2018 Word of the Year
I earn a commission from products purchased through links in this post.
I am usually not a fan of making New Year’s resolutions. Within a few weeks they start to fall apart. Life gets in the way and before you know it, you have ‘failed’ at keeping your resolution, despite the best intentions on January 1st. No one needs to start the year ‘failing’ anything!
Choosing a word of the year feels different.
Setting a word of the year means striving for progress in a slow and gradual way. As long as progress is being made, there is no failing! This means that when life gets in the way, just pick up when you can. We are aiming for progress and growth, not perfection!
This is my third year setting a word of the year. In the past, I have chosen the words ‘organized’ and ‘intentional’.
2018 Word of the Year
My 2018 word of the year is ‘clean’.
There are a few things I want to work on with this word choice.
Cleaning my house
My house is generally neat and tidy, but I want to set systems in place to make my house sparkly clean…even closets and the dreaded Tupperware cabinet. Visual clutter makes my brain feel cluttered too.
I don’t necessarily want to spend any extra time cleaning my house though, so I’m hoping that the combination of setting up routines and donating excess stuff will be enough. The first donation truck is coming on Friday!
Teaching my son to clean
My daughter is an excellent helper around the house. She can clean anything just as well as I can. Now, it is time to spend some one-on-one time teaching my son to clean this well too. He helps a bit now by cleaning his room and taking out trash, but there are plenty of jobs he still needs to learn. This year I want to teach him to do his own laundry, scrub the bathroom, and vacuum…without getting stuff stuck in the hose.
Eat clean
By most standards I already eat a fairly clean diet with pastured meat, organic veggies and fruits, and paleo baked goods. Extra treats always sneak in during the holidays though. An almond flour and honey cookie is still a cookie, a nutritionally dense cookie, but still a cookie. I want to reduce the treats so they actually feel like a treat, not just something I eat when I’m tired.
Part of the way I’m going to accomplish this is to stock my freezer with healthy breakfasts and lunches. If I keep up with consistently using the Once a Month Meals plan, healthy homemade meals will be right at my fingertips. Hopefully I will reach for a smoothie pack or microwavable omelet instead of something chocolatey.
I’m also going to keep up with my early morning exercise classes. Starting the day with aerobics and strength training makes me less likely to add little treats like whipped cream to my coffee.
Want to choose your own word of the year?
The process of choosing a word of the year is pretty straight forward. Think about all of the goals you would like to reach or changes you would like to make. Then look for commonality. Keep it positive! This is a word you will reflect on all year, so let’s not use negative words.
Possible choices include, but are in no way limited to –
- Simplify
- Organize
- Intentional
- Save
- Friendship
- Rest
- Healthy
- Faith
Do you ever set a word of the year or are you more of a New Year’s resolution kind of person?
Related Posts:
How to Get Free Time as a Homeschool Mom
The Secret Way to Get More Done in a Day
