how to choose a word for the year (to define and guide your life)

Before we get into it, if you’re new here, hi I’m Geneva and I help people feel calmer, more capable and more themselves through making! I have an online community and creative courses platform (teaching embroidery, sewing, dollhouse & miniatures, mosaic and furniture upcycling) over at Geneva’s DIY School (5,000 members and counting!) and also have a fashion brand Collective Gen with creative workwear designed to help you dress for the creative life you want.

It’s the start of a new year and so that means a lovely blank slate from which to plan. Exciting? For sure. Daunting? A little. A few of you have messaged asking if I’m doing a word of the year again, so I thought I’d share an updated version and invite you to do it with me! I haven’t written about this process for a few years but as my substack grows I thought it made sense to resurrect something I’ve been doing since my early blog days.

I’ve been choosing a word of the year for well over a decade now and it’s a practice I keep coming back to because it offers something resolutions never quite do: direction without pressure. It allows you to evolve over the course of the year whilst still having some guidance. This little ritual helps me refocus without any big declarations or rigid plans, it’s just a word to return to when the year takes a few unexpected turns (as it always does).

If you want to make your own, I’ve updated my word-of-the-year printable again this year. It also includes a small goals reflection you can use or skip entirely. There’s no right way to do this. Download the printable here.

1. Reflect, don’t plan
   Take a moment to think about the areas of your life that matter most right now - your energy, creativity, relationships, health, work. What feels most needed this year?

2. Notice the patterns
   As you brainstorm goals and intentions, look for repeated themes or feelings. What keeps coming up?

3. Find the word that holds it all
   Choose one word that unifies those ideas. Something flexible enough to grow with you as the year unfolds.

4. Make it visible
   Write it down, print it out, save it as your phone background, somewhere you’ll see it often and can return to when things feel chaotic and messy.

My past words have included balance, grow, evolve, health and explore. Some years I’ve embodied them really well. Other years, less so. And I’ve learned that that’s okay too! After the last year I’ve had (busy, chaotic, messy), restore feels like both a reminder and a blank page. Not to stop creating or to slow ambition but to rebuild energy, creativity and joy in a way that’s sustainable. Here’s what restore means to me this year:

Creativity has always been my grounding force, but even the things we love can become draining if we don’t protect them. This year, I want to create in ways that refill the cup, so that means more play, more curiosity and less pressure.

I love my job, but it can easily spill into every corner of life. In 2026, I want clearer edges: offline time that’s actually offline, working rhythms that leave room to think, wander and be bored (which is often where the best ideas come from!).

This one feels important to say out loud. The body keeps score and the last 12 months have reminded me that rest isn’t optional. That doesn’t mean doing nothing, it means choosing rituals and creative habits that support calm and resilience. That means lots of screen free time and activities!

Some of my happiest moments come from creating alongside other people - friends crafting, community projects that aren’t about perfection or output. More of that, please.

Whether it’s travel with the family, noticing small details at home, or revisiting things I loved as a child, I want to actively seek moments that feel expansive rather than productive.

If you’ve never chosen a word of the year before, maybe consider doing it this year? I’d love to know: what word are you choosing for 2026?

Here’s to an amazing year!

x Geneva

Oh and feel free to join me over at my creative community and courses platform Geneva’s DIY School (5,000 members and counting!) or grab yourself a pair of overalls to dress for the life you want at Collective Gen. Wishing you all the joy and creativity in 2026!