Word of the Year
Instead of a New Year’s resolution, try setting a word (or phrase) of the year, and let that focus be in everything you do this year.
I’ve never been much of a New Year’s resolutions sort of person. For me the new year really starts on November 1st anyway, after the summer farm markets are over. That’s my time to clean up, assess the year, and get ready to begin anew. (It was the Celtic new year too, so it’s actually not as strange as it sounds; it’s a farmer thing).
Chose A Theme For the Year Instead
By the time it’s time for New Year’s resolutions, I’ve already begun my new year, so I pretty much never make them. A couple years ago, however, I read an article by Cathleen O’Connor about having a theme for the year instead of making resolutions, and that was something that really resonated with me, so I thought I’d share it here and see if anyone else wanted to try a “Word of the Year” instead of a New Year’s resolution.
I loved the idea when I read it, because I think it’s easier to stick to a theme instead of a single resolution or two. So instead of a resolution, such as losing weight or eating better, one might choose the overall theme of “health” for the year. That way they would be exercising and eating better in an effort to be healthier. Perhaps making sure they get a bit more sleep, and de-stressing their life. All of which add up to a healthier life.
The Year of Organization
In my case, I’m choosing “Organization” as my word of the year. I even wrote it on the front of my planner so I see it everyday!. I tend to be extremely efficient and organized when I work for others, but when it comes to my own life and work, organization is just something I never seem to get to, since I’m always running around like a crazy person (it’s that whole farmer thing again 😉 ). So this year, I’m making a commitment to organize my entire life. That’ll include organizing my physical world, my digital world, and my mental world.
In my physical world, I’m finally going to organize everything I own, in particular all my crafting supplies, since I usually have them stored all over, in umpteen different places. It’s time to get them all into one place, and it’s also time to let go of what no longer serves me. Finish those unfinished projects, or give them away.
Not Just Physical Organization
In my digital world, my computer is loaded with ideas for my business, books, costume and craft ideas, ecofriendly solutions, etc. that I haven’t had time to implement. But they’re all over the place in a zillion different files. Sometimes I write down the same idea ten times, because I can’t find where I put it the first time. This year it’s time to finally get them all together in their appropriate files. Then maybe I can actually start implementing some of those ideas, instead of always searching my computer for where I put that file.
In my mental world, yes, I’m planning to literally organize my head. As someone who is a creative for a living, my artist mind is constantly running. The wheels are always spinning, coming up with new ideas and projects. Some of them are good, and some of I’ll never use, but all of them must be written down due to the fact that I’m also hypergraphic. By organizing my digital world, I’ll have a nice organized place to release all those ideas into. And that’ll leave space in my head…for more ideas of course!
Making Time to Focus
Focusing on one theme, however, also means having to let go of some of other things. It doesn’t have to be permanent, just for a while. You need to create the open space, so what you’re focusing on can grow. (And then you’ll have room to add those other things back in later). In my case, I’ve decided not to take on anything “new” this year, until I’ve gotten everything organized. Yes, I’ll still be doing new tutorial videos every week, but I won’t be doing things such as testing new planting techniques or introducing new crafts to my market offerings (though I’ll still have the old favorites) until I’ve been able to get everything fully organized.
Sometimes you have to pull back to move forward. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s true. It’s like planting seeds, if you don’t thin your seedlings, you’ll end up with a bunch of spindly plants. But if you take the time to thin them out, you’ll get a nice healthy crop. And once everything is organized, it’s so much easier to move forward and begin new projects.
Of course, one other thing I’ll have to organize is this website. I don’t think I’ve updated it since 2011 or something like that, so I think it’s time for a fresh look. I’ve been meaning to do it for quite a while, but haven’t gotten to it. Making organization my priority for the year, however, will hopefully force me to finally get to that. So watch for that change at some point this year.
So if you were to choose a word for the year, what would yours be?
By Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf
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