My tech-related goals for 2026

5 things I'm working toward this year

Hello, friends, and welcome to 2026!

We’ll return to our regularly-scheduled Thursday posts next week, but I couldn’t wait to share a few of my goals for this year. I am unabashedly a lover of goals: I’ve yet to find a better tool to make progress on the things that really matter to me, and uncovering and sharing my goals with likeminded communities over the last decade has led to so many of the things I treasure today. My life is richer, more joyful, and more purposeful because of the goals that have shaped it, and that goodness overflows to the people I love.

That’s certainly true when it comes to tech-related goals: I know any effort I put in to modeling healthy tech habits and a flourishing life in the real world will be the floor my kids rise from.

So! After thought, prayer, and conversation with John, I’d love to share with you my five tech-related goals for 2026 — some big, some tiny. And, of course, I’m hoping you’ll share yours with me in the comments!

1. FaceTime parents each Sunday.

When I commuted, my Mom and I had a great rhythm of chatting each Monday on my drive home. I no longer commute, and we no longer have a regular time we connect, which means we can go far too long between conversations. While it feels easier to wait for her to reach out, I know making the first move is a form of love. John has a similar goal with his parents, so we decided that at the least we’ll switch off, FaceTiming one set of parents each weekend. Connection across distance is one of the best parts of technology, after all.

2. Post on Instagram each Sunday.

All of the frustrating ways Instagram pushes the content of people we aren’t following makes me feel increasingly ambivalent about the app, but I still value it as a way to connect with loved ones. But because I am so committed to not posting in the moment, the moment often passes — and then I never post, even things I’d like to share. I hope setting an alarm for each Sunday to prompt a quick scroll of my photo library and select a few pictures to share on my private account will be a nice balance.

3. Install a protective router.

Routers help prevent dangerous and inappropriate content from getting onto devices through Wi-Fi, and installing a protective one is a foundational piece of advice from cyber safety activists. It has not felt particularly urgent for us, because our kids don’t go on devices unsupervised at home (or, really, at all), but I know that will not always be the case. I’d rather do it too early rather than too late, so this is something I’d like to research and install this year. I suspect we’ll go with Protect Young Eyes’ recommendation. (So thankful for Chris McKenna’s work!)

4. Continue my in-school book club with June’s classmates and begin a club with Shep’s.

Starting in second grade, I’ve volunteered in June’s classroom each week to lead a “book club” of advanced readers. We switch off paragraphs, reading aloud from beloved novels, and just enjoy being readers together.

While not obviously tech-related, I believe this goal aligns with everything we value here. My willingness to show up means my kids (and their classmates!) are spending more time with rich literature during the school day than they would have otherwise, and to me, that is worth the sacrifice of my free time. I plan to finish out June’s fourth grade year and carry into grade five; in the fall, once Shep starts second grade, I’ll start it up with him, too.

5. Abide by a new civil etiquette.

Inspired by Katherine Martinko, I want to commit to not looking at my phone when in conversation with others, and halting the conversation when others look at their phone while in conversation with me. Katherine writes:

“What I really mean is, I’m sick and tired of people looking at their phones when they should be paying attention to whoever and whatever is around them. It is unbelievably rude and inconsiderate, and I’ve had enough. I’m no longer willing to sit quietly or ‘politely’ on the sidelines, allowing people to treat me and others as objects to be ignored at will, whenever a more tempting call arrives in the form of a smartphone or smartwatch notification.

It has sneaked up on us, this notion that it is somehow acceptable to break focus in the middle of face-to-face conversations to engage in communication with other invisible people at the very same time.

I’m so over it, and I’m done with enabling it.”

She is admirably bold, and I’m committed to following her lead. Of course, this is the one that makes me most nervous, both because it risks revealing me as a hypocrite (when I don’t live up to my own standard) and because it might make other people uncomfortable (though hopefully it more often makes them feel seen and known and loved). Ultimately, though, I treasure tech-free conversations and want to be a part of bringing more of them into the world.

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Goals, by their nature, call attention to something we want to change, something that’s not as it should be. This is a tension we can embrace. When perfection is not the expectation or goal, it becomes okay to admit that there are things we’d like to change about how we move through the world, and how we engage with technology. This is so freeing!

Bonus: research shows that when we set specific aims for ourselves, we’re more likely to achieve them. Success goes up when we write them down and share them, too. So, would you consider sharing with the group in the comments? One person’s willingness to share emboldens others. I can’t wait to hear what you’re focusing on!

P.S. You may recall that we started 2025 by talking about goals, too. I committed to better understanding our school-issued Chromebooks, encouraging June to bike to a friend’s home, working toward a district-wide bell-to-bell school phone ban, achieving active Wait Until 8th pledges in both our kids’ grades, practicing the piano a few times a week, and cleaning out my phone screenshots day by day. Many of you shared your goals, as well! In the name of accountability, I shared a brief report here.

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