2020 Word of the Year + My Favorite Planners

abercrombie puff sleeve crewneck sweatshirt

top: abercrombie | jeans: similar | shoes: everlane | sunnies: karen walker | bag: erin condren c/o

Hi, babes! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I took a solid week off of posting here and on instagram and I cannot tell you how refreshing it was. It was so nice to spend time with my two girls and not feel the pressure of posting. Having taken some time of though, I am so pumped to be back in this little space! We’re kicking off my 2020 blog posts with my 2020 word of the year.

Each year instead of making one big resolution, I pick a word. The word is usually born from an area of my life that needs some improvement. Last year my word of the year was “listen” and I did some serious work on becoming a better listener. From a people perspective, I learned (and not always the easy way) a lot about listening to others. I learned that listening isn’t just sitting still and hearing what someone else is saying. It’s being engaged in the conversation and trying to see their point, their beliefs, from their point of view. Sometimes that was easy to do and other times it was incredibly difficult.

I also learned a lot about listening to God, which brings me to my 2020 word discovery process…

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A bit about me: I take on a lot. it’s the way in wired. It can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. The positives seem to be that I’m usually more productive when I’m busy, and I get a lot of joy from being social. But there are negatives, too – not feeling like I am able to do things 100% or running myself into the ground. My friend, of similar nature, and I often joke that we maneuver the busy well but break down twice a year when it feels too much to bear. Several nights ago I had one such breakdown. I was reading a devotional and burst into tears to Travis. The devotional was about telling God how you really feel and it just all came pouring out. I felt completely drained and unworthy of my life. Travis just held my hands and prayed that I would know I was valued and loved wholly by God exactly as I am.

As I’ve spent some time meditating on this and trying to find the “why,” I’ve realized that for the majority of 2019, I’ve been trying to do it all on my own. I have been trying to juggle and maneuver everything on my own in my own way. I haven’t been seeking God’s will. And guess what? It’s not working so well.

I originally thought “intentional” was going to be my word of the year, but then a word creeped in and I haven’t been able to shake it –FAITHFULNESS. The dictionary definition of faithful is loyal, constant, and steadfast. There are of course a lot of synonyms for faithful, and one has really stood out to me – committed. I want this new year, this intro to a new decade to be marked by my commitment to follow God’s will. To trust him fully with every area of my life. To be committed to starting my day with God. To be committed to my spouse, my family, and my friendships. To be committed to bringing you valuable information. To live out faithfulness no matter what is going on in my life, no matter how busy I am. Trusting God is one thing, and being faithful to Him seems to go hand-in-hand.

abercrombie puff sleeve crewneck sweatshirt

The last couple of years I’ve tried to pick a Bible verse to go with my word of the year and I love the one below. So often I’ve only read Jeremiah 29:11 and neglected verses 12 and 13, which talks about our commitment or our faithfulness to God.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹²Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29: 11-13

I love that this verse reminds me that God does have a plan for me and he wants me to follow his plan, his will. But in order to truly do that, I need to commit to spending time with Him daily. So, here’s to living out faithfulness in 2020!

In the past, I have typically shared with you all some of my mini-resolutions in addition to my word of the year, but I thought I’d do a little something different this year. Instead, I am going to share some of my favorite planning and organizational products.

I cannot say enough good things about this life planner. This is my second one and I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to what I was using before. It has both a monthly view and a great weekly view with lots of room to write in. The month tabs make it highly functional and it goes for 18 months so it’s perfect!
If you don’t want a bulky planner, I recommend this petite planner. It’s a lot smaller and easy to throw in a purse. The mini booklets come in 3 month books so you can make it even lighter by only carrying around 3 months at a time instead of 12! I use my petite planner for speech work only and keep my planners in this folio.
The black tote you see pictured is one of my newer Erin Condren pieces. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a single strap, but I love it so much. The thick strap provides more support and doesn’t hurt your shoulder. The straps are also interchangeable so you can change them out to fit the season or match your outfit. I just got this one for Spring!
I like to color coordinate my planners, and use these colorful markers. They have a thick and a thin side, which is fun!
Many of y’all know I keep a desk planner for my family and have used this deskpad for years. I just love the visual of seeing all of my family members’ activities in one spot.