Choosing a Word of the Year

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.