What's Your One-Word Theme for the New Year? | Gretchen Rubin [Skip to content](#content) [ ![](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/gretchenrubin-logo-768x344.png) ](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com) - December 12, 2016 # What’s Your One-Word Theme for the New Year? Happier with Gretchen Rubin [Listen OnSpotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xsQXlYOCKEAFhYen2X7TL)[Listen OnPandora](https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/panoply/happier-with-grechen-rubin/e/holiday-hack-whats-your-oneword-theme-for-the-new-year-48508442) Holiday Hack: What’s Your One-Word Theme for the New Year? ![Holiday Hack: What’s Your One-Word Theme for the New Year?](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/0036f97e-34f7-11f1-8af6-fb0cc6f7337d/image/f255fc2790d879c623f0beb2f1ec2fbc.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress) Show Podcast Information EPISODE NOTES #### A Little Happier We’re all getting geared up for 2017, and January 1 is often a prompt that people use to reflect on ways to make life happier in the new year. This week’s holiday hack is to **choose one word, or a short phrase, to sum up what we want to focus on for the new year.** When we distill our aims into a single word or phrase, it’s easier to remember it — and to take action. In the past, I’ve picked words and phrases like “Upgrade” and “Lighten Up.” This year, I’m picking “**Re-purpose**.” I want to tackle the question: **How can I make more of what I already have?** Elizabeth has picked words like “Free Time,” “Style,” “Hot Wheels,” “Novel” — this year, she’s picking “**Home**.” Her renovation is finally almost finished! If this one-word theme “Home” appeals to you, you might enjoy my book [***Happier at Home*** ](http://staging.gretchenrubin.com/books/happier-at-home/about-the-book/)— it’s all about how to be (surprise) **happier at home**. In the past, we’ve heard from listeners that they’ve picked terrific, thought-provoking one-word themes like **Adventure, Renew, Energize, Travel, Rest, Finish**. #### LATEST EPISODES [ ](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/little-happier-why-winston-churchill-used-courteous-speech-in-a-letter-about-war/) [Little Happier: Why Winston Churchill Used Courteous Speech in a Letter About War](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/little-happier-why-winston-churchill-used-courteous-speech-in-a-letter-about-war/) - June 29, 2026 [ ](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/more-happier-get-better-at-socializing-make-the-most-of-halfway-day/) [More Happier: Get Better at Socializing & Make the Most of “Halfway Day”](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/more-happier-get-better-at-socializing-make-the-most-of-halfway-day/) - June 27, 2026 [ ](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/reflect-on-halfway-day-plus-how-abstainers-can-moderate/) [Reflect on “Halfway Day,” Plus How Abstainers Can Moderate](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/reflect-on-halfway-day-plus-how-abstainers-can-moderate/) - June 24, 2026 #### YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE [ ](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/podcast-episode-96-set-your-holiday-intention/) [Podcast 96: Set Your “Holiday Intention,” the Fun of Making Graham-Cracker Houses, and the Problem of Holiday Shared Work.](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/podcast-episode-96-set-your-holiday-intention/) - December 21, 2016 [ ](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/116-start-a-side-hustle/) [Podcast 116: Start a Side Hustle, a Travel Hack, and the Stumbling Block of “Raising the Bar.”](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/116-start-a-side-hustle/) - May 10, 2017 [ ](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/121-how-to-get-more-reading-done/) [Podcast 121: How to Get More Reading Done, a Car-Related Hack, and an Interview with Sam Walker about Leadership.](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/podcast/121-how-to-get-more-reading-done/) - June 14, 2017 #### DISCOVER MORE # Like what you see? Explore more about this topic. - [Habits](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/secondary_tag/habits/), [Happier At Home](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/secondary_tag/happier-at-home/), [Holidays](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/secondary_tag/holidays/), [Jump-Starts](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/secondary_tag/jump-starts/), [Mindfulness](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/secondary_tag/mindfulness/), [Purpose](https://staging.gretchenrubin.com/secondary_tag/purpose/) Manage Cookie Consent To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. 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