Choose the way you think best
You don't need to do all of these, and none of them need to take very long. Pick the one that sounds most like you, or try a few if you want to linger. These prompts are just for you, so nothing here gets submitted.
Look at your life as it is right now: work, home, people, body, time. Notice where you want to turn the volume up and where you want to turn it down. Go with your first answers.
- I want more:
- I want less:
- I keep saying “someday” about:
- What feels heavy right now?
Write, type or dictate as many short words as you can, one at a time, as fast as you can. Aim for 20 or more. Then sort them into groups that feel like they belong together, and give each group a name. Some words won't fit anywhere. That's fine. Prefer paper? This works beautifully with Post-its.
- Write as many possible words as you can.
- Sort them into 3 to 5 groups.
- Name each group.
- Which group has the most energy for you?
- Which single word keeps pulling at you?
Imagine it's a year from now and you're writing a short note to yourself today. You had a good year. Not a perfect one, a good one. Tell yourself what happened and how it felt.
- Dear me, this year I…
- The thing I'm proudest of is:
- What I'm glad I stopped doing:
- What I made more room for:
Go for a walk with no podcast and no calls. Even better if it's somewhere with a little sky or green. Take one question with you: What do I need next year? Let your mind wander and come back to the question whenever it drifts.
- What word was waiting when I stopped trying so hard to find it?
Maybe you already make an annual vision board. Maybe not. Grab a stack of old magazines, scissors and glue, or use Canva or another online tool. Cut out anything that catches your eye without asking why. Then arrange it on a page and look for what it's telling you.
- If this collage had a one-word title, what would it be?
Ask two or three people who know you well: What word do you see for me next year? Write down their answers without arguing with them.
- What word came up more than once?
- What word surprised me?
- What word did I resist, and why?
- What word felt true even if I wouldn't have chosen it myself?
Flip through your paper calendar, old receipts, ticket stubs, camera roll or printed photos from the year. Notice what you made time for and what you kept moving.
- Where did my time go?
- Is that where I wanted it to go?
- What do I want to repeat?
- What am I ready to leave behind?
Do something with your hands: bake, knit, paint, garden, fold laundry, tidy a drawer, make something, fix something. Hold the question loosely while you work and let the word come to you instead of chasing it.
- What was I thinking about when my hands were busy?