My Reflections on 2025, and 2026 Plans

Towards the end of December 2025, I saw Ali Abdaal promoting his 2-day New Year reset workshop which I unfortunately was not able to attend due to stark timezone differences. So being me, I asked AI to come up with its own set of prompts for me to reflect on 2025.

If I were to think about 2025, there were a few things that I am extremely proud of. A lot of these are related to my professional work rather than my personal life. But to make this post well-rounded, I guess I can reflect back on both the professional and personal.

What Went Well in 2025

Thinking back, there were a few things I was extremely proud of (in terms of what I achieved) in 2025:

• As the (now former) coordinator for all foundation, pre-diploma and diploma English programmes at my university, I (and several lecturers, and my direct superior) managed to revise and align the existing curriculum to the current Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). In the process, we managed to reduce about 50% of on-paper tests and convert them into ongoing assignments. I feel this is probably my biggest contribution and source of pride for 2025. While tiring, I felt good knowing that the exercise will help the faculty in the long run. Being my first “official” management position, I also learned a lot about team dynamics and learning how to work with others, leveraging on their strengths and limitations. I hope I did well by my team in my short one-year appointment.
• I also managed to publish a paper at Business Professional Communication Quarterly, under Sage Journals. As a junior academic and researcher, having a paper published at Sage feels like a rite of passing. It feels almost like a viva of its own and built my confidence to keep pursuing my research in this area that I have chosen. I am far from saying that I belong in academia, but this paper definitely serves as an important first step and has sparked my drive to publish even more papers this year.
• In 2025, I attended a short workshop on vibe coding, and I was able to develop my very first web app that will serve as my main project for this year. The app was built based on my PhD findings, as a continuation and expansion of my research, and I sincerely hope that it will serve the community well, especially among my students in improving their skills and enhancing their employability levels. I feel really, really good about this project, and I have a million things planned for it, so here’s hoping that it will go well.

What Did Not Go Well in 2025

Now to talk about some things that did not go well in 2025. Perhaps these are ventures that did not work out for me, or things I have neglected.

• Too many “filler projects”. This is something I struggled with since a few years ago, where I tended to say ‘yes’ to too many things that did not serve me well in any way. Sometimes I agreed to projects just because a friend suggested it, and… I need to start being selective about that. There are too many instances I call recall where I spent time working on something that did nothing for me personally, professionally, and socially, and as a result, I had to prioritise and push aside a lot of things that I had wanted to do.
• I did not read as many quality books in 2025. I read a total of 26 books, which was five more than the year before, but there seemed to be a lack of ‘learning’ for me, which I hope to change this year.
• I did not write as much as I had hoped to. Despite my love for Nicholas Cole and following his lectures closely in 2025, I think it’s only in the first few days of 2026 that things clicked for me. I need to write a lot more, and I definitely fell off the wagon in 2025 – not that I had a lot to show for in the previous years. Still, I have very little excuse for my lack of writing, considering that my thesis was completed in 2024. I need to schedule more time to write from here onwards and hit my writing goals.

What My Plans Are for 2026

So here we come to my plans for 2026, and I will keep this at a very professional level and keep my personal goals to myself. I intend to revisit this post quite often to track where I’m going, and see what my progress is and, if I’m not progressing, explore the reasons why.

• My first plan, foremost, is to complete some projects that had remained unfinished since last year, and the year before. There are two research grants that I want to close and move on from, and a book project that I hope will be completed soon. Everything else, I believe, I have completed and let go in 2025. I want to be far more selective in the projects that I do join, which naturally introduces the next point:
• I want to lean in very, very heavily into expanding my PhD research. I want to refine and publish my framework. I want to look at my data from a different lens. I want to produce a few innovations that can help people. I want to collect even more data and dive even deeper into this niche that I have established for myself.
• I want 2026 to be the year where I really dive into a field that I have gained interest in over the past two years. I picked up a book on it during my trip to the USA, but I have several more titles that I have been meaning to get into. I want 2026 to be a year of learning, of getting deeper into this field. I shall set my expectations to reading four books, one every quarter, specifically dedicated to this area that I have developed my interest in.
• Finally, I want this to be the year where I write, and write a lot. Papers, reflections, general thoughts, maybe 3-4 pieces per week. This website is where I’ll do some of my thinking, but I will be exploring Cole’s advice and see where it takes me. If I can do something for a solid two years, taking me into the end of 2027, I am confident that I will see something positive from it.

So that’s it. Some of my professional goals for this year. My intention this year is to Change. That shall be my word. Whatever I have done before has taken me here so far, and while it’s wonderful, I need to Change to see change. I can say that for sure, after 2025. So hello, 2026. We have spent 11 days together so far, so there are 354 days to go.