top ten tuesday: goals for 2026.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week’s topic is Goals for 2026. They can be bookish goals, personal goals, or any goals you want. I have 5 bookish goals this year and 5 personal goals. However, I’m intentionally not calling these goals. Instead, these are intentions – things I want to do because I genuinely believe they’ll bring more joy into my life. They’re ambitions, not obligations. If I hit them, wonderful. If I don’t, I’m still allowed to enjoy the year.

Here are my goals/intentions for 2026:

Bookish Intentions

1. Read 52 books
I’ve set my reading goal at 52 books for the past few years, and I’m keeping it there. One book a week feels doable. In the past, I’ve been more ambitious, but I got tired of pushing myself to read just to make the number go up. I want to enjoy what I’m reading. If I read more than 52 books, great. If I don’t, that’s okay too.

2. Read every day
This one is more of an experiment than a goal. First, I had to decide what counts as reading. One page? Fifty pages? Somewhere in between? I landed on a minimum of 15 pages a day. Enough to feel like I actually read something, but not so much that I couldn’t do it if I was short on time.

3. Read five nonfiction books
I’d like to read more nonfiction this year. I have several business books waiting for me, and I’d also love to read more history-based nonfiction (as long as it’s not boring). I’m keeping the number low so it feels practical.

4. Reread books
There are so many books I want to reread, especially ones that are part of a series. Sometimes I need a refresher on the plot before I can move on to the next book, and honestly, rereading is comforting. This year, I want to revisit all my old favorites.

5. Keep a book journal
I started a book journal halfway through last year, and let’s be honest – I didn’t really know what I was doing. It’s a hodgepodge of clashing colors, random spreads, and ink that’s bled through the paper. But I was experimenting, and I think I finally have a better idea of what works for me. After many hours of YouTube and Instagram inspiration, I’m excited to perfect my process and actually keep up with it this year.

Personal Intentions

6. Write a letter every Sunday
This might be my favorite intention. Every Sunday, I want to write a letter – to myself, to friends, to anyone. I’ve already written my first one: a letter to myself to be opened on December 31, 2026.

7. Walk more than 8,000 steps a day
I know 10,000 steps is the standard metric, but let’s be real, I’m not going to hit that every day, even if I go to the gym. How do I know this? It’s already the third week of January, and I’ve met that goal exactly four times. So 8,000 steps it is.

8. Bake more
“Bake more” isn’t exactly measurable, but I’m pretty sure I only baked one thing last year. So if I bake two things this year, I’m calling it a success.

9. Say “like” less when I speak
Sometimes I listen back to the voice notes I send my friends, and I cringe at how often I say “like.” It’s distracting, it’s annoying, and I wouldn’t want to listen to myself. So this year, I’m trying to be more mindful of how I speak.

10. Journal regularly
Did I mention that 2026 is going to be the year of journals? More than anything, I want to keep up with my personal journal. I’m planning to decorate it with stickers and quotes to make it feel really me, which I’m hoping will make me want to return to it more often.