🌱A More Rooted Way to Plan Your Year (Especially for Creative Brains)
New Year’s Goal Setting Part 1 of 2: Why resolutions fade — and what works better instead 🌟
Want to remember all the January plans you’ve made come February — and even December?
…And actually stick with them?
You know the drill.
You start the year strong 💪🏼:
“This year, I’m going to work out for 30 minutes every morning.”
And then your brilliant, creative brain chimes in:
“Boring 🥱. Nope. I’m just going to forget you even said that by next week. Next shiny idea, please.”
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone — I’ve been there too. And I don’t want you to stop making plans for yourself in the new year. Quite the opposite. I want my fellow Scattered Creatives to become the happiest, healthiest, most thriving versions of themselves.
And yes — research consistently shows that setting and achieving goals supports wellbeing, confidence, and life satisfaction 📚✨.
So why do so many good intentions quietly disappear by February? ❄️
What trips us up isn’t a lack of motivation. It’s that many goal-setting approaches are too surface-level, so they don’t stick. They live in our heads — not deep enough in our nervous systems or sense of self to survive real life.
What we need are deeper roots 🌱.
A simpler, stickier way to plan your year ✨
The most effective annual planning tool I’ve found — especially for creative and ADHD brains — is choosing a Theme for the Year.
A theme is a short word or phrase that acts like a compass 🧭. Or a North Star 🌟.
Instead of trying to remember a dozen specific resolutions, your theme becomes a lens you use to make decisions all year long.
Themes work because they align with how humans actually change 🧠:
They support identity-based change.
Instead of “I’ll work out more,” a theme quietly reinforces “I’m someone who values strength” or “I move my body regularly.”They reduce cognitive load.
One word or phrase is easier to remember than a list of goals — especially when life gets busy or overwhelming.They create meaning, not just checklists.
A theme helps you tell a coherent story about your year — one that can hold wins, detours, and imperfect progress without spiraling into shame 💛.
That’s the sweet spot for many creative minds.
A real life example
Last year, my theme was “Get out.”
That looked like:
Getting out of my head and into my body — through somatic dance and body-based practices
Getting out of the house and into community — showing up weekly to Toastmasters and social events
Getting my ideas out of my head and into the world — imperfectly, but intentionally
It wasn’t about doing everything perfectly. It was about having a clear direction when I needed to choose what mattered.
How to choose a theme (without overthinking it) 🌀
1. Look back before you look forward.
Ask yourself:
What did I want to improve last year that still feels unfinished?
What gave my life meaning?
What do I wish I’d done differently?
Patterns matter more than answers ✨.
2. Name what’s asking for your attention now.
What area of your life feels most tender, stretched, or ready for growth — your body, work, relationships, creativity, rest?
Your theme should support what already wants care 💛.
3. Choose a word or short phrase that feels true — not impressive.
Good themes are:
Flexible
Memorable
Slightly challenging, but not punishing
If it feels heavy or performative, it won’t last 🚫.
And if nothing clicks right away? That’s okay. Put it down. Go live your life for a few days. Your brain is now primed to notice what resonates.
If you do feel a clear yes in your body — great. You’re done.
Living with your theme 🌿
A theme is meant to move with you. It can change shape as your life does, meeting you where you are rather than holding you to a fixed plan. Its value is in helping you orient yourself again and again.
In the next post, I’ll share how to translate your theme into real-life action — without turning it into another rigid system or source of pressure.
Because choosing a theme is the easy part.
Living it — especially past February — is where support, experimentation, and kindness matter most 💛.