Squarely in my thirties, I am completely over “New Year’s Resolutions.” They are fun and aspirational in spirit, but totally impractical. I have yet to ever keep a New Year’s Resolution and I would really like to meet someone who can honestly say they have. I usually forget my resolutions by the third week in January, which underscores what an impractical practice it is for goal-setting.

Since millennials ruin everything, I think it’s high time to add New Year’s Resolutions to that list. Let’s just be done with them. Instead, I suggest that we simplify our annual goal-setting into an easy-to-remember exercise that Melinda Gates practices: choose a Word of the Year. One word that defines what you want to achieve, who you want to be, what you want to reach for throughout the entire year. It’s only one word so it’s easy to remember. Use it as a guidepost throughout the year when you are making decisions, contemplating new experiences, or planning for the future. I did this exercise in 2019 and was surprised by how often my Word of the Year came to mind when I was evaluating a new endeavor or trying to motivate myself to step out of my comfort zone. I can confidently say that my 2019 Word of the Year truly did define my year, which is more than I can say for any resolution I ever made.

This coming year, I am becoming a mother while trying to launch my startup so there are going to be a lot of changes in my life that I can’t necessarily plan for (which makes me very nervous). So for 2020, I’ve decided that my Word of the Year will be, “Adapt.” What’s yours?