The 3 important steps to live intentionally: Oct Review 2021
Need inspiration to make time for what matters?
If you’re ready to level up your quality of life starting today I got something for you.
Use the 3 important steps to live intentionally.
Perfect timing too if you’re in the process of planning for next year (2022).
You’ll learn about Setting Priorities, Being intentional with your Productivity, and Staying focused so that you can do the right things at the right time, with more focus for all the right reasons.
I’m a mum, an employee, a blogger and a business owner. Wearing all these hats makes me feel privileged and grateful, but they come with huge responsibilities. And using the 3 important steps that I’m about to share with you helped me in the last 12 months.
I became a better person, my well-well being has improved, and I was able to do things I never thought I could.
I’m sharing this because no matter where you are in your journey to intentional living, this is going to help you.
So if you’re ready to do something similar, keep reading.
As usual, all my Monthly Review Posts, not only deliver helpful tips but also behind the curtain updates.
Let’s get clear with what’s “right” first
Being intentional is not about getting everything right. It’s all about mindfully aligning what we do now with what we want to become later.
So before I give you the 3 most important steps to live intentionally, let’s define “right’ first.
Right things (and right People)
They are everything that adds value to your life. All the things that give you joy and all the activities that make you happy. The right people are those with whom you want to spend time with. People who matter and who care about you.
And here’s the thing, only you would know what and who they are.
Right Time
It simply means the “time” when you have enough energy and brain capacity to do things.
Right Reason
This is your intention. Your intentions aren’t based on what people would think of you and what people expect from you.
It’s what feels right for you and what feels good for you.
What are the 3 most important steps to living intentionally?
I recently published the Complete Guide on how to be INTENTIONAL and MAKE TIME for what matters.
The 3 essential steps on living intentionally make the core concept of living life on purpose which I explained in detail in that post. Please read it and I hope it inspires you to create or keep the meaningful life that you deserve.
But first, I have a question for you.
Which one describes you, A or B?
A. Waiting for your retirement so you can enjoy your life?
B. Creating a life that you enjoy now instead of waiting for life to happen?
There is no right and wrong answer there but I just want to point out that your answer to that question depends on your priority.
In this day and age, the demands of work, career, education, family, and homeownership seem to take priority over enjoyment. There’s planning and scheduling and not enough time – or so it seems – for downtime.
This is just my observation and I know that this doesn’t apply to everyone. But I know a lot of people (including my family) who prioritise well-being and self-care above money above anything else.
And so it’s obvious that my answer is B. And if your answer is the same and you want tips on how to do that, keep reading.
Step 1: Set your Priorities
Life seems to have two options. Achieving goals and enjoying life.
But wouldn’t it be nice if we can have both and we don’t have to choose over the other?
I think it can be done by setting priorities.
To set your priorities, start with your core values. What’s important to you right now? Is it family, health, career, money, or passion?
James Clear has a Core Value List.
Pick a few core values and make them your “go-to reference” when making decisions. Big life decisions can be a little bit easier when you know your priorities.
When I had M, I took almost 2 years of maternity leave. I took time to reflect and be clear with my priorities before going back to work.
My priority has always been to spend more time with kids while they are young.
And so going back as a part-time employee was a no brainer.
I have been a part-time employee since 2017 and never looked back. I love my job and it’s truly the best company in my eyes, but my family comes first.
That decision meant I had to let go of a big chunk of my salary and career advancement opportunities.
But I’m happy and content with that decision.
For you, it might be different. Maybe a career (or something else) and other things are more important to you.
The point I’m making is, it’s important to know what your priorities are. Then use them in your decision making.
Knowing your priorities will help you know where you need to spend most of your time and energy.
And again your priorities are your priorities. Own it. What people think about them doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re happy with your priorities.
Step 2: Be Intentional with your Productivity
To be intentional with your productivity, you need to align what you do now with what you want to become later on.
The best way to do this is by careful planning.
So, start with a time frame. Then, think of what you want to achieve and start working backwards.
For example, if you’re planning for next year, you’ll start with your yearly goals, Then break those goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily goals.
Intentional Tip: Make sure your goal is measurable. You can add quantity, frequency, and time to make your goal measurable. This will make it easier for you to measure your progress.
Instead of setting a goal like “living a healthier life” be more specific. Is it for your body, mind or spirit? After deciding what you would focus on, then create a goal for that focus. Make your goal specific, clear, and simple.
The smaller chunk of your goal should be simple, specific and easy to do so that you don’t have to think about it when it’s time to execute.
The key is to keep breaking down your goal into smaller chunks of action steps.
Related Posts:
7-steps Weekly Planning Process (for maximum productivity)
3 Tips to finish your year strong
Step 3: Stay Focused
Focus.
One powerful word that can make a huge difference.
Now that you know what your priorities are and you have aligned your actions with your goals, you need FOCUS.
Focus on your mindset, your actions and your progress.
Being focused will help you properly execute your plans, keep you on track and manage distractions.
To do this, consider examining your mindset first and check in with yourself if your mindset aligns with what you’re trying to achieve.
Working on your mindset first will give you a strong foundation so that no matter what, you will follow through to achieve your goal.
When you’re focused, you keep only the essentials and reduce or eliminate the non-essentials.
October Reflection
Gratitude
October Gratitude List
- I am so grateful to the company I work for that values employees’ well-being. I had 1 day extra for good health and another day for Digital Detox Day.
- Thankful for the time I got to slow down, rest and spend time with R and kids.
- Grateful for all the knowledge I learned this month that will help me grow my blog and online stores.
Highlights
- -In September I started my Etsy Shop, and I got 8 sales in October. I’m so happy and grateful for the people who bought from my store.
- -Lock-down in Melbourne has ended but there’s still a high number of cases so we are kind of taking it easy on going out.
- -We have started preparing for Kuya who’ll be in High School next year.
Goal Progress
Well-being
I’m happy now with my sleeping habits and what I’ve started working on in October was to drink more water.
I committed to drinking more water and making it a habit to drink at least 750ml of water daily. I’m doing this challenge with R and we are on our 4th week.
My intention is to do it until the end of December and then start another goal in January 2022.
Family and Home
Doing the water intake challenge has been fun and really effective because I’m not doing it on my own. R is doing it with me and so we are each other’s accountability buddy.
We’re both drinking more water now before the challenge.
We’re going to continue until the habit of drinking more water becomes a part of our day. The kids are back to doing outside activities. M still uses her scooter but he will gradually move to use her bike because Kuya has been biking for more than 2 months now.
Blog and Shop
In the last two months, I had to step back from the blog so I could focus on Etsy.
September Progress:
- Set up Etsy shop and listed total of 15 products
October Progress:
- Listed total 24 products and got 8 sales. Hurray!
My goal is to list 50 items by the end of December 2022. So I’m halfway there.
My goal next month is to add at least 3 listings. I know it’s a low target but I need to go back to blog posting so I will have to slow down with Etsy until the end of year.
Product creation takes a lot of time and I do enjoy it but I can’t be using all my time for product creation.
Conclusion
A’right. Now that you know the 3 steps I hope you’ll find a way to apply them.
Just to recap, the 3 steps are:
- Set your priorities
- Be intentional with your productivity
- Stay focused
Suggested Action Step or you:
- Pick one priority that you want to focus on this month
- Set 1 goal related to that priority
- Do 1 thing every day that will move you closer to that goal
Read the related posts to help you keep moving forward.
Related Blog Posts
January 2021 Top 3 Ideas for a Monthly Review to stay focused
February 2021 An Effective Checklist for your Monthly Review
March 2021 How to use a checklist for a Monthly Review
April 2021 Powerful Affirmations: April 2021 Monthly Review
May 2021 Cultivate a Healthy Mindset (May 2021 Monthly Review)
June 2021 5 Tips to stay on track with your Goals: June 2021 review
July 2021 Better me month July 2021 review
August 2021 : 3 Tips to finish your year strong
September 2021 3 Simple Planning Tips: September 2021 Review
Thank you for writing this article and giving a behind-the-scene look into your busy life. I love you how spent last month by organizing your time and energy with definition of “right”. It just centers me from being busy with “all the things”. I have to come back again and read all the past monthly reviews but you inspired me to get my daily task of the day first. Keep writing and I am going to keep coming back to your wonderful blog again and again.
Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for dropping by. I”m delighted you got inspired. That makes my heart so full. Of course you’re always welcome here. Let’s inspire each other.