complete
Goals,  Productivity

Theme Words: An Easy Way To Keep Yourself On Track

What would you think if I told you that choosing and seeing a single word to represent what you hope to accomplish would make an incredible difference in your progress toward your goals? Theme words will.

A few years ago, I took a seminar in “theming” life. It involved thinking about what you wanted to accomplish over the next month, quarter or year, and then picking a theme to go with it. All of the actions that you took should support that theme. It was a nice concept, and I started making theme words of the year. What I didn’t expect is how well those words would serve as a reminder of what I was trying to do, and how easy it was to do them.

Why Choose A Word?

Choosing an overarching word allows me to have a long term goal without a specific goal. If my word is “grow” I know that I want to do things that grow myself and my abilities. The word is more general than a specific goal, but still provides a direction for you to follow.

How Long Do You Use It?

There are various thoughts out there. I generally have a word for the year…but for the last few years it has been “complete” and I still feel I have an issue with completing items. And while it is important for me to have that reminder to complete things before starting something new, it is also not a growth goal for me.

I have also had words for the month, when I have had a particular drive (November, or National Novel Writing Month, generally has the word “write” associated with it).

Right now, as I experiment with 12-week year goals [Insert Link], I find that my words correspond with my projection over the next 12 weeks. This session includes the words “deliberate” and “measure” because I am being very deliberate in what I am working on, as well as measuring my progress toward those goals.

Ways To Remember Your Word

The magic of the theme word is that the word comes to embody what you are aiming for, and serves as a reminder of what you are trying to accomplish. There are several ways that you can use the word to remember and refocus.

Paint it.

I just want to state outright that I am not an artist. I literally cannot draw a straight line with a ruler. But I have fairly decent handwriting (a legacy from a misspent childhood), so I borrow my husband’s paints and write with a big brush on canvas. These paintings will never be seen outside my home, but the current word hangs aboe my desk.

Planner.

I find that using a paper planner and putting my muscles to work gets me more done than just checking things off an electronic list. So in the front of my planner I have a copy of the word. This one was created using Paint, and uses a couple of background “papers” and a fancy font. Anyone can do this sort of word.

Wallpaper.

Words can be used as wallpapers on the computer. That means every time you close a program you will see your word. When you login, you will see your word. And when you shut down for the day, you will see your word.

Mouse pad.

I have customized mouse pads at all my computers. These mouse pads [Insert Link] are meant to put photos in, but I use them to put my word in. That way I have a reminder every time I reach for my mouse. Even out of the corner of my eye, I see my word.

Password.

A friend of mine put me on to this one. She uses her word of the moment as the first part of her password. So every time she gets into her computer, she is typing out that word and reinforcing it to herself.

Over to you

Do any of you use words to theme a time period? What have your words been? How do you remind yourself? Share below, or email me at laura@lauraearnest.com