Live With Intention: 10 Practical Ideas
If you ever reach the end of a day - or week, or year - and wonder where the time went and what you have to show for it, these 10 ideas are for you.
Consider these two scenarios:
Scenario #1: You’ve had a rough week and are looking forward to the weekend. You wake up on Saturday morning and think, ‘I’m going to watch one episode of my favorite show, then complete a few projects I’ve been looking forward to, take a long walk in the fresh air, enjoy some of my favorite crafts/hobbies, and have a delightful day.’
At 10pm that night, you are still on the couch in your pajamas, have completed several seasons of your favorite show plus a few others, and wonder where your day just went.
How do you feel?
Scenario #2: It’s the end of that same week, and you acknowledge that it’s been a rough one. You decide that Saturday is going to be a total relaxation day, involving nothing but fun shows, delicious snacks, and your comfiest pajamas. You’ll give yourself bonus points if you rarely get off the couch at all, because you know that after the week you’ve had, you truly need a day of rest and restoration.
At 10pm that night, you are still on the couch in your pajamas, have completed several seasons of your favorite show plus a few others, and go to bed knowing that you spent the day exactly how you needed/planned.
How do you feel?
If you’re like the majority of people in my coaching groups when we discuss this, you may feel disappointed or frustrated in the first scenario, but replenished and self-cared-for in the second one.
Exact same circumstance, exact same activity, exact same accomplishments at the end of the day. What’s the difference?
Intention. Intention can make the difference.
Now extend these scenarios to how you choose to spend the week, the month, or even longer. If you’ve ever gotten to the end of the year and wondered where the time went and what you have to show for it, you might benefit from incorporating a bit more intentionality into your life.
Today I’ve gathered ten practical, purposeful ways to live with greater intention from authors like Oliver Burkeman, Laura Vanderkam, Stephen Covey, Emily Freeman, Cal Newport, and others, as well as from my own coaching work and life experience over the years. One of these is even a question I’ve asked myself in some capacity nearly every day for at least 15 years! I hope some of these tips help you feel greater intention immediately, and that others support your purposeful life for years and years to come.
