2025 Yearly Theme

This year, I decided to create a yearly theme for myself. If you are unfamiliar with a yearly theme don’t worry I’ll try my best to explain, and then I’ll send you to someone who can explain it better.

A yearly theme, or just a theme, was coined by Relay Co-founder Myke Hurley and Cortex Co-host CGP Grey. A yearly theme is different from a New Year’s Resolution. First off, a theme doesn’t need to be a daily habit, or a goal that is due in 365 days. A theme is flexible, and it is designed to help guide your actions.

What is a theme?

“A Yearly Theme is a word or phrase that represents what you’d like more of in your life, or the direction in which you’d like to go.” -themesystem.com.

Last year I felt like I was using my time unintentionally. I woke up, watched YouTube or Netflix, doom-scrolled, went to work, and then went to sleep. My day was gone and I hadn’t done anything. Well, I had but it all felt mindless and like I found myself doing it. I couldn’t look back on my day and say, “This is what I did and accomplished. I enjoyed this part of my day, and used it well.” Sure, you can say YouTube and Netflix are great ways to relax but I wasn’t relaxing. It was just playing, and I wasn’t paying attention.

Now, to bring purpose back into my life I choose a theme of Intention. What intention looks like over the next year may change but I wanted some structure. Some activities I started with this theme in mind are journaling, this blog, and more reading. My journaling is the biggest help in making me more intentional. First, it makes me stop, think, and write what I am thinking or doing. The best part about my journaling habit that helps prepare my mind for journaling is actually

creating the daily header. Something about writing this helps jump start my brain into thinking more deeply about my emotions, my environment, my day’s tasklist, everything. Second, my journaling doesn’t need to be at a specific time, or about specific topics. On one page I have a rewritten poem and the opposite I have a to-do list, and a photo from my day. Third, I approach journaling when I am bored, wanting to write something, or needing direction for my day or week.

Now that we are nearly two months into 2025, how has my life changed? Have I seen improvement in my life? Truthfully, I think it is too early to say, “My life has changed drastically.” But I will note, that I feel better. Some days bleed with unintentionally. Some are only slightly intentional. But overall, I feel I have done more in the first couple of months in 2025 than all of winter last year. The increase in journaling has helped me recall what I have accomplished, am accomplishing, and am wanting to accomplish. Including the more consistent reading.

Another reason I choose intentionality for my first yearly theme is I want to keep the systems and habits I create this year for next year and the year after and hopefully forever. Because why would I want to travel through life without being intentional? Every moment can offer a beautiful sight we’ve never seen before and may never see again.

If you want to know more about yearly themes check out themesystem.com, or this video by CGP Grey on YouTube!