Inside: Do you want to simplify your resolutions this year? Read this guide to choose just one word for the year that will guide your goals and decisions. In this post, I share my one word for 2020 plus you can download a free guide to choose your word for the year as well!
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This is the time of year when the internet is chock full of goal setting ideas and tips for making (and hopefully keeping) New Year’s resolutions.
Can I ask you something – how many New Year’s resolutions have you actually kept?
If you’re like me, probably not very many!!
I found that I would set resolutions like losing 10 pounds or stop eating sugar or some other lofty resolution that seems so huge that I give up before February 1 even rolls around.
Now, I’m not saying goals are bad, but the way I was using resolutions and goals was not helping me make any positive changes or progress towards my goals.
Luckily, that all changed when I learned about the concept of choosing one word for the year.
>> Before we get started, download your free Guide to Choose Your One Word for 2020! <<
What does it mean to choose one word for the year?
By choosing one word for the year you are selecting a word to guide you over the next 365 days. This word can be an anchor to help you set intentional goals and make decisions to improve your life.
I learned about this concept from Ali Edwards and completed her One Little Word project in 2018. The year-long project was a lot of fun and something I’d recommend people go through if they like more structure to using their words. The project is geared towards people who love to scrapbook and Ali does try to sell you her scrapbooking supplies, but you don’t need any of that to get something out of the project.
What is the benefit of choosing one word for your year?
One of the benefits of choosing one single word (or phrase) for your word of the year, is that you drastically simplify your goal setting for the year. If you actually use the word to guide you, it should be easy to determine if a particular goal or decision will help push you closer to living that word, or further from it.
I also love that choosing one word can be totally customizable to your own personal needs. Do you want to pick a new word for each month or quarter? Then, do that! Do you feel like the word you chose in January is no longer serving you in July? Switch things up!
The point is to choose something that adds to your life in a positive way, not a stressful way.
How do you choose a guiding word for the year?
First, I would encourage you to download the free guide I put together for you! Click the image below to get started.
The pdf download will walk you through the process and provides space to jot down your answers, but here are the steps in a nutshell:
- Reflect on the past: What went well? What didn’t go well?
- Dream about the future: What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year or two? What kind of person do you hope to become?
- Brainstorm some words that embody these feelings.
- Go through the list slowly and narrow it down to 1 or 2.
- Then if one is not jumping out at you, dig into the words you have narrowed down. What are their definitions? Are there any quotes or books that resonate with you?
- Then, make a choice and own your word! It’s better to pick something and chang it later than spend a ton of time trying to pick the perfect word. Remember, nothing is set in stone and you can always change it later!
- Embrace your word during the year! Keep reading to learn about some of the ways that I embrace my word during the year.
Related Posts: My 2018 Word of the Year. My 2019 Word of the Year.
What are some examples of words you can choose for the year?
The FREE download guide provides a ton of ideas to get you started brainstorming. Here is a word cloud that I shared last year as well!
My 2020 One Word for the year: Slow
Towards the end of last year, the word slow kept coming up in my thoughts and I knew I wanted to explore it more in 2020. 2019 wasn’t necessarily super fast-paced but the year did seem to fly by when I look back on it!
My kids are at the age where I want to savor and cherish as many memories as I can and the word slow is my way to try to embrace this time together.
One of the first things I do when I choose a word for the year is to look at the definitions of the word.
The word slow can sometimes have a negative connotation: mentally dull, sluggish, qualities that hinder rapid progress. However, as I researched further, I was drawn to the adjective “unhurried.” That is what I hope to accomplish this year by embracing the word slow. I don’t mean to be dull or boring or not making progress. Rather, the opposite, but not in a busy or breakneck pace.
The next thing I do is think about what SLOW would look and feel like in my life:
Slow looks like:
- not spending all my time on email or online period.
- spending quality time with my kids and Matt
- focusing on one thing at a time – mono-tasking vs multi-tasking
- breaking busy
- white space
- wellness
- saying no more, saying yes to things that truly matter and light me up
- slow food – eating at home
- focus on limiting the chemicals I use at home for cleaning and beauty
- less stuff, fewer activities
- more listening and quiet time
- more intention with my time and actions
- actually taking baby steps and not researching something to death. Taking imperfect action.
Slow feels like:
- not feeling stressed
- calm
- breathing slowly
- practicing yoga and mindfulness
After you have decided on your one word for the year, it’s time to decide what to actually DO with that word. Keep reading to learn about a few of the ways that I use to embrace the one little word throughout the year.
6 ways to embrace your one word of the year
Use a Phone screen saver.
A phone screen saver is a great way to see your word every single day! You could also print out the image and tack it on your bathroom mirror or by your computer as a reminder of your direction for the year. I used the template from Cultivate What Matters and added my word SLOW using canva.com. But you could also print it out and write in your word or use a program like PowerPoint or google docs to add your word.
Create a vision board.
Think of how you’ll show up in different areas of life exhibiting your word. Family, finance, business, personal, health. Use these ideas to develop goals for the coming year. You can even turn this into a vision board.
Make a development plan.
This plan can include books, blog articles, podcasts or anything else that will help you learn more about your word and how to apply it to your life.
This is my development plan for the word SLOW:
Articles:
- https://www.sloww.co/slow-living-101/
- https://www.slowmovement.com/slow_living.php
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/slow-living-is-healthy-li_b_6209242
- https://www.moneycrashers.com/slow-living-improve-lifestyle/
- https://www.slowlivingldn.com/what-is-slow-living/
- https://www.simplyfiercely.com/slow-living/
- http://simpleslowlovely.com
Books:
- Breaking Busy
- Chasing Slow
- 24/6
Videos: https://www.sloww.co/slow-living-videos/
The other thing that I plan to do this year is to learn about a different area of slow living each month. Similar to my Year of Simplicity Challenges from 2018, I also plan to do a few month-long challenges to really dig into a particular topic. Here are some of the topics I plan to unpack this year:
- Breathing
- Slow food
- Slow fashion
- Technology
- Slow consumption
Are there particular slow living topics that resonate with you that you’d like me to explore this year? Drop them in the comments below or send me an email. I’d love to learn more about this broad topic with you all this year!
Psst…if you download the FREE One Word Guide, there is a secret discount code for the Year of Simplicity Challenges Workbook at the end.
Think of a quote or affirmation about your guiding word.
A few of the quotes that I have found so far about the word slow:
“Sometimes we must slow down to avoid going too far.”
—The Minimalists
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Slow down. Happiness is trying to catch you.”
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Make it public.
By making your one-word public, you are building in accountability for yourself. You can join an online community like One Word 365, share your word on social media using hashtags, or simply tell your close friend. These are all great ways to bring others along for the journey with you this year!
Wear a special piece of Jewelry.
This is the first year I have done something like this and I am super excited about my choice!
I chose a super tiny rose necklace to remind me to slow down and smell the flowers. Every time I see it or feel it, I pause to take a breath and I have already noticed a difference in how my word is at the forefront of my mind this year.
Here are a few other options that I love:
- Mantra bracelet: http://tidd.ly/2a035508
- Mantra necklace: http://tidd.ly/311f002
- Morse code bracelet: http://tidd.ly/28b57b6e
Keep Reading
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Did you choose your one guiding word for the year?
Let us know what word you chose in the comments below! It’s always so fun to see what other people want to focus on for the year. 🙂
Then, pin this post for later!
4 Comments on My One Word for 2020 + Tips to Embrace Your One Word of the Year (Free Guide)
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I would never think of the word “slow,” but I might just have my second word for my year! We started with “do” as our word for this year, to make us focus on just tackling the to-do lists once and for all. I especially get caught up in planning and worrying about perfection that I never actually take action on a lot of things.
But with DOing so much, remembering to slow down once in a while is going to be a very important thing for me so I don’t get overwhelmed! Loved this post, thanks for such great inspiration!!!
Hi Roxanne – thanks for the comment! I love your word of DO for this year. I have been trying to create first and consume second, rather than the other way around, which often results in NOT doing. I like how you are focusing on following through on your commitments too. I think SLOW would be an awesome complement to your year of DO. P.S. I just signed up for your simple living roadmap workbook! It’s totally up my alley, obviously. 😉
I found this post as I was searching for others who may have chosen Slow for 2020 like I did. So HELLO! What a crazy pull to the word Slow we’ve had as the entire world is now being forced to slow down too! Each year I prayerfully seek out my word. In October of last year Slow was first put on my heart (heavily), and after months of mulling it over I couldn’t ignore it, and decided to embrace it. I see now why God put it so strongly in my mind – as preparation! Anyway, one of my favorite guides for my word this year has been the “Fight Hustle, End Hurry” podcast with Jeff Bethke and John Mark Comer. Beautiful short series – totally recommend it to you. Best of luck to you as you slowly navigate the rest of this year! And know, you’re not alone in the pursuit of less 🙂
Hello Alex, what a year we are having! You are so right that the word SLOW took on a whole new meaning for me this year. I will definitely check out the podcast you recommended. Thank you! I hope that you have been able to embrace the word slow this year and are learning a lot about yourself in the process! Thanks for your comment and for stopping by to read my blog. 🙂