12 Ways to Make Your Life More Intentional

As I mentioned in my previous article (see link below), creating an intentional life allows you to create a roadmap that poises you for success. You can get from where you are to where you need to be.

Here are 12 ways to get you started:

1. Plan and Structure Your Day — develop a solid and consistent morning and evening routine. You’ll be able to start and end your day knowing what you have to do and how and when you’re going to do it. No matter how crazy the rest of your day, you’ll know that your mornings and evenings will be calm, organized, and productive because you’ve been intentional about how you structure them.
2. Be Careful With Your Money — how easy is it to hit the shops when we need a quick “pick-me-up” or if we’re bored and can’t think of anything else to do? Everyone needs to go shopping sometime and it’s lovely to get new things. However, be intentional about what you spend your money on. Don’t buy things or waste your money on things you don’t need or want.
3. Declutter Your Home — your home is your space but everything in it comes at a price. Either what you paid for it in the first place or in terms of how you spend your time and energy looking after it. Be intentional about what you keep in your home. Declutter the stuff that you no longer love, need, or adds value in some way. Enjoy living in an uncluttered space that’s easier to keep clean and tidy, freeing you up for other things in life.
4. Your Priorities and Goals -how often do you think about your goals and what you want to achieve in life? As a busy person, you might think that your goal is just to get through the day but there’s so much more you can do. Priorities and goals help us find clarity for what we want out of life. They remind us that we’re still individuals in our own right, as well as being a parent, a partner or any other of the hundred different hats we wear daily.
5. Don’t waste time — time is precious. It’s our most limited resource and the one that we often waste or misuse the most. Don’t take on too much, stretch yourself too thin, or double book yourself or say “yes” to things when you’d rather say “no”. Be intentional with your time and spend it in a way that’s most important to you.
6. Strengthen Your Relationships — when life gets busy, it’s easy to take the relationships that we have with others for granted. We forget or don’t prioritize making the effort connect and spend time with the people who mean the most to us. Relationships matter and to be strong, they need work. Be intentional about your relationships. Focus on the ones that are mutually supportive and find ways to distance yourself from the ones that aren’t as beneficial.
7. Your Attitude — how we think about our life, how we make decisions, and whether we take action is all up to our mindset. Don’t let life pass you by without making the most of it. Not only is this important for you personally, but it’s vital for your family member who sees you being a positive and inspiring role model.
8. Your Body — we all know the importance of looking after ourselves, keeping fit and eating healthy. But you don’t have to run the marathon or even commit to a gym membership if it’s not realistic. Instead, just be intentional about how you use your body and what you put into it. Decide to do more exercise, even if it’s just regular walks with the dog or kids. Pay attention to the food you buy and feed your family. You’ll have more energy and feel better.
9. Your Mind — pay attention to your mental health, be intentional, and aware of your emotions and state of mind. If you’re feeling angry, upset, anxious or overwhelmed, give some thought to what triggered these feelings, how they are affecting you and what you can do to make them better. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and take up offers of support. Don’t bury your negative thoughts under the carpet and hope they’ll go away. Own them and try to do something about them. A good first step when you’re feeling low or out-of-sorts is to write everything down on paper so you can clarify and organize your thoughts and come up with an action plan.
10. Look After Yourself — we so easily put ourselves at the bottom of the priority list. Instead, be intentional about creating some time for yourself and you’ll be a better and stronger person because of it.
11. Get Organized — being intentional about getting organized isn’t about just getting organized. It’s about what getting organized can give you. If you plan and organize yourself more, you can create more time for yourself to do other things. You’re also likely to be less stressed because you’ll feel more in control of your life, what needs to be done, what is most important. You can foresee and avoid most problems.
12. Focus on your life — stop trying to be anything but you. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing in their life, focus on your own and making it the best life it can be. Do more of the things that lift you and less of what brings you down. Be intentional in creating a great life for yourself. Identify what’s working and what’s not and make changes where they need to be made.

This is YOUR life! Be intentional about it!