Turn Intention into Action with these Five Simple Steps
Greatness isn’t acheived overnight. It takes lots of little steps to get where you want to go. Literally putting one foot in front of the other — day after day after day. Intention is the first step, but without action, it’s just dreaming, wishes or talk.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle
How do we move from unicorn fantasy into a Steve Jobs mindset? Productivity experts have many tips. Incorporating several that work for you are key. Here are five simple tips that work for me. See what they do for you.
Establish a mindful morning ritual.
For most of us, mornings are the quietest time of the day, and it’s just as easy (maybe easier) to waste time over being productive. Before setting a morning ritual I used to mindlessly scroll through my phone for an hour easily — an entire hour I could have been writing, class planning or even housework. Depending on your needs and family, create a morning ritual that works for you. It’s a great time to meditate and/or visualize your day so you can get all of the things done that you intend to get done. My morning ritual includes meditation or a simple quiet time, short embodiment, breath and gentle movement practices, yoga, tea and writing before checking email and social media. It’s made a huge difference in my productivity and sets me up for a great day.
Set alarms — and back-up alarms.
Whether or not you are a morning person, setting an alarm — and back-up alarms are key to consistenly waking at the same time each day. Many of us use our phones for our alarms. Write a message on the alarm to remind you of your intention so you can see it through to action. And be sure to go to bed early enough to get the sleep you need. Another trick I’ve learned is to set incremental alarms throughout the day to ensure I acheive everything I intend to acheive. Each is a gentle reminder to stay on task.
Keep a bullet journal.
Though I’m very much a digital girl, I am sold on my bullet journal. Never heard of it? Go here. I started keeping one regularly earlier this year, and now I don’t know how I lived without it. I used to set reminders and schedule tasks into my iPhone but it was too easy to reschedule the tasks I didn’t get to. With my bullet journal, I can also reschedule tasks, but the ‘>’ in the box before the task (which indicates it was moved to another day) reminds me that I need to do a better job with time management.
Establish an accountability partner.
We know that accountability partners help us acheive our fitness goals; they work the same with any other part of life. If we say we will do something and only have ourselves to rely on, what happens when we have a bad day? Scrolling through social media and eating ice cream sounds like a pretty good way to remedy the situation, right? Yeah. Until it settles in your body and mind and you feel like crap. Telling your spouse, a close friend or co-worker of your intention, and asking him/her to check in on your action is a great way to ensure you get the job done.
Make movement a part of every day.
Many years ago I established a daily movement habit, typically trying to acheive 8000 to 10,000 steps per day. Physically I feel great most days, but it has done far more for my mental health than anything. Moving, especially in nature, provides fresh air and a change in perspective. If you are ever feeling the gloom and doom, go outside. If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, break the day up with movement as much as you can. Oxygen therapy works wonders for productivity.
Those are just five of many daily habits you can set as you intend your day. Move from intention to action each and every day.
Thanks for reading. Did you enjoy? Please tap the clappy hands 💚 (as many times as you’d like) to recommend it to others. Namaste …
ABOUT & OFFERINGS
Hi! I’m Heather, a writer and yoga educator from SE Ohio. I share daily-ish here as part of my spiritual practice, and am working on my first book, Yoga Prayers. Download the first 25 pages, A Prelude to Yoga Prayers, for a brief introduction into yoga history and philosophy — and let me know what you think! Yogis, I’m also looking for stories to include in the full version of the book — how you came to yoga, what you’re learning, how you’re applying the 8 Limbs. Reach out!
