Word of the Year: A Personal Guide Without Pressure

Word of the Year: A Guide, Not a Contract

A word brings a direction together in a short form. It doesn’t replace a specific goal when an action requires a timeline, resources, and steps. The distinction between intention and goal helps avoid this confusion. “Momentum” can remind you of your desire to try; on its own, it doesn’t define what you’ll undertake or what resources are available.

You can also choose not to have a word. A year doesn’t need a theme to be meaningful. If the exercise appeals to you, treat it as a reflection tool, not a ceremony that determines the months ahead. No word guarantees a transformation, and a change in circumstances doesn’t mean you chose it poorly.

What evidence supports this practice?

Research on values affirmation, summarized in particular by Cohen and Sherman, concerns specific exercises and contexts. It does not show that a word for the year has the same effects. Writing about what matters to you and displaying a word are different practices. This workshop is inspired by a simple personal question: what direction would you like to keep in view?

So avoid promises that a word will “attract” the events it describes. You can appreciate its symbolism without attributing causal power to it. The guide to the law of attraction helps distinguish belief from concrete practice. Here, the word serves to pose a question, and then you decide on an achievable action.

Choose your word of the year in four steps

Start with an experience, not a perfect list

Think of a moment when you wished you had more space, simplicity, or connection. Describe what you were concretely missing. A page of journal can hold this memory without turning it into a conclusion about the entire year that has passed. You’re looking for a clue, not a definitive diagnosis of your life.

Also consider what already works for you. A word can support continuity rather than correct a flaw. If you’ve enjoyed learning something at your own pace, “curiosity” can bring that experience to mind. You don’t need to choose the opposite of what you believe you are.

Give the word a personal definition

Write: “To me, this word means…” and then describe two situations. “Space” might mean leaving an open time slot and not responding to every invitation right away. For someone else, the same word might have to do with housing or creativity. A definition makes the reminder more useful than an abstract phrase.

Add what it doesn’t mean. “Simplicity” doesn’t mean giving up on all ambition; “courage” doesn’t require you to accept an unnecessary risk. The guide to defining what success looks like for a goal helps make the terms less vague. Your word should be specific enough to guide a choice without becoming a rigid rule.

Check that it doesn’t sound like a criticism

Read the word on a difficult day. Does it leave room for you, or does it mostly remind you of everything you should be? “Discipline” may suit one person and weigh on another. There’s no moral ranking of words. You can choose a gentler or more neutral phrasing if the original term feels like a demand.

The inner dialogue after a mistake offers a useful guide: a phrase should make room for a next step, not add another judgment. If “boldness” pushes you to compare yourself constantly, try “trying” or “exploration.” You can also keep a short phrase instead of a single word.

Connect the word to an achievable choice

Pair it with one possible action. For “connection,” suggest a conversation with someone; for “curiosity,” ask a question during an activity; for “space,” leave a block of time unplanned. The five-minute small step helps you find a realistic scale. The action doesn’t have to sum up your whole year.

Also set a limit. “Connection” doesn’t mean always being available; “exploration” doesn’t mean you have to buy new equipment. This limit keeps the word from becoming a blanket permission to take on too much. You’re free to consider each situation on its own.

Read alsoIs this really what I want? Sorting through goals inherited from others

Three examples that leave room for real life

In a fictional example, Lucie chooses “breathing room.” She wants to avoid automatically filling every time slot. Her reminder is to check how long it takes to get there before accepting an appointment. She isn’t promising a year without unexpected events. The word simply helps her notice a constraint she often overlooked.

Maya chooses “learning” after starting an activity. She keeps a learning journal where she writes down one question, without counting sessions. Jeanne settles on “keep” because she values some of the relationships and habits she already has. The three choices are different; none represents a greater ambition than the others.

Revisit your word when life changes

Plan a time to revisit it, for example after an important transition, rather than checking it every day. Ask yourself whether it still describes a direction you want to take. You can refine it, replace it, or set it aside. The guide to adapt a goal to change reminds you of the value of adjusting the framework to fit reality.

Changing the word doesn’t rewrite the past. You can keep the first page as a record of a period in your life. A personal timeline can show how priorities evolve. The year doesn’t have to fit into a single phrase for your decisions to make sense.

Should you display or share your word?

You can keep it in a journal, place it near an object, or not write it down at all. A display serves as a reminder only if it stays useful; it can become invisible or feel like a burden. Avoid making it a public commitment if you don’t want to answer questions about how you’re putting it into practice.

If you share it, explain what it means to you personally. “This year, I’m trying to leave more breathing room in my schedule” is clearer than a word on its own. Others don’t have to become the enforcers of your consistency. A weekly intention can occasionally extend the reminder without having to reproduce it everywhere.

If you like several words, try them out on the same everyday decision. Imagine an invitation you’re hesitating to accept: how would “connection” and then “breathing room” shape the way you look at it? If both highlight useful aspects, you can keep the one that feels most relevant for this period and note the other alongside it. You don’t need to hold a vote or find the most original term. The word you choose is a tool for examining the decision, never an automatic answer.

For a complementary perspective, watch this video from Planning with Bumble.

Sources

• Cohen, G. L., and Sherman, D. K. (2014). The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention. Annual Review of Psychology. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115137.