How to Set Daily Intentions

Sharing 6 tips for daily intention setting! Learn how to utilize daily intentions to help shift your day towards positivity & mindfulness!

In December of 2017, when I sat down to write out my New Year’s Resolutions for 2018, I decided that I wanted to try something a little different in terms of goal setting. I wanted to commit to writing a specific daily intention throughout the entire month of January. I committed to that goal & really enjoyed the process of it all…so I wanted to share six easy tips for setting gentle daily intentions & how you can then use those intentions to cultivate a more mindful approach to your days!

I’m a very goal oriented person (I’m a Enneagram 3) & I love to accomplish things, no matter if they are big or small. So committing to setting a daily intention & writing it out, was something I was excited to accomplish! I found that I enjoyed the process of coming up with my new intention of the day & getting into the correct headspace to fulfill whatever I had intended to do!

Some days I found myself waking up with my daily intention already at the forefront of my mind, while other days, I had to sit a bit with my thoughts & let the intention come to me in that way! Then I’d write my one-sentence intention in my journal.

If you aren’t familiar with intentions, think of them as gentle guidance.

Intentions should be looked upon as gentle guidance, making them quite less structured than typical goal-setting. When setting intentions, it’s important to note that unlike a goal, an intention is more so an idea, way of life, mindset shift, or action that you can align with! While with goal-setting, you work towards an end point. Intentions are more on-going & fluid in comparison to goals…there is no pressure to achieve anything! With an intention, you are simply putting it out into the universe!

With that said, as I’ve mentioned above, I still am a huge fan of goal setting…I set them every single month but with this specific daily intention practice, I wanted it to be a little different than my regular goal-setting routine. I wanted each intention to be specific to each day & how I was feeling! Below, I’m sharing six tips that helped me complete my month-long practice of intention setting!

How to Set A Daily Intention

1. Make the time!

Set aside a few minutes each morning (preferably) to sit & gather your thoughts. Look inward, take a few deep breaths, & take note of how you might be feeling. Visualize something attainable & something that aligns with how you might be feeling!

2. Write it down!

I believe that the practice of writing things down is so powerful…this is no different! There’s just something about seeing something written out in front of you that makes it so much more real. Yes, it might take a few more minutes to take out your pen & notebook, but so so worth it! Having all of your daily intentions written out in one place is really nice to reflect back on after the month is complete too!

3. Set the intention!

Big or small, set an intention that aligns with you! Think of your daily intention as a piece of gentle guidance that is going to carry you through your day! Everyday might feel different, which is okay & totally a part of the practice! Is there something you’d like to take note of mentally, or maybe you have the intention to spend 30 minutes on your yoga mat, maybe you want to take a more mindful approach to eating or the way you view your body…the options are endless! There is no such thing as an incorrect intention, the choice is yours…as long as it remains in a positive space!

4. Flip it into something positive!

Speaking of keeping the intentions positive, you might find it easy to simply jot down something like “don’t be lazy today” as your daily intention but the key when writing these intentions is to focus your energy on being mindful, remaining positive, & choosing intentions to fuel self-empowerment. If “don’t be lazy today” is really your daily intention, find a way to flip it into a positive, uplifting statement instead!

Here’s how I’d rephrase “don’t be lazy today” into a positive intention…

Instead of: “Don’t be lazy today.”

Try: “Make time for “specific action” because it makes me feel happy & productive”

5. Check in with yourself!

Revisit your intention throughout the day & mentally check in with how you are doing/feeling!

6. Be YOU!

This is a practice for YOU! You aren’t comparing your daily intentions to anyone, they are completely unique to you & you only! Be kind, show yourself a little grace, & have fun with them!

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I hope these six easy tips on setting daily intentions serves as a helpful resource to anyone who might be considering starting their own intention practice! Intentions hold so much power & can be a really effective tool for learning to create a more mindful approach to life!

Have you ever set a daily intention?