We’ve reached the halfway point of 2026, and it’s a good time to review my progress on my 2026 New Year’s resolutions.
Spend less time on tasks ❌
Fail. And not because the plan was bad, but because I honestly haven’t followed it (though maybe that’s why it was bad?).
Of all the ideas, the only one I usually stick to is writing down the day’s tasks on a post-it note. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, because I get distracted and don’t focus on finishing them. Basically, it’s the problem I’d already recognized and intended to tackle, but without success.
I’m going to try something different: instead of having 10 tasks on a Post-it note and pretending I’ll get them all done in a day, only to end up doing just one, I’m going to set a single task to focus on for the day and really finish it. Until I finish it, I won’t work on anything else. If I finish it, I’ll do whatever I want for the rest of the day, and the next day I’ll tackle another task with the same level of intensity.
Photography ⚠
I’m classifying this as a partial success, but I think it’s more of a success than a failure.
On the one hand, I’m taking fewer photos overall, both with my phone and my camera. Since I’m using my camera much less, I’ve spent almost no time on editing and post-processing. That used to take up most of my effort in the past, days or weeks after events like Christmas or trips.
On the other hand, I’ve cut down on the time I spend organizing my photos. Thinking in the near future when cataloging will happen directly in Immich, I’ve stopped tagging my photos manually; I just organize them into albums and review the face tags (which are automatic in Digikam).
My biggest shortcoming is that I haven’t printed a single album so far this year, even though the 2025 album has been almost finished for months. That final push is the procrastination I struggle so much to overcome. But I’m determined to finish it soon, and after that I’ll work on the rest of the albums, trying to move faster.
Don’t Die ✅
Huge success. And not just because I’m still alive.
I’ve gone from 90 kg to 83 kg in 3 months, without losing any muscle mass. All my pants are too big for me now, no better proof than that.
My body fat has decreased significantly, and my visceral fat (my focus area for improvement, since it is linked to cardiovascular problems) is decreasing, although it is not yet at optimal levels. It’s down to 7% measure today from its initial 10%. I plan to continue trying to lower it to healthy levels (ideally 2% to 4%).
The main change has been finding a diet that works for me, that I enjoy, and that’s sustainable over time. Here are the key points:
- Intermittent fasting every morning. After 12 hours of fasting, the body begins to mobilize fat to create ketones, which should be helping with weight loss.
- In the morning, just black coffee.
- Lunch after 1 p.m. A variety of recipes, generally high in protein, low in fat, and with more carbohydrates on gym days.
- Snack around 4:30 p.m.: oatmeal with soy milk, crushed seeds, skyr yogurt, whey protein, collagen, and berries.
- Dinner between 7 and 8 p.m., often an omelet made with egg whites, a salad with mussels or tuna, or other high-protein dishes. A piece of fruit.
- Eating three meals in a short period of time makes me eat less, because if I were to overeat at lunch, I wouldn’t have room for my afternoon snack, and the same goes for dinner. As I serve myself lunch, I think about my afternoon snack bowl and eat in moderation. Protein-rich meals are also more filling.
- As I’ve already mentioned, I aim for a high protein ratio, 1.6–1.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight.
- Very very occasional alcohol consumption, for overall health but also because of the empty calories it contains.
- Occasional extended fasts. I usually fast for 24 to 36 hours once a week, and for about 3 days once every 3 to 6 months. On the one hand, I believe that autophagy is beneficial for the body. On the other hand, in my case, calorie restriction helps me lose weight.
I still need to get as comprehensive a blood test as possible, and I’ll continue monitoring my progress with my nutritionist, but I feel great and am happy to have finally found a method that works particularly well for me.
Other aspects I mentioned in the previous post, such as sleep, are also going well. I have a regular routine, and my sleep score is usually around 90 with plenty of REM sleep. I want to get a CO2 monitor to see if it’s building up in the room or if I need to ventilate it more. I’m also monitoring the temperature.
Portuguese ✅
I’ve improved my Portuguese quite a bit over the past few months. I can already hold conversations naturally, although I know I still make mistakes—but the Portuguese are very understanding and never complain.
Two months ago, I took the CIPLE exam (equivalent to level A2) and passed with a “very good” grade.
Blog ✅
I’m writing more frequently—that much is clear given the pace over the last few months.
I’d like to write about other topics, but it’s easiest to keep writing about technical subjects, which I’m passionate about and that aren’t usually controversial (with the exception of AI, but if you don’t like it, don’t read it).
Self-hosting ⚠
I’m listing this as a partial success because, although I’ve set up some new services (such as self-hosted Tailscale), I still haven’t configured Home Assistant or Paperless, which were the main ones I mentioned in my goals.
I’ll count this goal as a success if, by the end of the year, I have my new server up and running, with all current services migrated, plus at least Home Assistant and Paperless.
