I don't typically set resolutions but I do have a work-in-progress "2026 Goals" bingo card that I've been mulling over these last few days.
I'm not sharing the full details because it contains lots of personal stuff but I will share that one of spaces is occupied with "prepare a talk and present at a local toastmasters club". I am hoping that 2026 will be a year where I can start doing some public speaking at dev events, but I'd really like to build up some more confidence before I approach it all.
Anyway, I first learned about and felt inspired by a bingo format from following @eevajonnapanula. You can learn more about it from their 2025 wishes that they shared with the community:
I really love not having to whittle down my hopes and dreams into a small subset of goals which means approaching my year with more flexibility. I have several hunches on how things may shift and this allows me to follow my interests and evolving priorities as the year unfolds.
I think I'll also just be happy if I can cross out five of my goals without actually getting a bingo, but a bingo would be pretty cool!
Care to share any of your goals?!
Top comments (27)
My main New Year resolution is to be free from Big Tech. By the end of 2026, I want a Linux-based development machine, with Open Source software that is focused on privacy. Furthermore, I want to start giving back to such projects by contributing to their continued development wherever possible.
hear hear!
One of my resolutions this year is to create something fun with others.
I'm planning to do it with my DEV.to friend @itsugo. We might make things faster and better than working solo. Also, we live in different countries, so we can learn about cultural differences. I'm looking forward to sharing about it on DEV.to.😄
Kanpai to that brother!
Ah, cool! Can't wait for the updates :)
Thank you! That really encourages me to keep going.😄
Strangely enough, pair programming using Python is something else on my ever growing to do list. Regardless, I'm very much looking forward to furthers updates from you on this!
Thank you for your comment. I’ll post it on DEV.to once I make more progress on my resolution. 😃
New Year resolutions to stop doing something I like but should not, or to start doing something I really don't want to do, just do not work for me. For the last couple of years my New Year resolutions have been things I actually want to do or do more of.
Examples include:
This resonated! I’ve been thinking about my 2026 goals too. I don't usually do resolutions, but I’m doubling down on intentional growth. A big square on my 2026 card is dedicated to collaboration—specifically working on projects with @webdeveloperhyper and finally turning some "someday" ideas into "live" URLs. I’m trying to balance the intense learning from my day job with the creative freedom of personal dev work.
Wishing you the best of luck with that Toastmasters talk—public speaking is the ultimate "high-boss" battle for devs, but you’ve got this!
Thank you! You’ve just taken a big step toward your dream as a startup engineer, so let’s move forward at a relaxed pace and avoid burning out.😀
I have a friend who is a psychologist and a coach. She says it’s better to have just one small or moderate resolution than to declare something like: “I’ll completely change my life starting in January.” When the brain notices successes, we naturally start making more positive changes, even in the background. Maybe I’ll pick something like exercising for 30 minutes a day and just see what happens. 😊
From a career perspective, I hope at least one IT conference will invite me as a speaker 😀
I’m not mentioning writing, because for me that would be like making a resolution such as “play more Pokémon Go” xDDD
Are you only interested in getting invited to give a conference talk or will you be applying to speak as well? Any conferences you're eyeing in particular?
I’ll definitely apply to some conferences 🙂 I’m mainly aiming for frontend-focused ones and broader tech/architecture conferences. Maybe someday someone will invite me directly, but I don’t think I’m quite at that level of visibility yet 😄
Hehe cool, good luck!
I maybe late but my 2026 resolutions is just get better at building build safe distributed systems, get a home and a setup my personal space for making personal/open source softwares. I really get stuck when thinking at the architecture what's better what's not, but I guess this will get better with time. Also want to get healthier this year and last: quit job where I am working now an get a job outside by country (EU/Japan/etc) or get a remote one (to focus on my personal projects/ideas).
Good luck!
My most important goal is to find meaningful work in the new year! To that end, I am working on projects such as a project management tool and a habit tracker app, learning how to work with Claude Code, and refreshing React skills.
You have much more courage than I do when it comes to presenting dev talks! I am not ready to present but maybe in a future year. Good luck with all your goals!
My main resolution for this year and upcoming one or two is that chasing greatness for my craft. I want to become top level engineer and want to build more stuff. I am on a generational run and I want to try my best.
My new year resolution is to make enough money and retire from IT and start my own greenhouse farming business.
Well that's pretty cool.
My only tech related resolution was to come back to documenting my learnings and writing about web accessibility more. I used to be much more diligent about it, and I feel like 2026 is the time to get that back 💪
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