With a new year comes a new theme. I’ve had this year’s theme prepared since last year, and it rings as true now as it did then. My 2022 will be the Year of One.
This theme originated symbolically, as I wanted to encapsulate the process of preparing for, and then participating in, my wedding this fall. As Erin and I become one in several ways, it felt important to have that be a foundation for how I view this year. That was the extent of my thought process when I first came up with the idea last year, but 2021 brought more clarity and more opportunities to increase the impact and relevance of this theme.
The Season of Creativity was a rebellion against my prior habits of dropping projects and fussing over whether I was spending my time doing the right things. I wanted to focus on the things that made me happy and fulfilled, and give myself the space to do them. However, even with that in mind each day, I kept distracting myself and often fell into poor habits that made me unproductive and unhappy with my progress. I would bounce between tasks, and even leisure wasn’t as restful as I would want. I didn’t keep my focus, and would try to multitask in unhelpful ways.
In the spirit of that frustration, the Year of One is also about doing one thing at a time. That doesn’t mean only having a single project at a time—between work, volunteering, podcasts, this blog, and planning a wedding, that would not make me feel like a better person. What it does mean is taking on single projects that I can work on either continuously, or until they reach a clearly-defined state of completion. It also means when I am going to work on a task, making sure I set aside the time to do that task completely and avoid distractions however possible. When I choose to write, I will set a goal and write until I reach it. When I am watching a TV show, I will tell myself how many episodes I want to watch, set my phone down, and enjoy those episodes!
In some way this year is about being intentional, and I could consider that an ideal outcome. But the focus is on oneness, on letting a single-mindedness pervade my routines. I will almost certainly get more done this way, and each thing I get done I anticipate being of higher quality than if I were to continue bouncing around. It’s also about developing an appreciation for the whole, looking at the big picture as I move along to recognize the one thing I am making in that moment, and the one thing it is contributing to, despite the whole being made of many parts.
I am excited about this theme. Similar to last year, it’s about reframing how I view the world to give myself more agency. Viewing the world as a constant transition, one that I can weather, was powerful and very helpful. I believe this year’s focused approach will have similarly strong effect, although the outcomes are somewhat different. I look forward to seeing what I can create both in my relationships and my creative endeavors.