Tool: Yearly Themes

Here we are staring down the barrel of another New Year and if you are anything like me you are in a reflective mood. Maybe you didn't accomplish your goals for the year and are thinking of making a New Years resolution. And if you are, can I suggests a kinder, gentler, option that is statistically more likely to succeed?

Try a yearly theme instead.

I learned about themes through this cpgrey video. Stop here and watch it now. Don't go down the YouTube Hole. One video then back here.

Back? Good for you.

I've been doing a yearly theme for five years now. Actually, I tend to do a yearly theme and then seasonal sub-themes. Resetting my sub-theme every season keeps me engaged with it throughout the year. If you're not convinced, or you are used to having a new year's resolution that only lasts a few months, I'd say set one for a season.

Pick a broad topic

They talk about this in the video, but a good theme is intentionally broad. It has some flex it it so you might re-define it for yourself over the course of the year. 2022 was my year of consistency and I started off with wanting to add a bunch of daily habits. Then I read several books as part of my research phase and that re-defined what consistency meant for me.

Put your theme where you can see it.

I put mine at the front of my journals with a little sticker collage. I also put it as a sticky note on my work monitor. I'm considering embroidering next year's theme and putting it up on the wall as a reminder. Maybe make a collage or paint it. Do something creative early on to cement your theme in your head and give you a daily reminder when you look at it. Keeping your theme front of mind makes it easier to remember to work on it.

Incorporate a "research phase"

I usually pick a book or two to go with my theme. In 2022 for Consistency it was Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg and Atomic Habits by James Clear. In 2025 for Small Improvements it was Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. Reading something to kickstart your journey can be helpful in shaping what you want to accomplish or building habits. You might also try listening to a good podcast or even making a specific trip to the library.

Journal about it

The guys at cortex built an official theme system journal, but honestly I just incorporated the parts of it that I like into my own journaling practice. The key is to keep your theme top of mind everyday so whatever you choose, and don't forget to record your progress somehow. It is hard to see incremental progress in daily life. A journal is a great thing to look back on to see where you were and how far you've come. I also like the Bullet Journal Method (the original, not the extremely fancy art versions) and again, no reason to buy their official merch. Take the method and run with any blank notebook you have in your house. Or you could use a wall calendar, a jar with colored pebbles, a weekly interpretive dance video. Anything that makes your progress concrete and will let you look back on how you were feeling about things in a year.

~~~

Image Credit: Tissandier, Albert, 1839-1906, artist. "Paillettes de glace eclairées par les rayons du soleil observées en ballon / d'après nature, par M. Albert Tissandier ; Smeeton Tilly, sc." between 1870 and 1880. wood engraving. accessed Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003662002/

Print shows the balloon "Zenith" piloted by Gaston and Albert Tissandier on an expedition to observe upper air meteorological conditions ascending into the clouds amid rays of sunlight.