Hey again! It’s Hayley here (@hayleyremdeart on Instagram), and today I'm going to talk about why you may want a word of the year spread in journal. If you decide you want to make one, I’ll help you decide how to pick a word, give you some examples, or show you some other ways to represent a focus for the year.

[Image credit: @hayleyremdeart on Instagram]

Recommended Supplies:

• Journal – As always, it will be no surprise to you that my pick is the Archer and Olive Journal. The lovely and thick pages have no bleeding or ghosting, so you get a clean start for every project spread! Also, it means you can decorate the spread without worrying about it. You can now even use my affiliate code HAYLEY10 for 10% your order on their website!
• Pencil – To carefully plan out your ideas so you can make sure your spread has everything you need.
• Decorative Touch (optional) – This could be anything from washi to acrylographs, or of course, nothing! I usually like to add a personal touch to my spreads so they’re more fun to use and look at.

Should You Pick a Word of the Year?

The past few years I’ve enjoyed having a word of the year spread. I believe it can give you a broad focus for the year, and it can really help you keep motivated to make small steps everyday towards big goals. However, some people may feel it could limit them. That’s why I think you need to think of a few things before picking a word.

[Image credit: @rachelmayplans on Instagram]

Picking the Right Word

Overall, you really want the word to be broad. You don’t want to go for anything too specific, or the word won’t encompass your whole year. For example, say you want to make a word surrounding your big plans for the year. You need to decide whether you want to make a word related to achieving them, or how you want to approach achieving them. What I mean by this is, you need to think about whether your goal to strive for accomplishments, or to be kind to yourself whilst doing so. I believe when you think about the latter example, broader words come to mind.

[Image credit: @hayleyremdeart on Instagram]

Of course, another important thing to think about is what a tumultuous year 2020 has been for all of us worldwide. It shows you how quickly things can change, so we should keep that in mind too when we think about picking a word!  

[Image credit: @hayleyremdeart on Instagram]

2021 Word Examples

With all that in mind, here are some ideas I came up with for a word of the year for 2021.

• Adapt
• Grateful
• Kindness
• Mindful
• Determined
• Empowered
• Inspire
• Love
• Thrive
• Heal
• Focus
• Pause
• Create
• Happiness
• Courage
• Balance
• Acceptance
• Consistent
• Appreciate

You may find none of these fit what you’re going for, but I hope I’ve got you thinking about what is important for you!

Struggling? Go with a Quote!

Sometimes a word just doesn’t encompass your focus for the year. In that case, I like to pick a quote or a few words. And that’s fine too!

[Image credit: @hayleyremdeart on Instagram]

It’s more important that your focus really fits you than trying to cut it down to one word.

[Image credit: @julia.pezowicz on Instagram]

If you were on the fence about what to do, I hope I've given you some help on what would work best for you! Whatever you do this January, I would love to see your creations, so tag me on Instagram (@hayleyremdeart) and use #hayleyremdeinspired to get the chance to get your creations featured in my stories!