How I Started Living More Intentionally (+ Felt Alive Again)

This post is a guest post about the author’s personal experience. To learn more about the author, check the bottom of this post.

Do you find yourself working all the time with barely any time left for yourself—your hobbies, spending time outdoors, or meeting friends? That was exactly how I was living before I got clear on my priorities.

How I started living more intentionally began with realizing that my constant hustle wasn’t making me feel accomplished—it was making me feel exhausted.

I used to convince myself that the more time I spent working, the less guilt I’d feel. But that didn’t turn out to be true, at least not in my experience over the past four years.

And I’m sure some of you can relate. When work takes over, it leads to burnout and actually makes you less productive—the exact opposite of what we’re aiming for.

What Is Intention? Intention vs Goal

But first of all, what are intentions, and why should you care about them in the first place? In my simple words, Intentions are basically the purpose or mindset behind your actions. They’re not about what you do, but they’re about why and how you do it.

They are mostly present-focused, unlike goals that we set for the future. I think they somehow give you the push you need. 

For example: People set their goals like “wake up at 6 am, stretch and eat a healthy breakfast”. This is good, but why? Your intention is your why. 

So we can write our goals with an intention- goal: “wake up at 6 am, stretch and eat a healthy breakfast”. Intention: “To check in with myself before checking my phone and spend some time with myself,” or whatever it is for you. 

I think it’s also a fun activity to do. It tells you why you are doing what you are doing, and I believe now you are not randomly setting goals (which means you now have higher chances of achieving them).

Who Should Set Intentions? 

Now you know what intentions are and how you can set them but just like anything else in life there is no one-size-fits-all answer and it also applies here. 

Here are a few signs to know if you are the one who would benefit from setting intentions: 

1. You wake up and it’s already “go time,” but you’re not even sure what you’re moving toward- if your everyday routine feels the same and you need something to push you forward. 
2. You’re chasing goals, but feel burned out. I think we all feel that more often than we talk about it. 
3. You want more clarity and don’t want to just work but feel more fulfilled. 

I truly believe you can’t go wrong with setting intentions. 

Who Should NOT Set Intentions 

While I do believe that setting intentions can push you forward in your everyday life because it did help me when I needed the push but there are some signs when setting intentions might not be the right idea for you (at least for now): 

1. If someone’s expecting them to replace effort, boundaries, or emotional processing. 
2. If you’re at a point in life where reflection feels exhausting or annoying, forcing yourself to set intentions might not feel right for you (at least yet, as I said).  

There is no replacement for action; intentions are here to motivate you to take action, not avoid it. 

Daily VS Weekly Intentions: What Is The Difference?

Is one better than the other? Not really. But they serve different roles. When you set a weekly intention, you’re giving your week a fresh start. Some weekly intention examples could be: 

• I want to be honest with myself this week.
• I’m going to stop rushing through everything.
• This week, I’ll focus on creating more instead of consuming.

You set it once, and then you return to it whenever the week tries to pull you in five directions.

Daily intentions, on the other hand, serve a different purpose – setting your intentions for the day helps when you wake up with a heavy head, or the day’s already messy and you don’t want to lose yourself in it. 

I think most of us live a lifestyle where these things have become a part of our daily lives. Some daily intention examples could be: 

• Today, I’ll give myself space to breathe.
• I’m not going to overthink everything today.
• I’ll be kind to myself if I don’t get it all done.

How I Started Living More Intentionally

Find Excitement In Your Everyday Routine 

So you’ve set an intention. You want to be present, calm, and focused. But then what? If your routine doesn’t feel good, your intention alone can’t work.

A boring routine makes even a powerful mindset feel forced. That’s why even tiny shifts can make a difference. Here is how to do it: 

• Write about your intentions along with your to-do list (optional but helpful). 
• Make your morning tea or coffee special and actually enjoy it and take your time – I know you are in a rush.  
• Put on music or a podcast while you clean.
• Wear something cute even if no one sees you (those dresses are not only for special occasions). 
• Switch up your workspace. Light a candle. Change your screen wallpaper. Use a new spoon. Anything that lifts you up counts here. 

These things sound small, but they create excitement in your day.

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Getting Started 

• How am I really feeling right now?
• What’s pulling at my energy today (or this week)?
• What do I need more of?
• What do I want to let go of today?
• What kind of person do I want to be in my small, everyday moments?
• Where have I been abandoning myself lately?
• What would make me feel proud or peaceful by the end of the day/week?
• What matters more than my to-do list right now?

I have also talked about 8 important questions that you need to ask yourself before you start setting intentions, you can find the post here. 

Author Bio
Disha is a personal development enthusiast and creator of Stunning New Life blog where she shares all her life experiences and provides ideas and helpful info on mindset and lifestyle-related topics that helps people make better life decisions and live their life to the fullest.