Word of the Year Ideas

What is a "word of the year"?

A word of the year is a personal theme. You pick one word that describes how you want the next twelve months to feel or who you want to become, and you use it as a filter: does this choice move me toward my word, or away from it?

The book One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page (Wiley, expanded edition 2013) is built entirely around this idea: drop the list of resolutions and choose one word for the year. Writer Gretchen Rubin has also written about picking a one-word theme for the new year.

A word is easy to remember, but on its own it doesn't tell you what to do today. That's where habits come in.

How Andrew Huberman talks about a one-word theme

At the start of 2026, neuroscientist and Huberman Lab host Andrew Huberman posted a simple question: "What's your one-word theme for 2026? (Extra points for verbs.)"

In his Instagram caption for the same question, he explained where the idea came from. He wrote that he was "struck by a post from @danielpink," the author, and summed up Pink's point: one-word themes for a new year "can have a bigger impact than an unframed list of changes, but it's good to have a list of specific changes as well." Huberman also wrote that he adds one "do more of X" and one "eliminate Y" each year, writes them down, and checks back at the end of the year.

Daniel Pink's original post put it this way: "Pick one word and let it guide everything... When decisions get noisy, return to it. It acts as a compass."

Neither of them says the word replaces specific actions. The word is the compass. The specific changes are the steps. And "extra points for verbs" helps: a verb like move points to a daily action more clearly than a noun does.

Why a word plus a habit works better than a word alone

I couldn't find a study proving a single word beats a list of resolutions. But some well-known research explains why pairing a theme with one small, tracked habit makes sense:

• The new year is a good time to start. The "fresh start effect" describes how people are more likely to take on aspirational goals after time markers like a new week, a birthday or a new year. (Dai, Milkman & Riis, 2014)

• Positive goals do better. In a large experiment on New Year's resolutions that followed 1,066 people for a year, 55% of those who responded said they were still sticking with their resolution. People with approach goals (doing more of something) did better than people with avoidance goals (stopping something): 58.9% versus 47.1%. (Oscarsson et al., 2020)

• Tracking helps. A 2016 meta-analysis of 138 studies found that monitoring your progress helps you reach your goals, and the effect was larger when progress was physically recorded. (Harkin et al., 2016)

• Habits take time, and one missed day is fine. In a University College London study, the median time for a daily habit to feel close to automatic was about 66 days, with a range of 18 to 254 days, and missing one opportunity didn't materially affect the process. (Lally et al., 2010)

My word for 2026: abundance

All of my decisions really have revolved around abundance for the year of 2026. I haven't been perfect about it, and I've kind of ebbed and flowed with this. But I feel like over the past year I've made progress on feeling like I have more abundance.

It's helped me reorganize my schedule so I have days where I can have an abundant amount of time to do deep work.

I also try to do a five senses reset. Whenever I go for a walk, I try to clear my mind, be in the moment more, and allow myself not to be thinking about work all the time.

One of the biggest things I did, actually, was use AI to help me live a more abundant lifestyle. I'm not a huge fan of Elon Musk anymore, but honestly, Grok Bot has been the easiest tool for this. My Abundo bot asks me every day what my energy level is. It helps me remember to set an intention and set expectations for the day so I can feel more abundant throughout it.

If you'd like to try it, here's my Abundo bot template.

Those are concrete things that support my word: making room for deep work, resetting on walks, and checking in on my energy each day. I'm not checking off "abundance." The word helps me decide how I want to spend my time and energy.

Now I'm choosing my word for 2027. I'm still not completely sure, but I think I'm going to stick with abundance. I've made progress, but there's more progress to be made, and I think I can dive into it a bit more.

48 word of the year ideas, grouped by theme

Notice which words you feel something about. Under each group are a few habits that could serve those words.

Tips for choosing your word

• Pick a word you want, not one you think you should want. If it feels like a chore on January 1st, it'll feel worse in March.

• Try a verb. Huberman's "extra points for verbs" is good advice. Move points to an action in a way health doesn't.

• Give it a few days. Write two or three options down and see which one you're still thinking about later.

How to turn your word into daily habits

The word is the direction. The habits are what you track. Here's the simple version I use, built on the same one-habit method as my free printable habit tracker.

1. Pick your word. Use the list above or your own.

2. Ask: what's one small thing I could do each day that moves me toward this word? For strong, maybe 10 push-ups. For my word, abundance, examples are the daily energy check-in or a five senses reset when I walk. Reorganizing my schedule to make room for deep work is a bigger change that supports the same direction.

3. Start with one habit. You might eventually have two or three habits serving your word, but if you're new to this, start with one.

4. Make it small enough for your worst day. If you couldn't do it on a bad day, shrink it.

5. Anchor it to something you already do. For example, you could do your energy check-in after coffee, or your five senses reset when you go for a walk.

6. Write the habit on your calendar, with your word above it. For example: Word: Abundance. Habit: daily energy check-in. The word reminds you why. The habit line is what you mark.

7. Mark an X each day you do the habit. My free one-habit calendar has a big box for every day, and you can get a new one each month by email.

8. Missed a day? Leave it blank and keep going.

9. Check in once a month. When you print next month's calendar, ask: is this habit still moving me toward my word? Keep it, add a second habit, or swap it.

The word can stay the same all year while the habits change. If a habit doesn't fit, you haven't failed your word. You've just learned what doesn't serve it.

Keeping your word front of mind after January

The hardest part isn't choosing the word. It's remembering it in April.

• Put it where you'll see it. Top of your calendar, a note on the mirror, your phone's lock screen.

• Use it as a decision filter. When you're unsure about a yes or no, ask: "Would this give me more of my word, or less?"

• Set a small reminder. I've also started using a chatbot to keep my word and goals in front of me. My daily energy check-in helps me remember to set an intention and expectations for the day. I'll write more about using a chatbot to keep a goal in mind in a future post.

Tracking the habits behind your word

FAQ

What is a one-word resolution?

A one-word resolution is a single word you choose to guide your whole year instead of making a list of New Year's resolutions. It sets your direction, and you pair it with small daily habits that move you toward it.

Is a word of the year a habit?

No. The word is a theme or direction, so there's nothing to check off. The habits are the small daily actions that serve the word, like a daily energy check-in for abundance or a 10-minute walk for strong. Those are what you track.

How do I choose my word of the year?

Write down a few words that describe how you want the year to feel, then pick the one you still care about a few days later. Verbs and positive words, like move or nourish, are easier to turn into daily habits.

What are some good word of the year ideas?

Popular ideas include calm, strong, grow, focus, connect, gratitude and abundance. Pick a word you genuinely want more of, not one you feel you should choose.

How do I keep my word of the year in mind?

Write it at the top of your calendar above the habit you're tracking, mark an X each day you do that habit, and review both each month. Notes, lock screens and reminders also help.

Can I change my word of the year?

Yes. Most people keep the word and change the habits that serve it, but if the word no longer fits, choose one that does.

Sources

• Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563–2582. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901

• Gordon, J., Britton, D., & Page, J. (2013). One Word That Will Change Your Life (expanded ed.). Wiley. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/one-word-that-will-change-your-life-expanded-edition-p-9781118809426

• Harkin, B., Webb, T. L., Chang, B. P. I., Prestwich, A., Conner, M., Kellar, I., Benn, Y., & Sheeran, P. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025

• Huberman, A. (2026, January). "What's your one-word theme for 2026? (Extra points for verbs.)" LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew-huberman_whats-your-one-word-theme-for-2026-extra-activity-7414325547004035072-Q3fv

• Huberman, A. [@hubermanlab] (2026, January 3). Instagram post on one-word themes for 2026. https://www.instagram.com/p/DTCZ9D8lGBf/

• Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674

• Oscarsson, M., Carlbring, P., Andersson, G., & Rozental, A. (2020). A large-scale experiment on New Year's resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. PLOS ONE, 15(12), e0234097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234097

• Pink, D. (2025, December 29). "Want a clearer, better year? Pick one word and let it guide everything." LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielpink_want-a-clearer-better-year-pick-one-word-activity-7411444586394525696-hXn7

• Rubin, G. "A Fun Way to Shape the New Year: Pick a One-Word Theme." https://gretchenrubin.com/articles/one-word-theme-ideas-for-new-year/

I'm Sam, and I made Stickto. If you want the longer version of how it started, it's on my About page.