11 things you could do in 2026 to make your life more [....]

Here are some goals, exercises, habits from me to you (and to myself as well) about what you could try in 2026 to make your life more... happy, fulfilling, meaningful, or under control.

Choose your suffering
Life will f*ck you up in any case, and things will happen. Reclaim some control by choosing your challenges, goals, and hardships. Let yourself form your life for a while, take the wheel and do not leave all the room for life to simply happen to you.

Prepare for tomorrow tonight
Plan your day, plan your morning. Prepare your clothes. Prepare your food. This builds habits, creates a ritual, and gives you more time for yourself or more sleep. Don't waste the beginning of the day rushing, nor waste your energy on making unimportant decisions such as what to eat or what to wear. It is a good way to train your self-discipline.

Don't drink or smoke
Or at least limit it as much as possible. Drinking has some perceived social benefits, and I guess smoking does as well. But messing up your sleep with alcohol and voluntarily inhaling something that is one of the worst things for your health - and paying money for it - while you smell and lose your sense of taste? That sounds like a stupid thing we both know is not worth doing. Also, limit caffeine and energy drinks for at least 10–12 hours before sleep.

Improve sleep
Get as much sleep as you need to feel rested when waking up. The quantity and pure amount of sleep are not enough, focus on quality as well. However, starting with quantity might be a good way to get the train on the right tracks and moving in the right direction.

Less connection, more connectedness
Social media involves following other people's lives, comparing yourself, and maintaining superficial relationships. Try shifting your focus and energy from Instagram, TikTok, or consuming mindless media to being simply bored (yes, painful) or building real connections. Cut out unhealthy people from your life. Strengthen the healthy connections you have. You do not owe them anything. Open up, connect, talk the truth. Reach out to your old friends and family, or build new deep relationships that are less about what you do together, and more about how you feel together and how real you can be.

Dopamine control
Addictive sex, drugs, alcohol, smoking, junk food, social media, dating apps. Everything mentioned feels great in the moment, but in many cases, we feel less fulfilled and happy than if we had been able to control our urges and skip that little dopamine hit. Awareness of your impulses and desires is powerful.

Face your fears
What are you running from? What are you avoiding? Turn around and face your fears. Walk, if not run toward them. There is a lot of value and growth hidden there, and more often than not, they are the source of your discontent.

Take care of your body
You have this one vessel on earth, and if it malfunctions due to genetics or bad luck, it is simply game over. While you cannot control mutations, you hold a sliver of control via your lifestyle. Take care of that part, move, eat healthy, do your medical examinations. Don't die sooner, than you have to.

Be your best friend
How do you talk to yourself? How do you see yourself? Do you engage in negative self-talk? Do you compare yourself to others? You have a unique journey that is only yours. Have some compassion for yourself and treat yourself as a dear friend to whom you wish only the best. You are the closest person you will ever have. You are flawed, but you should love yourself. Because who will, if not you?

Lean in, reach out, of your comfort zone
If there are areas of life that you are enjoying and where you feel a state of flow, lean into them. But find some balance and do things outside of your comfort zone. What would be the polar opposite of what you normally do? I took up dance lessons and started going to the shooting range, for example. Two worlds, two extremes.

My only goal for 2026: to want less
What if everything I really need is already here? By wanting less, I mean fewer physical things and assets. But wanting less also means having the ability to see and engage my desires in a healthy way. Wanting less.