2026 is shaping up to be an interesting year. It feels like every year since 2020 has been an ‘interesting year’ for different reasons. Could we have some plain old boring years, please? Quiet years where no big things happen globally so that the small things in our lives regain their appropriate importance. Is that too much to ask for?

The small things are important. Working with people we enjoy working with. Writing something that matters to us. Reading something that is smart or clever or insightful (or all three). Having an idea. These are the things that sustain us. These are the things that keep us going. May 2026 be full of wonderful small things for you.

Jonathan

In 2026, I have a few things on my plate. I’m enrolled in a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education (Learning and Teaching). All academics at my university are required to do it. I’m not a great student, so I’m feeling some trepidation. But my colleagues say that it is great, so here we go. I have a research project that I want to get going. It requires human ethics clearance, which will help me to think through what I’m actually trying to do. It is very much at the formative stage right now – a few ideas and a bunch of notes. Let’s see where it goes. In my job, I’m just setting up what I’m going to be doing this year. All these things are new beginnings, of one sort or another. I like beginnings – they hold a modicum of hope.

Tseen

Jonathan’s right that there have been too many eventful years recently, and not ones that are eventful in the ways that we’d like. For small things that keep me going, I have a few that I’m looking forward to this year, which is a refreshing change. I’ve had a tough time finding things to look forward to since I lost my partner in 2021. The recalibration and fog of grief has taken a few years to start dissipating. For 2026:

• The QPR (Quality in Postgraduate Research) conference is happening in April and I’m aiming to be there. Many researcher development colleagues gather for this biennial event and I’ll be co-presenting a paper with the fabulous Meagan Tyler on using memes to teach about research culture and the ‘hidden curriculum’ for doctoral researchers. You can get a taste of the paper at this blogpost.
• I’m geared up to write a book proposal. This one has been a long time promised and it’s definitely time to tick it off the to-do list.
• I’m contemplating increasing my number of on-campus days per week this year. Voluntarily. 😱 (There’s a blogpost in this!)

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Thank you

Thank you to all our readers, whether you’ve been with us since day one, or are just joining us now. Thank you to everyone who has commented, liked and shared our posts. Thanks also to those people who have shared things that we have found interesting and reposted.

Especially, we wanted to thank our guest posters for 2025. You’ve given us your thoughts on an amazing range of topics, and we really appreciate it. It lifts us up.

• Why do co-produced writing retreats matter for part-time postgraduate researchers? by Chris Guerin.
• Writing creatively for work or study by Helen Kara.
• Help! I’m an Early Career Researcher and genAI doesn’t know who I am by Tess Shirefley.
• More than words on a page by Aaron Bolzle.
• Cooking outside the PhD by Karl Patrick Mendoza.
• My mental health protocol: a glossary for the frustrated contemporary researcher by Abel Polese.

Thank you all, and stay safe out there.