I Don't Have a 2026 Goal. Here's What I Have Instead.

I Don't Have a 2026 Goal. Here's What I Have Instead.
Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma

Infrastructure Catalyst
Issue #3 | December 29, 2025

This is my last newsletter of 2025. It's also only my third, ever. Building the habit of documenting what I learn has been slower than I planned, but with how fast AI is moving and what it could mean for infrastructure, I'm committed to keeping up and sharing what I find.

Keeping this one short. You're tired, I'm tired, and we don't need another "year in review" post. Just one idea worth sharing, and a thank you. To those who've replied or shared a kind word, it means more than you know.

Goals are nice. They look good in performance reviews and January planning sessions. But the thing that actually changes how you work?

Your defaults.

Most PMs set resolutions like "get better at delegation" or "stay ahead of budgets" or "communicate more with the team." Big and broad. By February, nothing's different.

What I'm learning is that habits don't shift because you set a goal. They shift when you change what you do automatically.

Automation takes repetition. Like learning a new software or building muscle memory on a process you've run a hundred times.

So instead of a big-picture goal for 2026, pick one default behavior you'll start practicing.

Some examples:

  • I ask for help before I'm underwater.
  • I delegate before it's urgent.
  • I say "I don't know yet" instead of guessing.
  • I speak up in meetings without waiting to be asked.
  • I give feedback when it's useful, not when it's comfortable.
  • I protect my calendar like I protect my budget.

Pick one. Not three. One.

Then practice it until it's automatic. Until you don't have to think about it anymore. Until it's just how you operate.

Same goes for AI, by the way. If you're trying to bring it into your projects and it's not clicking yet, that's fine. If your pilot failed, that's fine too. Most of mine have. You don't need to get it right immediately. Set aside half an hour here and there to experiment, read, or just explore what's out there.

That's the work for 2026.

Pick a default. Make it automatic. See what changes.

I'll see you next year.

Joseph

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