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Do you have any New Year resolutions or goals?

Jess Lee on January 05, 2026

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 n...
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Sylwia Laskowska

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

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

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?

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Sylwia Laskowska

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 😄

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

Hehe cool, good luck!

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Tracy Gilmore • Edited

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:

  • Take up a new (specific) hobby.
  • Spend more time with friends, especially those you don't get to see very often.
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Richard Pascoe

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.

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

hear hear!

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Web Developer Hyper

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.😄

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Aryan Choudhary

Kanpai to that brother!

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

Ah, cool! Can't wait for the updates :)

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Web Developer Hyper

Thank you! That really encourages me to keep going.😄

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Richard Pascoe

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!

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Web Developer Hyper

Thank you for your comment. I’ll post it on DEV.to once I make more progress on my resolution. 😃

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Erica

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!

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Aryan Choudhary

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!

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Web Developer Hyper

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.😀

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Manas • Edited

I maybe late but my 2026 resolutions is just get better at building build safe distributed systems, get my own 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 and get a job outside my country (EU/Japan/etc) or get a remote one (to focus on my personal projects/ideas).

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

Good luck!

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Josefine Schfr

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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GP

My new year resolution is to make enough money and retire from IT and start my own greenhouse farming business.

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

Well that's pretty cool.

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Ismail Emir Lambacioglu

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.

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Heaven liu

Of course, this year I would like to learn English to an IELTS level of 7.5 and become a full-stack developer.

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Cyber Safety Zone

I loved reading this! 🙌
I find that setting flexible intentions instead of rigid resolutions works better for me too — it allows me to grow without the pressure of “must-finish.”
One of my goals this year is to build more side projects and share them here on Dev.to for feedback 🧠💻.
Happy 2026 and happy building, everyone! 🚀

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Farhad Rahimi Klie

Yes I want to master the Assembly language from scratch.

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Nyanguno

I started this year on a very high note and with a number of resolutions:

  1. For Truthscore (Check if a YouTube "make money" video is a scam—in 10 seconds) to reach 50K+ users
  2. To buy my first car (BMW)
  3. Make my first $10k+ online
  4. Get clarity whether to start my business or get employed
  5. Help my mum build her dream house
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Captain Fulminyx

I have made my 2026 learning Resolution at dev.to/captainfulminyx/my-2026-res...

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David Thomas

My main aim is to meet the deadlines and be at peace. Feels kind of a luxury at this point :(

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Bertrand

Run a semi-marathon? Does it count ? 🥺

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

Haha totally 🏃

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EmberNoGlow

My computer broke down -> I got a new computer -> I lost my passwords -> I wasted a week. Happy New Year!

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Jess Lee The DEV Team

ohhhh nooooooo that's the worst. were you locked out of a password manager or something?

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EmberNoGlow

I just lost my 2FA code, and I used my backup codes, but I realized that I don't have a backup code for itch.io. Oh well, I'll have to insert my old drive and disable 2fa. And anyway, my new computer is older than my old one, lol.

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Julien Avezou

My goals for this year:

  • write more tech content (posted an article here last week, prepping the next right now)
  • grow my app (a reflection tool for devs)
  • find a job that resonates with me
  • build a fun tool, just for the fun of it (started tinkering today)

Was nice reading everyone's goals in the thread, hope they all come true!

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Rockwall Connect

Good App!