This past Monday (26 January) I released my 2026 plans on my YouTube channel, but I lacked the time to update here until today. With February fast approaching, I figured I would share with you, dear reader, my plans for 2026. As I have done the past few years, I used Gretchen Rubin’s trifecta of tools to design my year.
EXPLORE is my word for 2026. I plan to analyze different areas of my life, so I can make decisions to improve those areas. I plan to examine, discover, or experiment with new undertakings through activities and adventures. My plans for this year focus on self-care, personal growth, organization, reading, creative pursuits, and fun. Since there are 26 letters in the alphabet and this year is 2026, I decided to have a little fun and put my list of aims in alphabetical order.
In addition to my one-word theme, I created a 26 for 2026 list with my aims for the new year. Almost all of the items on my list (18 to be exact) are new; however, I did carry over four items from last year (B, C, H, and X) and two items from 2024 (E and M) that I did not complete, but I really want to accomplish this year. I also repeated two items from last year (S and W) to keep myself motivated with both of those activities. Take a look at what I have planned for myself for 2026.
Kat’s 26 for 2026 List
- Alphabet Adventures (books, movies, outings, restaurants, etc.)
- Book of Life
- Clutter Clear 123 (bedroom closet, kitchen, and scrapbook room)
- Dermatology Appointment
- Evening Routine (implement pre-sleep ritual)
- Finances 101 (create budget/track book spending)
- Grafton (read Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton)
- Home Library (complete organization)
- Illustrator Deep Dive (picture books)
- Jigsaw Puzzles (6 in 2026)
- Kat’s Novel Adventures (film/release 26 videos in 2026)
- Lunch Dates with Friends (6 in 2026)
- Massage
- New Habitat for Ice Cream Bar (speckled kingsnake)
- Out with the Old/In with the New (update wardrobe)
- Party for Barry’s 60th Birthday (March)
- Quarterly Game Hangouts (board games or card games)
- Road Race (walk/maybe run)
- Scrapbook Sessions (scrapbook 26 times in 2026)
- The X-Files: Season 1 Rewatch with Barry
- Unhaul Books (donations, giveaways, and Pango)
- Vincent van Gogh Conqueror Challenge
- Writing Sessions (write 26 blog posts in 2026)
- X Marks the Spot: The Open Book in Scotland (put down deposit)
- YouTube Project (learn to create SHORTS)
- Zero to Well-Read Podcast
I am excited to explore all of these aims; however, the nerd in me is SUPER excited about my Alphabet Adventures. Basically, I will be reading 26 books that I own, each one starting with a letter of the alphabet. I will be watching 26 movies, each one starting with a letter of the alphabet. In addition to books and movies, I will be working on this aim through outings, restaurants, music, readathons, etc. I’ve already crossed off a couple of books, movies, songs, and restaurants since the beginning of the year.
Other Fun Plans for 2026:
- Participate in Gretchen Rubin’s #Move26in26. The challenge is to spend 26 minutes moving daily in 2026. This challenge is the third element of Rubin’s Design Your Year: 2026 with the one-word theme and list of aims being the other two elements. According to Gretchen Rubin, “Research consistently links regular physical activity to better sleep, clearer thinking, reduced anxiety, and—perhaps surprisingly—more energy. These benefits come from any kind of movement, not just traditional forms of exercise like jogging or cardio.” Moving at least 26 minutes every day will be an easy daily challenge for me because I enjoy walking which I strive to do each day. I started strength-training again in November, and I strive to get a strength-training session in 2-3 days a week. Exercising daily has made a huge difference in my life, so I like this yearly challenge for the inspiration to keep going with my fitness goals.
- Join the 2026 Reading Challenge on Goodreads. My goal is to read 100 books this year. Follow me on Goodreads (Katherine Loyacano).
- Host three readathons on my YouTube channel: Nevermore, Folklore February, and Zombiethon.
- Host What’s Up Wednesday! (weekly online community sprints).
- Host Saturday Morning Momentum: Rise & Remix in 2026 (weekly online power hour).
- Participate in 2026 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge hosted by Chantel at Chantel Reads All Day.
- Participate in Horror Bingo 2025-2026 hosted by Sarah at Wicked Reading.
- Participate in various online Readathons (Big Book Summer, Giallo July, March Mystery Madness, Middle-Grade March, Series September, Summer Book Bingo, and Week of Weird).
- Interact with members of the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club on Facebook.
- Participate in Booktube Book Clubs (The Book Wyrm Club, FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, and The Midnight Book Society).
- Continue doing Collabs with Kelsi (OSA, Halloween-A-Thon, Holiday Hell, & movie discussions). Our collabs can be viewed on her YouTube channel, Kelsi’s Nostalgic Life: Books, Movies, & Creativity. Please consider subscribing to Kelsi’s channel in 2026.
- Cohost with Laurie @ Books, Ink and Paper (Mardi Gras Readathon).
- Cohost with Jen @ Literary Love 123 (November Readathon).
- Buddy Read the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King with Alex @ Frankfiction.
- Buddy Read 4 Series (Beaumont, Brady, Reynolds, & Walker) by J.A. Jance with the Beaumont/Brady Bunch.
- Participate in Frugal February. This is a NO spend month.
- Keep a TA-DA list for 2025. This list is for goals or activities that I accomplish throughout the year but are not included on my original list. These accomplishments should be celebrated, too.
Additionally, I will continue creating videos for my Youtube channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I passed my three-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2025. As of the writing of this post, I have 1.34K subscribers and 383 videos for public viewing. My channel growth is still a slow-going process, dear reader, and I am still fine with it. Quality over Quantity. I have an AMAZING community of friends, who are supportive and thoughtful. We show up for each other. My channel, like my blog, provides me a creative outlet and brings me a great deal of joy. I have included a video about Designing My Year: 2026 below if you are interested in hearing more about my plans for 2026. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like, and leaving a comment.
Well, dear reader, that is a preview of my adventures for 2026. All of these aims and activities are designed for me to have a happier year. I am thrilled about working on my aims, especially my Alphabet Adventures, while also discovering other opportunities that might present themselves this year. Happiness!
“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” ~ Jennifer Lee
The Kat Files 