I used to be diligent about reflecting on my one little word throughout the year, but I simply was not in 2017. I mentioned that my word was “low-maintenance,” but I think that’s the only time it came up on the blog.

Perhaps it was so low-maintenance that it didn’t even require posts.

Oh, you’re still here after that? Thank you.

Even so, it was a great word for this year, and I’ve noticed lots of positive changes as a result of it. It came to me while I was doing laundry and realizing how many of my clothing items had to be line-dried and ironed (no future in that!). It carried over into a bunch of little household tasks, like meal planning, closet organizing, even making our bed, and then carried over into big picture stuff: relationships, time management, streamlining work tasks, and so many more that it’s hard to list.

I’ve found that the idea of low-maintenance aligns well with my desire to live with less and to be more conscientious about how my choices affect the world around me, be it environmentally or sociologically. Before I purchase an item, I think about the cost of owning it (costs, really, because of considering the time and space it will take up in my life, how it affects the environment, the manner in which it was produced, if it’s a product of child labor, if it’s yet another thing I’m having shipped to my door, etc.).

This was my fourth year of having one little word, and I have to say that this is the word that’s stuck with me the most and really infiltrated every aspect of my life. I’m looking forward to 2018 and the word I’ve chosen, and I’d love to hear how your word for 2017 shaped your year!