How to set intentions to stay focused

Have you ever written your intentions down? If you haven’t, I highly recommend doing so. Here’s how to set intentions to stay focused! 

The year has flown by, and now we are going into the new holiday season like the last one didn’t happen three seconds ago.  Like, hold up time! Can we have little chat about what’s going on here?  Why are the days coming and going faster with every new morning?  Although these are good questions raise by many, no one really has the answers.  I certainly don’t.  But I do know I am just trying to survive like everyone else.   Before the year closes out with a big bang, there are a few things I want to do with more intention, so that I finish the year with a laser focus. Below is how to set intentions to stay focused for the rest of the year.

Lately, I’ve had a lot on my mind, and I got to thinking about focus and clarity.  I believe it’s important to have those, especially during a time when the world is busy preparing for the holidays. Life can get so busy during this time; we tend to forget what is essential to making our lives more purposeful, (which is what my blog is all about).  So yes, it is important to regroup and find focus, or whatever gives you clarity.

You guys already know I am all about self-improvement, it’s my jam!  It is the Ying to my Yang, the Romeo to my Juliet, and the one thing I can always count on to get me out of a rut.  Prioritizing intentions is how I keep myself in line, and on a healthy path of self-improvement.

HOW TO SET INTENTIONS

1. Set aside time to think.  Even if it’s just 30 minutes, it is essential to set aside time to think about intentions. During the allotted time, only think about what you want to accomplish.  From experience, I can tell you, thinking strictly about the goals we want to achieve in the future is a hard task to accomplish.  Our daily lives have constant distractions, and our minds, consumed with thoughts about what we need to do next, can’t entirely focus on ourselves.  The first step may prove to be the hardest, but I believe the most important.
2. Jot down priorities and realistically personalize them. Take a pen and paper and begin writing.  Sadly, in this day and age of new technology, the practice of putting pen to paper has lost its allure. Sure you could type everything out in the notes section of your iPhone app but psychologically speaking, it’s been proven writing things down automatically switches your brain and attention to achieving them.  You will find yourself thinking about what you wrote down and pursuing them.  Writing intentions down on a piece of paper will help you see the bigger picture. In the process, you will unload baggage.  Less baggage means more room to think clearly. Personalize your intentions to who you are.  Don’t jot down, ‘wake up at 5:30 AM every day’ when you know you’re not a morning person and 7:00 is more of your style. Or maybe you like to color code everything. Write intentions down in a rainbow of color if you need to.
3. Check in on your progress and remain accountable.  If you wrote three-month intentions, meaning you wrote things down you want to accomplish in three months, then check in maybe once a month to see how you’re doing. Perhaps the time frame is not realistic, or maybe you need to push a little harder.  Assigning check-in times makes you accountable to yourself. Another way of staying accountable and checking-in on progress is journaling.  Journaling about your intentions, every day or once a week will also make you accountable.

MY TOP 5 INTENTIONS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

As the year comes to a close, there are still things I want to accomplish that sometimes take a back seat and I end up forgetting.  I want to be intentional with these things because they are important to me, but I don’t always do a great job remembering to do them.

Finish ordering gifts for family and friends.

First order of business is to finish my Christmas shopping list. If there is one list I want to get out of the way sooner rather than later, it’s this one. Who loves shopping amongst the crowds? Not this girl. I am not one to fight people for the last item on the shelf on Black Friday either.  Yes, I’ve tried it and it’s not for me. Nowadays, I try to do most of my Christmas shopping online and ahead of time because I’ve found waiting till the last minute is too much pressure.  Plus shopping ahead helps me save money with deals and coupons.

In all honesty, I love shopping for friends and family and taking my time to look for the best gifts.  Those smiles on Christmas morning as they open presents are the best gift anyone can give me.  It truly warms my soul and reminds me of the reason why we celebrate the birth of our savior, Christ.

Place Christmas cards order.

For whatever reason, I forget ordering Christmas cards every year, until two weeks before Christmas.  This year I am making an effort to get Christmas cards prepared and ready to ship without having to rush around.  Sending Christmas cards to family and friends is such a simple little task, yet I struggle to remember to do it every year. This is my year though. I am making it happen!

Schedule my life for the next six months

Scheduling my life for the next six months is probably the most significant intention as the year comes to a close.  Every year I practice planning things ahead, but this year I want to get more detailed.  I want to add everything I can think of, to my calendar so I can remain focused.  I’ve made it my goal to begin right now, right before Thanksgiving, so the craze of the holidays doesn’t get in the way. Because we all know November and December are jam-packed with all kinds of activities that make the last two months of the year fly by. Before we know it, we are in January scrambling to get our lives back in line.  So this year, I am planning my year ahead to stay focused and get me excited about what’s to come.

Review and update my short-term and long-term personal goals.

From reading previous self-improvement posts, many of you may be aware of my gratitude journal and the positive impact it’s had on my life.  It helps me stay grounded.  My short and long-term goals help me stay focused. As some people say “Eye on the price.” My plan is to review what I’ve accomplished so far, mark them off the list and add new goals.  One of my long-term goals was to live in Europe.  I never imagined it would happen so early in my life but I am grateful it came true. This year, I will be marking that goal off my list and adding a new one in its place.

Prioritize Mindfulness

Whatever it is I’m doing, I want to be all there.  The last two years, I’ve been practicing mindfulness with intention.  Meaning, I practice being present in whatever it is I am doing.  Meditation has helped me tremendously with this practice.  Being mindful and staying present is hard work. Try sitting still for ten minutes and clearing your mind, focusing on one thing only.  You’ll find that after a minute your mind start drifting to so many other thoughts. You may never realize this but our minds drift. All. The. Time. Just try it.  You’ll be amazed.  From the grocery store list, laundry, drink water, to deciphering what the neighbors look was, all kinds of things pop into your head every minute of every day.

Again with the stress of the holidays, I am prioritizing my mindfulness practice. I am starting each day with it in mind and making sure that I am policing my thoughts throughout the day. Mindfulness, I’ve found is the best aid in remaining focused.

What about you?  Have you ever practiced setting intentions?  It’s so interesting to read how others pursue their goals and the life they want.  Please let me know in the comments section below if you’ve ever set intentions and how you go about them.

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Thank you so much for reading!

With love and gratitude,