It’s the new year, and we constantly come across content about resolutions, new year’s goals, and intentions. This can feel overwhelming, especially when you don’t have everything together – which is totally okay btw.
Let’s get this straight: You don’t need to have your life together in order to improve it. Everyone’s journey is unique and there aren’t any set rules. It’s silly to pretend otherwise. Plus, goals and intentions don’t really get you far if you find yourself stuck in limiting beliefs and without a clear sense of identity.
But, if you want to start simple and make small changes to improve your life or even just feel a little better, then there are a lot of things you can do.
In this post, you’ll discover 10 simple ways that’ll help you upgrade and improve your life in 2026!
1. Enjoy your mornings slowly
Rushed mornings can set the tone for the entire day and ruin your mood from the very start. The key is to aim for slow mornings that’ll allow you to care for yourself and prepare properly for the day ahead. Wake – up early and stay away from your phone – time passes so fast when we’re on our phones.
Instead, make a hot beverage and do something peaceful for a while to allow your brain and body to wake up slowly without any stress. If you’re fancy, consider meditating. If you’re not, just open the windows and observe the silence and clarity of the early morning. Take your time to plan the day ahead and set your intentions.
Your life is precious and you don’t have to live it in fast forward.
2. Romanticize your life
We tend to wait for our daily life to become better or more eventful to start enjoying and romanticizing it. Our life is always worth living though, and we should be grateful for the present moment, because after all, it’s all we have.
It’s time to change your mindset to realize one thing: your life is good enough as it is right now. Romanticizing it doesn’t actually require anything special, and it can start with small things. Wear the nice outfit that you keep saving for a special occasion that never comes. Buy fresh flowers for your house even if it’s not someone’s birthday. Take photos of the mundane – those mundane moments actually shape your life. Write a song when you fall in love even if it’s the most hideous thing you’ve ever done. Stop taking things so seriously and start appreciating your everyday life more.
3. Read More books
In a world of distraction and information overload, read as many books as you can. Stay away from short form content, visual and social media to limit or avoid the negative effects they have on our health, and replace them with a better habit like reading. Get cozy and allow yourself to get immersed in a fictional story and your imagination to wander.
One of my 2026 goals is to read 30 books – I actually haven’t read that many in a while. I’m not sure I’ll achieve it, but I’m currently on the second book of this year, and I tend to read almost every day. My current read is the classic Alice in Wonderland. Reading makes me feel calmer and I feel like my attention span is slowly improving – even if only slightly. Feel free to catch up with my reading shenanigans on Goodreads.
4. Learn something new
One of the most meaningful ways to upgrade your life and do something nice for yourself is to learn something new. That might be a new skill, a new language, or something specific that’ll boost your career. Luckily, these days we can learn anything from the convenience of our house at a low price or even for free – there are free online classes even on YouTube!
Learning a new skill will distract you from boredom, boost your creativity, and improve your self-esteem since you’ll get to feel accomplished and productive. Currently I work on the Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce certificate via Coursera.
5. Get out of the house more often
If you’re a homebody like me, I get it. It feels amazing staying at home and doing your own thing. This year, though, we’re approaching things different and we build a life that we absolutely fall in love with.
Get out of your house more – and mostly, without any purpose. Go for a walk, have a picnic, take your book and walk to the nearest park. Enjoy the fresh air, take photos, and observe the nature. More than that, allow yourself to show up and socialize more. Talk to people, smile, and make compliments.
Sometimes, for some people (including me) getting out of the house means pushing our boundaries and challenging our comfort zone. Well, let’s show up for this in 2026.
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6. Practice positive self talk
If you’re struggling with self-love or anxiety, it’s important to consider how your inner talk is and how it might be affecting you. Negative self talk can increase stress, worsen self image, and make you feel miserable and sad.
By improving your self-talk, you’re also upgrading your life by improving the relationship you have with yourself. You don’t have to do anything complicated. It can be something as simple as repeating “I’m okay”. You can also start focusing on positive aspects of your every day life, and of course, you can practice affirmations such as ”I am loved”, “I am safe”, and “I am becoming the best version of myself”.
7. Make your bedroom cozier
This is not so much about organization. It’s just about having a dedicated sacred place where you can rest and recharge after a long day without getting overwhelmed. There are a few ways to make a room cozier, and of course it depends on what you like. For example, you can decorate it with throw pillows, scented candles, flowers, cute plushies.
Lately, I made a few changes in my bedroom since I was finally able to renovate and organize the office. I turned my desk into a vanity area, and I keep everything work or writing related out of my bedroom. Instead, I only make sure to keep my crystals, candles, and journals around. This small change has made me feel a lot calmer and peaceful.
8. Find hobbies that don’t require screens
If you’re truly interested in upgrading your life in 2026, then it’s time to limit the time you spend in front of a screen. It’s time to change your perspective and start experiencing life in a more active way. Think about activities you enjoy doing or you’ve always wanted to do, and focus on hobbies that don’t require screens. Those can be drawing, crocheting, puzzles, bullet journaling, photography, going to the movies or the theater, learning an instrument – and the list goes on.
This year, I’m mostly going to focus on reading, walking, bullet journaling, and coloring. Of course, if you got any more suggestions for me, feel free to let me know in the comments!
9. Express yourself more openly
Self-esteem, confidence, and self-respect are essentials when it comes to leading a life that’s worth living. So, this is both easy and hard, but just… be yourself. Set boundaries and learn to say no when you really don’t want to do something. Speak up and say your opinion even it’s different to anyone else’s. Dance often and laugh loudly.
Did you just watch a movie? Talk about it even if you think that nobody cares. It’ll take a while to feel comfortable expressing yourself, especially if you’re not used to it. So, you have to practice first like you’d do with any other thing. If you don’t know where to start, just think about the day you had. Then, start talking about it to someone, and don’t filter yourself: just let your thoughts and emotions out.
10. Include solo dates in your life
By spending more time with yourself, you’ll get to connect more to your inner self, feel more confident, and discover that you don’t need other people in order to have a good time. It’s time to try to do more things on your own this year. Start small by going for a walk and getting a coffee somewhere. You can have your book, laptop, or tablet with you to keep you company.
You could also go to the movies or to try a new gym class. There are quite a few things you could do to enhance your free time and could possibly lead you to self-discovery and boost self-love.
I hope you’ll find those 10 suggestions useful, and they’ll help you to upgrade your life, and potentially get closer to yourself.
It’s important to remember that you don’t need any big goals or decisions to take action and make changes in your life. You can start right now by doing something new and meaningful.
In 2026, we’re upgrading our lives by treating ourselves better. ❤️
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