I wasn’t planning to choose a Word of the Year this time.
Then a member in one of my Facebook groups casually mentioned it. No big announcement. No challenge. Just a passing comment about choosing a word.
And that one sentence stuck with me.
It got me thinking about doing a Word of the Year again — even though, if I’m being honest, I haven’t been very good at following through in the past.
The Part No One Really Talks About
I’ve chosen words before.
I liked the idea. I liked the intention. I liked the way it sounded at the beginning of the year.
What I didn’t like was what came next.
Because once I picked the word, I never really knew what to do with it.
And eventually, it faded into the background — right along with unfinished goals and half-used planner pages.
Why the Idea Still Won’t Let Me Go
I’m a planner and a journaler. I like themes. I like having something to return to instead of chasing ten different goals at once.
A Word of the Year still appeals to me because, in theory, it’s simpler.
But in practice, it often turns into:
- a goal dressed up as a word
- another habit to track
- something inspiring in January and forgotten by March
And I know myself well enough to admit this:
If something starts to feel like a system I have to keep up with, I quietly stop using it.
A Shift That Changed How I Think About It
This time, instead of asking “What should my word be?” I asked a different question:
What would make a Word of the Year actually usable?
The answer surprised me.
I don’t need more structure. I don’t need weekly prompts. I don’t need a long list of ways to “apply” the word.
I need permission for the word to be quiet.
Not something I manage — but something I notice.
What If the Word Is Something You Return To?
Instead of treating a Word of the Year like a project, I’m experimenting with treating it like a lens.
Something I can come back to when I need it.
Questions like:
- Does this situation connect to my word?
- Am I leaning into it — or resisting it?
- What would a small step in this direction look like right now?
No pressure to remember it every day.
No guilt if I forget it for a while.
No requirement to journal about it weekly.
Just a word I can return to when life nudges me there.
Why I Created a One-Page Word of the Year Insert
As I worked through this idea, I realized something important:
I didn’t need a whole section in my planner.
I needed one page.
Something simple enough to use once — and meaningful enough to revisit.
The page focuses on:
- choosing the word
- noticing when it shows up
- recognizing when I drift
- gently returning to it
That’s it.
No tracking. No schedules. No rules.
If You’ve Never “Followed Through” Either
If you’ve tried a Word of the Year before and felt like you failed at it, I don’t think you failed.
I think the expectations were just too heavy.
A word isn’t meant to fix you.
It isn’t meant to be another self-improvement project.
It’s meant to be a quiet companion for the year you’re already living.
Want to Try It This Way?
I put together a simple one-page Word of the Year insert based on this gentler approach.
You can use it in a planner, tuck it into a notebook, or print it and come back to it when you need to.
Download it here and use what serves you — ignore the rest.
If you choose a word this year, I’d love to hear what it is. And if you don’t? That’s okay too.
Sometimes just thinking about the idea is enough to get started.
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