Being intentional is about bringing a commitment, focus, and attention to something important to you.  If you want to be intentional every day you need to get clear upfront about what you want to achieve and then take action on achieving it.

This simple guide outlines the meaning of being intentional and gives you six ways to be intentional with your behaviour, thoughts, and actions.

Being intentional is a capability you can grow every day and will change your life.  To move your life forward and make progress every day, being intentional about what is important to you and then taking action on those things will be two guiding qualities.

Being intentional helps you become more present and achieve bigger and better goals in your business and life.  When you are intentional, you bring a clear purpose, structure, and positive mindset to your day.

To be intentional with your day, read my guide on how to plan your day with intention so you are more intentional with your time.

Intentional meaning

Being intentional means having the ability to see specific results in the future that, if you achieve them, will make things bigger and better for yourself, your business, and your life.

Having an intentional focus is a way of thinking about your business and life that’s committed, purposeful, and deliberate.  When you are intentional, you choose to make decisions and take action on what’s important to you.  Being intentional means getting clear upfront about what you want to achieve.

You intentionally set an intention to achieve a specific outcome or result in the future that is important to you.  This could be a goal you want to achieve or something you want to have in your life.

You then move forward with intention every day towards achieving the result or outcome you want.  Being intentional increases your focus on what’s most important to you.

Set a clear intention for your week with my guide to effective weekly planning.

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What does it mean to be intentional? 

What does it mean to be intentional? It means you have a clear purpose and are intentional about taking action on the thoughts and feelings that are most important to you.  When you have an intentional focus, you choose to live and create a life that has a clear purpose and is meaningful and exciting to you.

Learning to be intentional means choosing to take action on the things that are important to you.  Living with intention means you consciously choose to create the life you want, rather than having other people dictate your feelings and actions.

Being an intentional person means everything you do is done with a clear purpose and focus.  When you become intentional, you focus your time and energy on your strengths, and the good things in your life, and don’t let fear hold you back.

Intentional people are action-orientated and have an unshakeable determination and strong mindset to accomplish what they’ve set out to achieve.  To become more intentional, it’s important to be self-aware, say no more than you say yes, and practice gratitude.

With intentionality, you appreciate more and practice gratitude for the things that matter most in your life.  When you are intentional, you set better boundaries around your time and the areas of your life that are important.

When you are intentional, you focus on abundance.  Read my guide on how to develop an abundance mindset.

6 ways to be intentional every day

Here are 6 ways to be intentional every day.

1. Be deliberate with your day

When you are intentional with your time, energy, and focus each day, you are far more likely to achieve the result you want.  Being intentional with your time ensures you have a clear structure for your day and allows you to establish daily routines that support your goals.

When you have greater direction and purpose, you know exactly where to invest your time and attention.  Your time is aligned with your bigger purpose which increased creativity and productivity.

Without an intentional focus for your day, you can feel stuck and waste time on non-important activities.  Without intention, you can take on too much and get easily distracted.

To be more deliberate with your day, identify the three important activities that will help you achieve the outcome you want.  This will ensure you feel proud about what you’ve achieved, which boosts confidence and self-esteem.

Having an intentional commitment to what you want aligns your actions with your goals and ensures you focus your time on your biggest priorities.

Get clear on your vision and act with purpose with my guide to goal setting.

2. Be clear on the result you want

You can increase your intentionality by getting clarity on the measurable results you want to achieve in the future.  When you are clear on the results you want and understand the importance of achieving those results, you will be more intentional.

Aligning your vision with measurable goals ensures you are motivated and focused to take action.  To be more intentional, get clear upfront about the outcome you want through powerful goal setting.  Picture yourself having achieved your goal to understand the importance of your goals.

When you have an emotional investment in your bigger purpose and goals, you are intentional about taking action.  Seeing what your life looks like once you’ve achieved your goals increases your confidence and ensures you feel motivated every day.

Act on your greater purpose with my guide to setting measurable goals.

3. Be purposeful with your time

Being intentional is all about being purposeful with your time to help you achieve your most important goals.  When you are intentional with your time, you have a clear structure for your day and establish positive daily habits and routines.

Intentional people understand the importance of their time and look to achieve their goals in the simplest, easiest, and fastest way possible.  To be intentional with your time, it’s important to understand that certain priorities, relationships, and collaborations will help you achieve the results you want.

To be purposeful with your time, set boundaries around your time, set aside time for self-care, and plan around your energy levels.  Starting and ending each day with gratitude will help you protect your time and ensure you end each day feeling proud of what you’ve achieved.

To be more purposeful with your time, read my guide on how to be intentional with your time.

4. Be considered with your focus

Intentionality increases your focus on the things and people that are most important to you.  Intentionality helps you understand the importance and purpose of your bigger vision and directs your mind and actions to help you achieve it.

An intentional focus gives you greater clarity around what you want and takes the guesswork out of where to invest your time and focus.  Being intentional with your focus ensures you prioritise effectively and have a clear structure for your day based on your bigger purpose.

Having this focus on your vision, and knowing the action steps you need to take, gives you the confidence to focus your attention on what matters most to you.

Increase your intentional focus with my guide to staying focused.

5. Become focused on your goals 

Intentional goals allow you to align your purpose and vision with an action plan to achieve your goals.  When you are intentional about your goals, you identify the result you want to achieve upfront which gives you more direction and focus.

Setting goals gives you a plan and path to work towards every day and ensures you start your day with focus and purpose.  Goals give you the motivation and focus to achieve your priorities in life.

When your goals are clear, you know why you want to achieve your goals and when you want to achieve your goals.  This clarity gives you the confidence to structure your time.  It also helps you invest your time and energy in your biggest priorities.

Discover why intentional people always write down their goals.

6. Be mindful of your most important relationships

Intentionality increases the value of your most important relationships and brings deeper meaning to them.  When you appreciate your most important relationships, you experience greater gratitude, abundance and self-awareness.

It helps you understand the purpose and importance of every relationship you have.  When you take the time to understand why a relationship is important, you feel happier and more joyful.

When you express gratitude to someone, their value in your life grows.  Identifying what you want from a relationship ensures you are clear about the best result you want from that relationship.

Being present in communication with the people that matter also shows how much you value them.

Read more about how being intentional makes you a better listener.

Summing Up

When you focus on being intentional every day you feel clearer, more capable, and more confident.  To be intentional get clear upfront on exactly what you want to achieve, understand its importance, and take focused action every day towards achieving the things that matter most.

Being purposeful and deliberate builds a positive mindset, helps you become more present in the moment, and gives your life greater clarity and meaning.

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Increase your intentionality in 60 minutes

As a time management coach, I help people transform their time intentionality in the areas of their work and home life that are most important to them in just 60-minutes.

If you want to be more purposeful with your time in any part of your life that’s crucially important to you, I can help you achieve that result in just 60-minutes with my “Time Intentionality” coaching session.

During this coaching session, you’ll get total clarity on the specific result you want to achieve, get clear on the transformation achieving that will result will make in your life, and get clear on how achieving that result will feel.

We’ll discuss your ideal outcome, what’s holding you back right now, and you’ll get a clear path and path to eliminate those obstacles and become intentional in the area of your life that’s crucially important to you.

To find our more about the “Time Intentionality” coaching session, simply email me at mark@lucemiconsulting.co.uk, use the contact form, or book a free 30-minute clarity call to get your questions answered.

Further reading 

6 ways to be more present

10 ways to a better work-life balance 

How to sleep better at night 

How to deal with overwhelm: 11 simple tips 

Practice gratitude: 7 ways to be grateful every day

How to build self-esteem: 12 self-confidence tips

How to be happy: 9 ways to boost happiness

Plan your day with intention

Increase your daily focus with my free Daily Planner.  Use the daily planner to identify your goals, increase your focus and be more productive with your time.

About Mark Pettit

Mark Pettit is a time management coach and accountability coach based in Colchester, Essex, UK.  He provides time management coaching programs and time intentionality coaching sessions to people in the UK, US and Canada.

Mark also writes about time management, productivity and goal achievement.  Each month, over 18,000 people read Mark’s articles to help them manage their time better to achieve their goals faster and easier.

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