You might not think much of your morning routine but it can be what makes or breaks your day. The way you start the day can set you up for success or lead to failure. This is why setting daily intentions is so important to ensure you have the most successful and productive day you can.
Here are 5 tips and ways to set daily intentions to ensure you have the most productive day, every day.
1. The first thing that comes to mind
Quite often we all compile huge to-do lists that just seem to get longer and longer. Adding to a to-do list might not be improving your productivity or giving you the feeling of achieving. This can negatively impact your mindset as it weighs you down and constantly feeling like there’s so much to do.
Alternatively to making a never-ending to-do list, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Usually, this is something immediately important, it may even be something you have been thinking about for a while but not pursued yet. When you have a lot of tasks on your mind and on your to-do, it can lead to procrastination. Knowing there’s so much to do you just want to avoid doing it!
Therefore, doing the first thing that comes to mind can really help your productivity and make consistent progress. Put all your other thoughts to one side and take intentional action in the first thing that comes to mind.
Keep your procrastination at bay!
2. Break large intentions into small chunks
Having one big goal is never as simple as taking one huge action and usually requires lots of smaller stages. Just like a to-do list, these smaller stages can seem daunting and challenging in your day to day life.
Why not break them down into smaller chunks and only choose a few to tackle each day. Taking it step by step enhances your productivity as it makes your goals seem much more achievable. This concept also applies to point number 1 too. You can do the first thing that comes to mind but there may be stages and steps to break it down into easier tasks.
Try choosing 3 small tasks each day to complete and write it in your morning journal. Writing each daily intention down will fix them at the forefront of your mind and keeps a record of what you intend to achieve.
This also improves your productivity as you assign small intentions every day and do not overload or create a long daily to-do list. Choose 3 things and put your full focus into them in order to produce the best results.
3. Set daily intentions for your self
This may not be what you think. Setting daily intentions to improve productivity does not just include daily tasks to complete. It also applies to your personal self and how you want to show up and who you intend to be.
Productivity is not just about completing tasks. Your mindset is a huge contributor to your motivation, to your effectiveness and success.
Ask yourself questions such as:
- How do I want to show up for my work colleagues and contribute?
- How do I intend to tackle challenges and struggles?
- In confrontation, I want to be…
- What energy do I want for myself and to show to others today?
- How can I be the best version of me for my goals?
When you have evaluated these, you can be intentional with your thoughts, actions, and emotions throughout the day. Your productivity is sure to improve when you are intentional about your energy and where you direct your energy with your daily tasks too.
4. Make them positive
Similarly to the to-do list, giving yourself tasks each day can create negative energy and a chore-like feeling. This is not the energy you want as this can encourage procrastination and an association with pain.
We definitely do not want to generate a sense of pain when it comes to intentions as this will make you want to avoid it as much as possible. Our primitive brains are geared towards pleasure and away from pain. This is why procrastination can be challenging to overcome as it is more pleasurable than doing the work.
Therefore, when setting your daily intentions you want to ensure they have positive energy and a pleasant connotation. You can create this when you know achieving even the smallest task contributes to your ultimate goal, success, and happiness.
Additionally, setting positive daily intentions do not always have to be towards your goals. They can be for your social, environmental, intellectual and spiritual selves too and how you can nurture yourself.
5. Evening reflection
Setting daily intentions is important in the morning but reflecting on them in the evening is equally so. In the evening, refer back to the intentions you set in your journal or mind.
Did you achieve everything you set out to achieve or more?
Taking the time to reflect on the day means you are monitoring your progress and ensuring you have completed your tasks for the day. If not, what was holding you back or limiting you? When you identify any roadblocks, you can readjust your intentions in the future to overcome these.
You might even surprise yourself and achieve more than you intended. This can really boost your morale and lead you to set more challenging tasks for the next day. Consistently increasing your productivity through daily intention techniques.
Final Thoughts on daily intentions
Setting daily intentions can be an extremely powerful activity for your productivity. Break down your goals into small chunks, tackle the first thing that comes to mind to bring clarity and focus to your day. Be intentional in the way you want to show up and the energy you want to put into everything you do. This can light a fire and give you all new motivation to achieve as much as possible.
Don’t forget to reflect on the day and what you have achieved to start the next day off in the best way you can.
Author Bio
Brittany is the co-creator of Mind Medicine, where holistic health and wellbeing are the focus. Changing your mindset, consuming healthy nutrition and undertaking fitness to encourage health, happiness, and fulfillment in everyday life.
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