I’m ditching my word for the year 2026 because New York Times bestselling author Tayari Jones told me I should.

On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I had the honor of moderating a discussion and Q&A with Jones when she visited Birmingham as part of her national book tour for her new novel Kin, which debuted #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list and is an Oprah’s Book Club pick. (You can read highlights from the discussion in The Birmingham Times.)

While researching to prepare for the event, I learned that Jones chooses a word for the year just as I do. So, of course, I had to ask her about this. Her word for 2026 is present. She’s mindful of what she’s presenting as she’s on her book tour; she wants to feel present for each moment of the journey, and she wants to view each moment as a present or gift.

Before a packed auditorium at the Birmingham Museum of Art, I told her that I, too, choose a word each year, and she asked what mine was for 2026.

“Balance,” I said. “But it’s not working out.”

In response, Jones said, “Balance is overrated.”

She went on to say that when things are “balanced,” you don’t know what to prioritize. And it’s only natural that sometimes your professional life will be the priority, and other times your personal life will take the lead.

“You don’t have to be balanced. You’re fine,” she said to my confession that I was failing at being a balanced baddie.

Is balance overrated?

I chose balance as my word for the year because, at the end of 2025, my life felt remarkably balanced, which made me feel peaceful and content. But, honestly, I was also a bit bored. I’m not saying I wanted drama or chaos in my life – I’m too old for that! But I remember telling a friend that I was feeling bored of my professional life. Well, mere weeks after saying that out loud, I was offered the opportunity to be interim editor of The Birmingham Times, and now I am anything but bored, but I’m also quite far from balanced, too.

When I picked balance as my word for 2026, I acknowledged this was a controversial choice for me because I was once a person who said, “Balance is a unicorn.” But, in 2025, I realized that I had once seen balance as doing all the things, all the time. In 2026, I wanted to redefine balance as doing the right things at the right time. But to Tayari’s point, how do you know what’s currently the right thing if you don’t have clear priorities?

My New Word for 2026

I’ve got some work to do. I’ve got to sit down with my journal to figure out my priorities for the year. Being the editor of a newspaper wasn’t on my bingo card for 2026, but now that this opportunity is before me, I obviously have to move some things around. But no matter what I do, I want to be true to myself. So, my new word for 2026 is DEVOTED.

DEVOTED was my word for February (yes, I pick a word for the month, too). This choice was inspired by a See Jane Write Collective member. Last month, I fell in love with that word. I started seeing and hearing it everywhere and spent time contemplating different ways to be devoted. Devotion makes me think of both romantic and platonic love. It makes me think of family and community. As a church-going girl, it makes me think of spending time in prayer and Bible study, too. But devotion also makes me think of self-love.

So, here’s the plan: For the remainder of this year, I will choose a priority for each quarter, which will then help determine my focus for each month, each week and even each day. And I will be DEVOTED to that priority. I will be DEVOTED to myself.