Igor's plan for 2026
I like to begin with the end in mind, so let’s write a report for 2026. This hasn’t happened, but if I don’t write it out and focus on it, it certainly won’t.
- Major Projects
- Health & Personal Goals
- Review Cadence: Fighting Dragons While Working
- Stuff I’m really proud of
- Artifacts I created
Major Projects
What I wished I knew at 32 and what I knew at 32
Carried forward from 2024 and 2025. This year I’ll be 48. Time to actually capture and share these lessons.
Notes:
- Start with what I wish I knew at 32
- Consider making TikToks
- Consider making TikTok version of what I wish I knew at 22
Content Creation
Building on 2025’s Fortune Cookie series. Keep making videos, keep learning CapCut.
EM Handbook: TikTok Edition
Carried forward from 2025. Take the manager book content and make it accessible on TikTok.
- Making PSCs and calibrations stress-free
- Breaking down complex management topics
- Sharing real-world examples and stories
AI Projects
Keep building on CHOP success. See How Igor CHOPs for the workflow.
- Think about how to extend AI beyond coding - look at CHOW
- Think about how to use AI as a life coach
- Use AI to help with Time.ltd
- Engage with more folks who do AI
- Continue enhancing Tony
- Develop new AI tools for productivity
Time.ltd and Larry
Like the Hair Club for Men: I’m not only building it, I’m also a client. Meet Larry the life coach — the evolution of Time.ltd into something I actually use daily.
- Goal tracking
- Reviews (weekly, monthly, yearly)
- AI-assisted reflection and coaching
- Closing the feedback loop: Plan → Do → Review
Summer Vacation
Another memorable family vacation.
Health & Personal Goals
Physical Health
Starting from 2025’s ending point. Shoulder recovery is priority #1.
| Metric | Goal | Jan | June | Dec | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 170 | 180 | - | - | - |
| Sleep | 9pm - 5am | 5am | - | - | - |
| Gym | 5d/week | 4-5 | - | - | - |
| Swings | 1H: 6x32 | - | - | - | - |
| TGU | 5x32 | - | - | - | - |
| Chinups | 3x10 | 3x8 | - | - | - |
| Touchdowns | TBD | - | - | - | - |
| Half Lotus | 300s from cold | 60s | - | - | - |
See shoulder pain for recovery plan. Continuing hip mobility and glute med work from 2025.
Emotional Health
Restarted meditation and journalling on 12/30/2025. Maintain the momentum.
| Metric | Goal | Jan | June | Dec | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation | Daily | Restart | - | - | - |
| Box Breathing | 15s/side | 12s/side | - | - | - |
| Journalling | Daily | Restart | - | - | - |
| Gratefulness | Daily | Sporadic | - | - | - |
Spiritual Health
Two things going on here: rebuilding my meditation practice (the skill), and actually figuring out what spiritual health means for me (the bigger question). I’ve been muddling through frameworks — purpose, transcendence, coherence — and I’m not yet sure if this is profound or bullshit. The honest test: am I sustainably motivated in a way I’d be proud to see in my kids? Some days yes, some days no.
Q1 2026 Goals:
- Restart daily meditation practice
- Read “Awareness” by Anthony De Mello
- Read “Waking Up” by Sam Harris
- Apply the motivation test — where am I motivated vs. going through motions?
Longer-term goals:
- Build consistent concentration practice (Samatha) — keeping focus from paging out
- Develop awareness practice (Vipassana) — observing without judgment
- Diagnose which dimension I’m actually missing: purpose, transcendence, or coherence
- Keep stress-testing the frameworks — are they helping or am I stuck in the philosophy pit?
- Explore walking-with-god practice as a daily devotional anchor
Related reading: Awareness, Search Inside Yourself, Spiritual Health, Religion
Magic
2025: Learned tricks but barely performed. 2026: Level up and get back out there.
- Go from finding a “Picked Card” to a “Thought of Card”
- Restart performing for strangers
- Ballooning while traveling
Identity Health
2025: Tony won on biking. Goofy shirts strong. Ballooning weak.
- Biking: Get back on the bike despite the Tesla temptation
- Keep the goofy shirts and mismatched crocs going
- Balloon more, especially while traveling
Family Time & Rituals
Phase 1 Awareness: Kids home for limited time. This window closes.
- Weekly 1-on-1 rituals with each family member
- Whole family rituals (date nights, Sunday dinner)
- Q1-Q2: Experiment and solidify rhythms
- Q3-Q4: Make rituals non-negotiable
Success Metrics:
| Ritual | Goal | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kid 1-on-1s | Weekly | - | - | - | - |
| Family date | Weekly | - | - | - | - |
| Home by 6pm | 5d/week | - | - | - | - |
Review Cadence: Fighting Dragons While Working
The gap year framework applies even while working - the dragons don’t disappear just because work gives you excuses. Work doesn’t solve the dragon problems; it just hides them behind legitimate reasons.
The Three Dragons:
- Entropy: “Everything decays” - Without structure, health/habits/relationships degrade
- Squander: “You’re wasting this” - Time slips away on what doesn’t matter
- Scarcity: “There’s never enough” - Anxiety about resources (time, money, energy)
Work keeps dragons boxed with built-in excuses. Fighting them while working requires explicit infrastructure.
Weekly Review
When: Sundays, 30 minutes
Dragon Check:
- Entropy: Did I hit gym 5x? Sleep 9pm-5am? Family dates happened?
- Squander: Did I create any artifacts? Make progress on projects?
- Scarcity: Any financial anxiety? (quick check, not obsessive)
Non-Negotiables Scorecard:
- Gym: X/5 days
- Sleep window (9pm-5am): X/7 nights
- Family rituals: X/3 (individual + family)
- Home by 6pm: X/5 days
- Project time: X hours
Adjust for next week: What blocked me? What needs protection from work demands?
Monthly Dragon Council
When: Last Sunday of month, 60 minutes
Deep Dive:
- Physical health: On track for goals? (weight, strength, flexibility)
- Emotional health: Meditation consistency? Journaling? Mental state?
- Family: Are rituals deepening relationships or just checking boxes?
- Projects: Real progress or just busy work?
Which Dragon Won This Month?
- If Entropy: What structure broke down? How to reinforce?
- If Squander: What did I waste time on? What artifact can I create?
- If Scarcity: What financial anxiety surfaced? Is it real or dragon noise?
Metrics Review:
- Update all tables in this document with actual data
- Calculate trends (improving, stable, declining?)
Trip Wires (Red Flags):
- Gym < 4x/week for 2 consecutive weeks
- Missed family rituals 2+ weeks in a row
- No project artifacts for a month
- Weight trend wrong direction 2 months
→ Action: Explicit choice - what will I say NO to at work?
Quarterly Strategic Review
When: End of Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4
The Big Questions:
- Am I winning against the dragons, or just surviving?
- What worked this quarter? What failed?
- What needs to change for next quarter?
- Am I investing in what matters, or just coasting with work excuses?
Ritual Assessment:
- Which family rituals stuck? Which need adjustment?
- Are kids actually opening up, or just showing up?
- Quality of family time vs. quantity?
Project Progress:
- AI Projects: What shipped? What learned?
- Content Creation: What published? Who did it reach?
- Time.ltd: Is it actually helping or just an idea?
Health Capital:
- Physical metrics trending right direction?
- Emotional practices consistent or sporadic?
- Energy level higher or lower than last quarter?
Year-End Review (December 2026): Looking back at “Stuff I’m really proud of” - can I fill it in honestly? Or did the dragons win while I made excuses?
Work
- Keep work at work - The bar isn’t “not checking my phone at home.” It’s not thinking about work—not replaying the tough conversation I’m afraid of, not being angry at something that triggered me.
Stuff I’m really proud of
Family -
Projects -