Why is gradual change better than drastic life changes?

Gradual change is easier to sustain over time, creates less friction in daily life, and allows habits to form naturally without burnout or discouragement.

How can small investments increase dividend income?

Small, frequent contributions ensure consistent investing, allow dividends to compound over time, and remove the pressure of waiting for large lump sums.

Why reduce spending before early retirement?

Reducing spending increases investment capacity, helps adjust to a lower-cost lifestyle, and lowers the income needed to sustain early retirement.

My 2026 Goals (and How I Plan to Achieve Them)

Everyone should have goals. Goals give direction, encourage growth, and give us something to work toward. Without them, days blur together and progress becomes hard to see.

My 2026 goals are intentionally simple:

Simplify life
Increase monthly dividends
Exercise more
Reduce spending
Learn game development

None of these are radical. None require a complete lifestyle overhaul. That’s intentional.

Over the years, I’ve learned that drastic changes are discouraging. When changes feel sudden or overwhelming, they’re harder to sustain. What does work, for me at least, is gradual, subtle change paired with realistic expectations.

Why gradual change works for our household

A “no-spend month” sounds great in theory, but it’s not realistic for us at this moment. It would have worked great 10 years ago when it was just my wife and I but now there are four of us, and life doesn’t pause just because we want to optimize finances. School trips, birthday parties, events, and everyday needs still happen, and I don’t want my kids missing out on experiences just to hit an arbitrary, personal target.

Instead of extremes, I’m aiming for small, repeatable adjustments.

For example: Instead of weekly restaurant takeout, we scale it back. Our kids love a nearby BBQ place, and my wife often takes them there. Rather than eliminating it entirely, we turn it into a special outing or a reward, and substitute cheaper options or cook together at home the rest of the time. Same enjoyment, lower cost, less friction.

That mindset carries through all of my goals.

How I Plan to Tackle Each Goal

1. Simplify Life

This goal has both a financial and quality-of-life angle. It is also something I have written about before.

The basic idea: act like we have no money...for the most part.

That doesn’t mean depriving our kids of meaningful experiences. Birthdays, school events, and field trips stay. But outside of that, I plan to:

Say “no” more often to optional outings
Avoid buying new things unless something is genuinely needed
Fix things myself when possible
Can we reuse or repurpose something instead of throwing it out
Scale back on unnecessary work commitments
Cook more at home

Less spending, fewer decisions, less mental clutter. The goal isn’t austerity—it’s intentional simplicity.

2. Increase Monthly Dividends

This one requires a mindset shift.

Younger me didn’t have much money. Twenty years ago, I was setting aside $25–$50 per pay. And honestly? That approach still works. Small, consistent contributions beat waiting for the “perfect” moment to invest.

It’s easy to say, “I’ll invest when I have a spare $1,000.” But emergencies always pop up, and that $1,000 often never materializes.

What does happen is regular cash flow. So my plan is to:

Pause extra mortgage payments
Redirect that money into dividend-paying investments
Invest smaller amounts, more frequently

Picking up a few shares at a time may feel slow, but those pennies compound. It’s not flashy, but it’s reliable. And reliability beats inaction every time.

3. Exercise More

In 2025, I exercised twice per week. That’s already a habit, which makes this goal easier.

For 2026, the plan is simple:

Add one more workout day per week

Yes, this will eat into late-night free time, time I usually spend learning new skills, playing games, or reading. But this is body maintenance. If I want to enjoy early retirement someday, this investment matters.

4. Reduce Spending

We haven’t actively focused on spending reduction for years. That made sense while we were building momentum.

Now, as early retirement gets closer, this goal becomes critical for three reasons:

More money available for investments
Learning how to live on less before retirement
Lower required income = earlier retirement

This isn’t about cutting joy. It’s about trimming excess and aligning spending with what actually adds value to our lives.

The way to achieve this is by living simply and figuring out small cutbacks that will not affect our quality of life. See the start of this post for an example.

5. Learn Game Development

This goal is driven by curiosity and my kids. They’ve been talking about making games throughout 2025, and it sparked something for me. Game development feels like a perfect overlap of:

Creativity
Problem-solving
Time with my kids
A skill I could enjoy well into retirement

Whether it turns into a hobby, a teaching tool, or something more, it’s a way to keep my mind sharp and build something meaningful together.

This is the goal I am most looking forward to! Tackling this goal involves starting with a bunch of YouTube tutorials and seeing where that leads.

Final Thoughts

These goals aren’t flashy. They’re not extreme. And that’s exactly why I think they’ll work. Slow progress, repeated often, compounds financially, physically, and mentally.

I’ll keep checking back in on these goals throughout 2026 and sharing what works, what doesn’t, and what I adjust along the way.