Slow Progress
How I plan to make progress on all my goals in 2026, despite a more hectic schedule.
Work. Writing. Reading. Family obligations. Social life. Cultural & societal awareness. These are all things that take up my time, with varying levels of enjoyment for all.
2026
This was already shaping up to be a busy year. I had my close friend’s wedding in January, to be followed by my little brother’s wedding, which is weeks away. My friends and family (to my immense privilege) keep making plans and reaching out. I also hang out with my best friend (my wife) daily, which is also a privilege.
Work has been kicking my ass for about a year now. With a 3-day-a-week return to office mandate in May 2025 and a busy schedule, I’ve lost some personal time to overtime hours and commuting. This hasn't really eaten into my reading too much, as audiobooks exist, but it has eaten into my writing time. I started a novel in 2025 titled Project Mythos (until I can find an actual title), thinking I would have a complete manuscript of 80,000 to 100,000 words by the end of 2025.
How naive I was.
After writing thousands of words and starting over twice, I have a grand total of 7,000 words written. But continue we must.
All Work and No Play…
And now I’ve added continuing education to the mix. I recently signed up for a self-directed, accredited course for BIM (Building Information Modeling) from the Virtual Design & Construction Institute. BIM is essentially using software to manage all assets of a building or construction project. This falls under the disciplines of architecture, engineering, or construction, which are all industries that require building information modeling skills. The software usually used is RevIt, which is what my course (and my job) will focus on. It can used across various disciplines, which is why I’m taking it as a retail display signage specialist.
But enough about the boring mechanics of my education. The real factor here is time, or lack thereof. This course has 150 hours of schoolin’ not including homework and tests, and if I do 6 hours of class work a week, I can have this course completed in less than 6 months, which is incidentally how long the license for RevIt is.
Six hours a week from an already time-strapped week isn’t going to be easy, but I know I can do it. I’ll just have to be flexible about how and when I do things.
A Slower Progress
And here’s the crux of my post: I will have to become comfortable with slow progress. When I search the words “slow progress” on DuckDuckGo (my preferred search engine), I mostly find results about how slow progress sucks, and how to fix it. It makes sense; most people are looking to become more productive towards their goals. And while I’m not seeking to be less productive, I am seeking a way to accept whatever progress I make.
I’m used to reading/listening to 80-100 books a year, but this year I’ll be happy to finish 40 (honestly, still a lot). I don’t watch much television, and when I do, it’s YouTube, which is much less taxing on the brain than narrative storytelling, especially for the busy boy. I’m watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, though I probably get to one episode a week if I’m lucky. My wife and I watch movies on the weekends together.
I’m not on social media much, but when I am, it’s often YouTube or Substack, which I count because of the endless scrolling aspect of both apps. News I read on my phone when I can get a second. Still need to stay informed, even though most of it is so bad that I swear it makes me physically exhausted as well as mentally exhausted.
Exercise. Sigh. I’m trying, with a focus on light cardio and strength training. I’m not trying especially hard to lose weight or bulk up, but I’m focusing a lot on my physical mobility.
Novel Project? What novel?
Lastly, do you remember that novel project I mentioned earlier? “Project Mythos”? Yeah, that’s going to have to slow way the hell down. It’s frustrating, as many writers know, when life gets in the way of a project. But I’m still working on it. There are weeks where I won’t write a single word, followed by weeks when I can steal an hour here and two hours there to move the story along. Every time I work on the manuscript, the story begins to shape in my head. Right now it’s still a large blob of clay, unformed and nebulous, but as time moves on I hope to push some clay here, mold some there, and by the end of this year, I will have a solid structure, if not more.
We’ll see.
Despite the danger of becoming overwhelmed, I find myself looking forward to the year ahead. Wish me luck.