When you think about your life, would you say that you’re living intentionally? Do you do things with purpose, or are you simply letting life happen to you?
We all probably have a mixture of both, right? There’s so much to do that it makes sense to run on autopilot in some areas. It’s not about spending a ton of time or energy on every aspect of your life, but it’s about intentionally choosing where to show up and how you’ll show up.
There are some areas in your life that you might not realize you’ve been mindlessly navigating. Here are some important areas of life to consider putting a little more intentional thought.
1. Your purchases
You vote with your dollar. Spend on brands that you believe in, and be mindful around where you’re purchasing from. Shop locally when you can, and try to support small, ethical businesses. What you buy matters, and you can create change in the industry by choosing well.
We can so easily get caught up in feeling like we need “things” in order to be happy. And it does happen, but that happiness high doesn’t last long. So we continuously seek to feel that feeling. And that can lead to some serious shopping sprees that don’t make our bank account too happy.
If you’ve been feeling like you’re overspending, maybe try a no-spend month.
2. Your time
How you spend your time is how you spend your life, right? Time is a non-renewable resource, and it’s so crucial to think about how you’re spending it. Are you doing what you want to be doing a majority of the time?
Our priorities will shift throughout our lives, but some things remain certain… we want to show up for those we love and for ourselves. We want to say yes to the things that move us forward or make us happy, and spend less time on the things that aren’t adding value. This is where time management and learning to say no are invaluable skills.
If you want to take it to the next level and see where exactly you’re spending your time, try time tracking.
3. Your look
When it comes to clothes, there’s a variety of ways you can be intentional. You could spend extra time in the morning to look good. You could create a ritual around getting ready in the morning to make you excited about your makeup or showering routine. From my experience, putting effort into how you look makes you go into the day feeling more put together.
My favorite way to combine intentionality with practicality is to create a sort of “uniform” where I wear essentially the same look practically every day. Most days, I’ll wear the same heeled booties, high waisted jeans, gold necklace every day. And then I’ll wear a tucked-in shirt, and sometimes a cardigan or jacket and a scarf. It’s comfortable, while still making me feel put together. I don’t spend much time thinking about it, because I’ve intentionally created a look that I love and haven’t gotten bored of yet.
You can do this with your clothes, or hair or with wearing hats of whatever it is. I think it’s fun to have a go-to look that is recognizable or just feels like you.
4. Your space
Where do you spend the most time? How does that space feel to you? I’ve noticed that I feel so good when the space around me feels clutter-free and inviting.
Your space involves a lot of different areas: where you work, live, your computer, your phone, etc. Give everything a place.
The time you spend searching for where something is can be better spent doing what you want to be doing. It’s not fun when you waste your time and feel frustration over something that could have easily been avoided from the start.
Create a process that makes it simple to keep up with. What actions are you already doing to stay organized? Add to that process, and create a simple system to follow through with every day. Start small.
5. Your digital feeds
When’s the last time you did a digital decluttering? Time to do an unfollow spree! Who you follow and watch consistently can have an effect on how you feel. When we surround ourselves with people that don’t make us feel good, it can be really hard to feel empowered. That’s not to say to only follow people who agree with your point of view, but just to say have mindfulness around the people you’re letting into your feed.
6. Your well-being
Intuitive eating is about being present and aware. Instead of focusing too much on what you’re eating, just be mindful of your feelings. Do your best to be good to your body, and enjoy what you’re doing. Restriction and depriving won’t give you the results that you want. Instead, focus on your mindset and feeling good about what you’re doing. Take care of yourself, and enjoy the process of doing that.
What are you striving to be more intentional about?
