For several years now, I’ve been setting three words to help guide me. The first year I did it, I was really good about referring to the words often, and made a concerted effort to have them everywhere so I would be reminded of what my over-arching focus was. The second year I did a good job, but not nearly as well as the first. As each year passed, I became a little bit more lackadaisical about using the three words.

By last year it’d gotten to the point that I had to look them up every time I wanted to refer to them in conversation, especially with my accountability partner Andrew.

In taking January to do a focused plan for the year, I decided my three words would be five, and drawn directly from David Allen’s Getting Things Done.

But I wanted something more. A single, pithy phrase or word that I could compare everything I was doing…with. The idea was that if I was about to embark on something, I want it to be related to my core values that I’m trying to live by. 

While listening to the Cortex podcast with Mike Hurley and CGP Grey, Grey mentioned a kind of cool trick to get two words in one. Grey used (re)Order so that he could focus on both a new and revised aspect of essentially the same idea…creating order in his life.

So I started listing ideas that might work for me. I had 10, 20, and pretty soon 50. I kept writing away. As the day wore on, I generated more and more. I was beginning to see a pattern emerge…but I tried to stick to brainstorming mode and kept generating ideas. Day faded into night and the ideas kept coming. Finally by bedtime I knew my yearly theme was amongst the ideas…but I needed to let the project rest.

Or so I thought.

As I was drifting off to sleep, more yearly theme ideas came to mind. Although capture is one of my words for 2019, I opted not to pull out my pad and write down every idea that came to mind. It was time to sleep…and I really wanted to. But my brain kept generating ideas. As I was finally dozing off, a word sort of floated to the fore and then evaporated into the mists of my brain. I didn’t really see it so much as just knew it was there.

I know it sounds all woo woo, and that’s not something I’m usually given to. It was a very weird experience though.

And obviously my unconscious mind was working on the idea, because I had several dreams that night surrounding a quest. I wasn’t really clear what I was looking for, but I knew I would find it and then I’d know.

The next morning, as I was showering the misty word reappeared in the forefront of my mind.

(re)Build

That was it!

For a while now, I’ve let some habits atrophy. The three words is one example, but there are dozens more. They’re things I know if I do them (e.g. daily journaling) I’m better for it. In fact, some of them seem vital to my actual success, and when I ignore them things go from the frying pan into the fire really quickly. But I’m also lazy, so I’ve let those habits deteriorate.

Even more so, there are some newer habits that I’ve been thinking about adding to my life. But like the question regarding the four frogs on the log…thinking is not doing. I’ve spent a gob of time in the planning or thinking stages regarding good habits, but I haven’t put them into action.

So I need to rebuild some of the my atrophied habits and I need to build some new ones.

(re)Build

Same goes for the systems I use. I’ve got systems for tons of stuff. Some I use really well, every time I’m engaging in the activity. Others I use once-in-a-while, and the times I don’t…I get bitten in the butt. There are tons of new systems I want to implement. Like automating some of the processes that consume a lot of my time. I know what an amazing improvement in my life automation can make…but I never seem to take the time to actually create the automation.

This is the year to do that.

As I stood there with (re)Build on my mind…I knew I’d hit on my yearly theme for 2019. But I also knew I was going to have to fight my urge to try and do a dozen other things. Heck, I couldn’t even stick to three words for 2019, it was five. Sure, there was a great reason, since they are drawn directly from David Allen’s book…but still, I’m always trying to do more.

And often it’s just too much.

I knew I was going to have to remind [or is it (re)mind] myself on a regular basis that I have to stick to the plan. While there may be loads of offshoot trails, I need to stick to the main road for the year. Otherwise I’ll end up in the brambles, lost, confused, and foundering.

So there you have it. My yearly theme for 2019: (re)Build

Throughout the year I’m going to be reviewing my progress, and my plan is to put part of those reviews on the blog. Watch for them!

Have you set a theme for your year? I’d love to hear if you have and what it is. Let me know in the comments, and as always, make it a great day!