to spend more time with my family. I keep thinking about The Sad Truth: By 20, You’ve Spent 90% of Time With Your Parents, and the idea that by the time we are 20, we may have already spent around 90 percent of the time we will ever spend with our parents. I do not know if the exact number matters as much as the reminder. Time with the people we love is limited, and I do not want to look back one day and realize work took more of that time than it should have.
More than anything, I want to make room for a life that feels balanced and human. That means personal time off, family time, and paying attention when my body tells me I need a break. It means wanting less burnout, fewer long nights, and, honestly, fewer meetings. Not because ambition matters less, but because I am learning that a meaningful life has to have room for more than work alone.
Letting Go of Full Control
That shift is also changing how I think about leadership. I have been stepping back more and giving my team more responsibility. That has not always been easy because letting go of full control is uncomfortable. But it has also been good. I have seen my team sharpen their skills, grow into more responsibility, and build more trust. I am learning that leadership is not about being in the middle of everything all the time. Sometimes it is about creating space for others to step up.
Teaching Is Becoming a Bigger Part of Me
At the same time, teaching is becoming an increasingly important part of who I am. My journey as a mentor and teacher is still growing. I am teaching more classes now, and the class sizes are bigger, which brings new challenges. It pushes me to think more carefully about how to make sure everyone is learning and getting what they need. More and more, teaching does not feel like something I do on the side. It feels like part of my identity.
Where the Business Is Heading
That matters because it is shaping where I want my work to go. On the business side, I see things evolving into bigger and more interactive projects. I want to be known not just for websites and apps, but for creating more thoughtful and engaging experiences, including physical ones. We are working with more clients across different industries, and I want to keep growing revenue in a way that lets us bring on more people and continue building out our team and internship program.
What I Want to Keep Building
Personally, I want to keep investing in my own platform too. I want to publish more articles about teaching, what I am learning, and the UI and UX work that keeps shaping how I think. I want to do more podcasts. I want to start public speaking and running workshops. None of that feels random to me. It all feels connected to the kind of future I want to build, where I am not just doing the work but also sharing what I have learned in ways that can help others.
What Success Looks Like Now
If there is one thing I want to carry into 2026 and beyond, it is this: success looks different to me now. It is not just growth for the sake of growth. It is not staying busy just to feel productive. It is not holding onto everything myself. Success now looks like growth without sacrificing my team’s or my health. It looks like building a business that can operate with trust. It looks like making room for family, rest, and life outside of work. It looks like continuing to teach, mentor, and create work that actually means something.
Moving Forward With More Intention
This post is partly a reflection and partly a reminder to myself. I do not have everything figured out, and I do not expect the next few years to unfold perfectly.
I also know that what I want to do is a lot. More teaching. More writing. More speaking. More workshops. Bigger projects. A healthier pace. A better life outside of work.
But I believe it is doable because I am not trying to do it alone. I have a team I trust, and I am learning how to lead in a way that gives people room to do great work without anyone sacrificing too much of their own time, health, or personal life.
That is the whole point. If the plan only works when everyone is exhausted, it is not a plan I want.
So I want to move forward with more intention. I want to build a life that has room for the people I love, a business that does not depend on me being in every part of it, and a body of work that reflects not just what I can make, but what I can share, teach, and help others build too.
That is how I’m approaching 2026.
