2026 in's & out's
Yesterday, I was sketching a mental moodboard for what I want 2026 to feel like, and I recalled several bloggers curating lists of in’s & out’s last year, inventories of what they’re inviting in and what they’re finally letting go of. I thought this would be a fun, lighthearted brain dump, since I haven’t done any of those before!
In’s:
Less self-therapizing; calmer living
Reading more thick, lengthy books, especially classics
Writing more consistently on Bear & Substack
Inspirations from physical media (magazines, printed matter, exhibitions)
Deep work sessions & flow states
Quality time with other creative friends
Oil painting
Showing up to more local creative events
Budgeting
Asking for (i) what I want and (ii) help when I need it
Furthering my education/faster career progression
Out’s
Excessive social media usage
Limiting beliefs & perpetual living in the past
Postponing my happiness for an indefinite time in the future
Consuming more than creating
Not living on my terms, even when it comes to the smallest decisions
My bad artist posture
Spreading my focus on too many things at once
Constantly wanting “more”
Minimalism & my monochrome closet
Reading through these bullets, I realize a central theme is not reinvention but refinement (Aside from the very random suggestions, like my notorious artist posture). What I am really after is a calmer mindset and more efficient creative rituals. I am not trying to diversify my hobbies (or life) but to deepen the interests I already have and build more intention around the skills I’ve spent years learning.