Every month, I record my progress toward my yearly goals to hold myself accountable and, occasionally, seek help and advice from readers willing to offer insight, ideas, and solutions.
Here are my results from April 2026.
PERSONAL FITNESS/ATHLETICS
1. Don’t die.
Healthy and alive.
2. Lose 10 pounds.
I lost 3 more pounds in April.
A total of 8 pounds lost in 2026 so far.
3. Do a targeted push-up workout at least three times per week.
Back on track after being sidetracked by an endless cold.
Done.
4. Complete 100 sit-ups three times per week.
Back on track after being sidetracked by an endless cold.
Done.
5. Cycle or ruck for at least five days every week.
I rode my indoor bike for 20 days in April.
I rode my outdoor bike three times in April.
I went rucking three times in April.
Crushed the month.
6. Try at least three new vegetables I have never eaten before or do not like.
No new vegetables in April.
I tried arugula and zucchini thus far.
Two vegetables down.
7. Average 2.1 putts per hole by the end of 2026.
Four rounds of golf in April, including a round with aerated greens that included three one-putts, a three-putt, and a four-putt.
Even with a four-putt, my putting in April was outstanding, bringing my average putts-per-hole down to 1.98.
8. Average 180 yards per drive by the end of 2026.
No data on this yet. I have a watch that can record distances, but it has yet to make it to the golf course.
WRITING CAREER
9. Complete my ninth novel.
Work continues.
10. Write, edit, and revise my golf memoir.
My friend is currently reading the manuscript to offer me advice. Revision will follow.
11. Write a proposal for my next storytelling book.
Done.
12. Write a proposal for my Substack memoir about the summer of 2007 that can be pitched to editors.
I’ve sent a short, rough draft proposal to my agent for feedback. Depending on her response, I will either revise my thinking or begin writing the proposal.
13. Exceed 100 paid subscribers to my Substack.
I lost three subscribers in April.
A total of 47 paid subscribers.
I haven’t done anything yet to promote the Substack, so the slow growth is not surprising. I also purchased an online class on paid newsletters that I had hoped to watch in April, but will realistically watch after school is done.
I have 4,445 unpaid subscribers, too.
I’m now plus two paid subscribers so far this year.
14. Read and process The Heavy Metal Playhouse notebook.
No progress.
15. Write my “Advice for Kids” book.
Progress continues. I’d like to think I’m close to being finished, but I keep adding new ideas.
16. Find an idea and begin writing my next middle-grade novel.
Done. The idea has been identified, and progress has begun.
17. Revise at least two of the picture books in my pile of unpublished picture books and prepare for submission.
No progress.
18. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
Lots of new ideas.
No writing yet.
19. Explore the possibilities for publishing “The Gimme Tree” — my satirical take on “The Giving Tree.”
Email sent to my agent about this book. Meeting next week.
20. Write about my childhood in partnership with my sister, Kelli, at least once per month.
No progress.
21. Write a new solo show.
Topic and story chosen. Work in my head has begun. Since I never write my shows on paper, this represents real work.
22. Submit at least three Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
A piece was published on the front page of the New York Times in February about backing into parking spots, for which I was interviewed and mentioned often.
I count this as one submission in 2026.
23. Write at least four letters to my father.
One letter was sent to my father in March.
One so far in 2026.
24. Write 150 letters.
I wrote 18 letters in April — to students, clients, and colleagues.
A total of 62 letters have been written so far this year.
25. Write to at least six authors about a book I love.
No progress. But last year, I wrote to the great George Saunders, and in April, he wrote back to me.
Solid guy.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
26. Record and publish at least 25 videos on my YouTube channel.
Four videos were published in April.
A total of 12 so far for 2026.
27. Record and produce at least one new Storyworthy course.
No progress.
28. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2026.
We produced our first show of 2026 on January 31 at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.
I’ve scheduled three more shows for 2026 so far, including the next one in two weeks.
29. Submit pitches to at least three upcoming TEDx events, hoping to be accepted by one.
Done!
I submitted a pitch to TEDx Charleston, and it was accepted. I did that talk in April.
Huzzah.
30. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
I attended two Moth StorySLAMs in April — Boston (at a brand new venue) and San Francisco (for the first time).
A total of 5 so far in 2026.
31. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
Done!
I won a Moth StorySLAM in San Francisco, making it my fifth city in which win a StorySLAM. Previous cities include New York, Boston, Seattle, and Washington DC.
A storyteller named Ted Olds currently holds the record (as far as I can tell) for winning in the most cities. His record is eight, so I have another record to chase down.
32. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
No progress. I was forced to decline an invitation to a Boston GrandSLAM because I was already booked, so I await the next one.
33. Pitch “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” or “Shovel” or my new show to at least six theaters in 2026.
Done!
I pitched “Shovel” to nine theaters so far in 2026, including:
The Hartford Stage
The GoodSpeed Opera House
The Seven Angels Theater
Blackfriars Theatre
CenterStage Theatre at the JCC
The Focus Theater
The Duke at The Mercantile on Main
Arial Arena
JCC Ballroom
All have passed except for one.
I’ll be submitting more in the coming weeks and months.
34. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast, Speak Up Storytelling.
No progress.
35. Perform stand-up at least six times.
I performed a stand-up in the library in Monterey, MA, on January 30.
I performed stand-up in Orlando, Florida, while stuck because of a snowstorm.
Two performances thus far in 2026.
36. Pitch three stories to This American Life.
No progress.
HOME
37. Organize the basement.
No progress.
38. Replace the floor in my office.
We found a person who can do the job.
Step #1 complete.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
39. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
I texted with my sister in April.
40. Bring my brother, sister, and me together at least once in 2026.
No progress.
41. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
Done. Elysha took many of them while I was away.
42. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
I took no photos of Elysha and me in April.
Two failed months in a row.
43. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
No progress.
44. I will not comment positively or negatively on the physical appearance of anyone except my wife and children to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
Done. Simple and automatic now.
45. Surprise Elysha at least 12 times.
I surprised Elysha by telling her that I had arranged for us to spend our 20th anniversary in the same place we were married — The Lord Thomason Manor — in the same room where we spent our wedding night.
Then she pointed out that between picking Clara up from camp on that same day and traveling to London for vacation two days later, another evening away would be too much, so after a month of planning, the idea was ditched.
But I’m counting it as a surprise, damn it. I put a lot of work into it.
Five surprises so far in 2026.
The list:
- I sent flowers to Elysha at her school on her birthday.
- I personally delivered pastries to Elysha at her school for her team to share.
- I sent flowers to Elysha on Valentine’s Day.
- I planned a weekend getaway for August.
- I planned an anniversary surprise that can’t happen.
46. Play poker at least six times.
One poker game in April. We played with about half a dozen people, and Charlie ended up as the big winner.
Unbelievable.
I turned a profit, too, but not nearly as large as his.
Three poker games so far in 2026.
47. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
I did not see Bengi in April (except for a brief hello at a game story), but we’ve begun seeking easier and better ways to connect.
MUSIC
48. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
No progress.
49. Practice the flute at least four times per week.
No progress.
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS
50. Host at least one dinner party where I cook.
No progress.
51. Develop a course on self-confidence.
I found additional research on confidence and am layering it into the work I’ve already done. I plan to run a free six-week workshop on confidence in the fall.
52. Develop a list of strategies to help people deal with loneliness and produce it in some form.
No progress.
53. Read at least 12 books.
I read Stephen King’s “Song of Susannah” in April.
I’m in the middle of Stephen King’s final book of his Dark Tower series. It’s a brick — 845 pages.
I’ve read three books in 2026 thus far:
“Wizard and Glass” by Stephen King
“The Skyscraper Doom” by Norman Zierold
54. Read “To the Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf.
I purchased a beautiful copy of the book and have not touched it since.
55. Read “The Skyscraper Doom” by Norman Zierold.
Done!
I read the book — the first book I ever checked out of a library — on a plane to Charleston, South Carolina.
I had fond memories of that book from reading it circa 1982.
It did not hold up. Not even close.
56. Finish reading TIME’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.
No progress.
57. Edit our wedding footage into a movie of the day.
No progress.
58. Memorize three new poems.
I’ve abandoned memorizing Langston Hughes’ “Still Here.” The dialect is hard, and it’s written in the dialect of a black man living in Harlem in the early twentieth century.
It sounds wrong when I recite it.
I need a new one to memorize.
59. Explore the possibility of earning the rank of Eagle.
No progress.
60. Complete at least five Duolingo lessons every day.
Done. I far exceeded this goal, averaging seven lessons per day in April.
61. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
Done.
