I know this post is arriving a little later than planned — we’re already well into 2026 — but over Christmas I spent some time reflecting on the year just gone. This ended up taking a bit longer than I expected, thanks to illness and a busy start to the year, but better late than never.
Every year feels important while you’re living it, but some years reshape things in a more lasting way.
2025 was one of those years for me.
Over the course of the year, I went through several major changes — personal, professional, and creative — and by the end of it, I found myself stepping into a new phase of life.
At the same time, 2025 wasn’t just about big moments. It was a year of reflection, reassessment, and quietly working out what I want my life to look like going forward — from how I spend my time, to what I focus my energy on, to the goals I set for myself and how I measure progress.
Looking back now, 2025 feels less like a finish line and more like a turning point — a year that marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. That feeling pretty much shaped how the rest of the year developed.
How the Year Unfolded
2025 felt big, but not in a constant or overwhelming way.
I was always aware that something important was coming up later in the year — something that gave the whole year a sense of direction and momentum (more on that later!).
At the same time, I found myself stepping back more than usual to reflect on how I was feeling and what I wanted to change.
I wasn’t enjoying my job, and that dissatisfaction had started to affect me outside of work. It wasn’t something I could switch off at the end of the day, and over time it made me realise how closely my overall happiness is tied to feeling fulfilled in what I do.
Alongside that, I became more aware of a few habits I’d been wanting to work on for a while. Rather than trying to overhaul everything at once, I focused on making gradual changes throughout the year. That slower, more intentional approach made progress feel achievable rather than overwhelming.
By the end of 2025, the year felt less like something I’d pushed through and more like something that had quietly prepared me for change — a reset point rather than a conclusion.
Small Changes That Made a Big Difference
Some of the most meaningful changes I made in 2025 were quiet ones.
One of the clearest was becoming more aware of how much time I was spending on my phone. Over the course of the year, I started using it less and eventually uninstalled Facebook — the final piece of social media I was still using regularly. That change alone made a noticeable difference to my attention and overall mood.
One small habit that had a bigger impact than I expected was leaving my phone on its charger when I was at home, rather than carrying it around with me. That simple change ended up freeing up little pockets of time throughout the day — time that would previously have disappeared into scrolling.
Those small gaps quickly turned into opportunities to do other things, like reading. In that sense, it was a double-sided change. It helped me break a habit I wasn’t happy with, while also making me happier overall by giving me more space to indulge in something I genuinely enjoy and want to do more of.
Alongside that, I noticed a gradual shift in how I approach problems, particularly when it comes to productivity. I started trying to focus less on motivation and more on momentum. The “five-minute rule” — which I’ve written about in more detail here — helped me reframe tasks that I’d usually put off.
Instead of thinking “I really can’t be bothered to do this, I’ll do it later,” I began approaching things from the perspective of “I’ll be glad this is done and off my mind.” I’m far from perfect, but that change in mindset has felt like a step in the right direction.
None of these changes were dramatic on their own, but together they reshaped how I spend my time and energy. Small adjustments, made consistently, ended up making a bigger difference than I expected. That growing awareness carried over into the the choices I made with the projects I’d planned out for throughout the rest of year
Projects I Started — and the Ones I Let Go Of
2025 was a year of starting things — and being honest with myself about which projects I genuinely wanted to put my time into, and which ones I mostly liked the idea of.
Over the course of the year, I started this blog, refreshed my home network, returned to technical learning, and began writing a fantasy novel — two creative projects that ended up becoming far more important to me than I initially expected. Each of these projects gave me something different, whether that was learning, structure, or a creative outlet.
Not everything carried on as planned.
Some ideas — particularly around my homelab and home automation — slowly fell away. I realised I wasn’t enjoying technical projects in my free time in the way I used to. Forcing myself to continue with them was starting to feel like an extension of work, rather than something I looked forward to. Letting go of those projects created space for things I genuinely wanted to spend my time on, like reading and writing.
That realisation eventually led to a bigger decision. Towards the end of the year, I sold my PC — something I’d been quietly thinking about for a long time. It had stopped being something I actively used and had slowly turned into both clutter and a distraction. When I did sit down at it, it was often when I should have been doing something else, something I was consciously trying to improve on.
As I mentioned in one of my first blog posts, I hadn’t really been using it for years. In hindsight, some of the projects I’d been planning were less about genuine interest and more about finding a reason to keep it around.
That’s not to say I’m done with homelabbing or gaming entirely. I still have my Xbox and enjoy using it casually now and then, and I’ve kept my Home Assistant Green for whenever the home automation itch returns. If I do want to explore more virtualisation work in the future, I’ll likely look to host things in the cloud instead.
The projects I did work on earlier in the year ended up helping me secure a new job towards the end of the year, which is something I’m incredibly grateful for. Even though not everything was seen through to completion, those efforts still paid off in ways I didn’t fully appreciate at the time.
Looking back, I don’t see the projects I didn’t finish as failures. They helped me learn what I enjoy right now, and just as importantly, what I don’t. In that sense, choosing to stop was just as intentional as choosing to start.
Rediscovering Writing and Creativity
Writing made its way back into my life almost by accident.
What actually started off as an idea for a technical project — building a simple website to self-host — quickly became something much more personal. As I began writing regularly, it became clear that the creative side of the project mattered far more to me than the technical challenge ever did.
I’ve always enjoyed writing, even if I haven’t always made time for it. Growing up, I loved reading and drawing, and I even wrote short stories and fanfiction as a teenager. As I got older, that creative spark faded into the background. Ideas still came to me, but they rarely went anywhere. They lived in notes, half-finished documents, and sprawling files that I’d add to every now and then, without ever really doing anything with them.
Starting the blog changed that.
For the first time, writing became something consistent rather than occasional. Over the course of the year, I published 24 posts, wrote over 56,000 words, and saw more than 600 views. Not because of reach or validation, but because it gave me the fire to keep going. It was genuinely exciting to know that people were actually seeing what I was writing — and even better, that some of them liked it. By the end of the year, the blog had picked up 4 subscribers and over 30 likes, which was far more than I ever expected.
I went into it assuming nothing would really come of it beyond being a creative outlet for myself. Instead, it became something I actively looked forward to working on, something I genuinely enjoyed building and returning to week after week.
That renewed sense of creativity naturally spilled into something bigger. Towards the end of the year, I began working on a fantasy novel — something I’d thought about for a long time but never seriously attempted. It felt like a natural extension of writing more regularly and finally giving myself permission to explore ideas properly.
Looking back, rediscovering writing wasn’t just about producing words. It was about finally getting all of those ideas out of my head and onto the page — about taking the worlds I see in my imagination and starting to shape them into something tangible. I don’t just want to write a book. I want to create a world.
Hobbies, Joy, and Slowing Down
As much as 2025 was a year of reflection and change, it was also a year where I gave myself permission to slow down and enjoy things again.
A lot of that joy came from fairly simple routines. Watching Formula 1 when it was on at the weekends, reading more consistently, and writing all became small but important anchors throughout the year. They gave structure to my free time and something to look forward to, especially during periods when other parts of life felt more uncertain.
Karting also made an appearance a couple of times throughout the year. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and have dipped in and out of over time, and 2025 reminded me how much I’d like to make space for it more often.
Writing, in particular, became a constant. It wasn’t just a creative outlet — it was something that helped keep me grounded and gave me a sense of momentum when I wasn’t enjoying work. Sitting down to write, even briefly, felt like time well spent.
Interestingly, I didn’t add many new LEGO sets to my collection this year. I did, however, finally pick up the UCS Jabba’s Sail Barge — a set I’d had my eye on ever since seeing it in person at the LEGO Store at the beginning of last year. Alongside that, I started downsizing parts of my collection, selling some duplicate sealed sets and finally letting go of empty boxes I’d been holding onto.
That shift felt less like missing out and more like choosing space — both physically and mentally.
At the beginning of the year, I also spent a lot of time reading about home automation and smart home ideas. While that interest never fully turned into projects at home, I don’t see that as a negative. I enjoyed learning about it, and not every interest needs to lead to something tangible to be worthwhile.
Overall, 2025 helped me rethink how I spend my downtime. Slowing down didn’t mean doing less — it meant doing things more deliberately, and choosing enjoyment over obligation.
Money, Balance, and Being More Intentional
My relationship with money shifted slightly in 2025 — not in a dramatic or restrictive way, but in how consciously I thought about it.
I became more aware of where my money was going and why. That didn’t mean cutting out everything I enjoy, but it did mean pausing more often before spending and asking whether something would genuinely add value to my life or simply add clutter.
A big part of that shift came from wanting a calmer, more intentional living space. Downsizing parts of my LEGO collection and being more selective about what I brought into the house wasn’t about losing interest — it was about creating room, both physically and mentally.
I also started prioritising experiences more than material things. Holidays, trips, and shared experiences began to feel like better uses of money than accumulating more stuff. It wasn’t about choosing one over the other entirely, but about finding a balance that felt right for where I am now.
Alongside that, I made a conscious effort to get my finances back on track. I focused on catching up with my savings goals and building a bit more stability, which gave me a greater sense of control and peace of mind as the year went on.
By the end of 2025, money felt less like something I was reacting to and more like something I was thinking about deliberately. That mindset shift has carried forward, and it’s something I plan to build on further as I move into the next phase of life.
Looking Back at the Goals I Set for 2025
At the start of 2025, I set myself a handful of goals — not as rigid targets, but as rough markers for the kind of progress I wanted to make over the year.
Some went exactly to plan. Others didn’t. And a few changed shape entirely as the year unfolded.
One of my biggest priorities was getting my savings back on track, and I’m really happy to say I achieved that. Reaching that goal brought a sense of relief and stability that carried through the rest of the year, and it laid a solid foundation going forward.
I also set out to achieve Network+. I completed the training but never actually booked the exam. At one point, that might have felt like a failure, but in hindsight, I’m comfortable with it. The training itself was valuable, and following a change in career direction, taking the exam no longer felt as important as it once did.
Reading was another goal I didn’t quite hit numerically. I aimed to read 36 books over the year and ended up reading 24. That said, I’m still really pleased with that number — especially considering I stopped reading entirely for a few months at one point. Reading more consistently than I had in previous years felt like a win in itself.
Reducing my screen time to under two hours a day proved difficult. I didn’t quite manage it, but I did make meaningful progress. I became far more aware of how I use my phone and continued working on reducing that time, which feels like a positive trend rather than a missed target.
I also wanted to start a weekly journal, writing a short summary each Friday. That didn’t happen consistently, largely due to limited time. Rather than forcing it, I chose to prioritise writing blog posts and working on my novel instead — something that felt like a better use of my creative energy.
Finally, I planned to continue my Italian lessons on Duolingo, but I eventually stopped. I struggled to find a routine that made it sustainable alongside everything else I had going on. It’s something I’d like to return to at some point, but for now, it made sense to focus on other areas of learning.
Looking back, I don’t see the goals I didn’t fully achieve as failures. They gave me structure, helped me stay mindful of what I wanted to work on, and — just as importantly — showed me where my priorities shifted over the course of the year.
Closing Reflections: Stepping Into a New Phase of Life
Looking back, 2025 gave me a lot to be grateful for.
There were moments of joy, moments of uncertainty, and plenty of time spent figuring things out as I went. Some of the year’s highlights were obvious at the time, while others only really make sense in hindsight. Together, they shaped what ended up being a genuinely meaningful year.
The year wasn’t without its difficult moments either. We lost our cat in 2025, and saying goodbye was far harder than I expected. It was a quiet but powerful reminder that not all change comes with momentum, and that some moments simply ask you to pause and reflect.
One of the defining aspects of 2025 was reaching a major personal milestone that marked a clear transition into a new phase of life. I married my long-term partner in a beautiful ceremony with our friends and family, and it was truly one of the best days of my life.
In a year of big events like getting married and starting a new job, there were also countless smaller moments that mattered just as much — trips, shared experiences, quiet routines, creative progress, and the simple satisfaction of feeling more aligned with myself than I had been at the start of the year. I also bought a new car — a nice upgrade from my old banger that I learned to drive in all those years ago — which felt like another small marker of change.
What I appreciate most about 2025 is how it helped me slow down, reassess, and make more intentional choices. It was a year that quietly laid foundations rather than chasing outcomes, and I’m grateful for that.
As I move into 2026, I feel optimistic and determined. I want to focus on being consistent, following things through to the end, making the most of opportunities, and ultimately getting as much out of life as I can. More than anything, I want to make memories and continue building on the foundations that 2025 helped put in place.
Final Thoughts
Writing this has been a reminder of just how much can change over the course of a year — sometimes quietly, sometimes all at once.
If there’s one thing 2025 reinforced for me, it’s the value of slowing down, reflecting, and being intentional about where time and energy go. Not everything needs to be optimised or rushed. Some things just need space to grow.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading — I genuinely appreciate it.
I’d love to know what 2025 looked like for you. Did it feel like a year of change, a reset, or something else entirely?
If you enjoy reflective posts like this, feel free to explore more of the blog, or subscribe to follow along as I head into 2026. There’s plenty more to come.
The Life of J 