Spring Intentions & How I set them

As a perfectionist I’m naturally drawn to set goals (often too many) & focus on accomplishments.  Often it’s because my self-worth is overly reliant on what I do (not who I am) & fitting in with others. 

This is where intentions come in.  To help get out of that pesky perfectionist mindset, when it comes to living my life (i.e. not living just for accomplishments) I try to set intentions.  My to-do list is naturally too long and us perfectionists don’t need more to shame ourselves for not having the time to do, so my intentions are definitely not a to-do list.

My intentions are: guidelines set ahead of time of how I want to spend my time. They can be things “to do”, but in service to feelings/supporting my life.. not as more things to accomplish.  I focus on feelings & experiences I want to have (and then consider the “to dos” that might get me there. 

I tend to focus on “seasonal” intentions, though I have set yearly, monthly, weekly and daily intentions in the past.  This is just because I find this timescale the best to focus on for me. It’s long enough that I have ample time to act on them, but not too long that I can completely forget about them entirely. If you set your own intentions, you might find a different timeline makes more sense for you - and that’s ok!

You can scroll to the end for mine, but here is the framework I use (& questions I ask myself.. In my journal of course!).

What am I excited about in the season to come?

What have I previously loved experiencing that I want to do again?

What’s most important to me in my life? What’s least important to me? 

What feelings do I want to embrace? What tasks/habits might help?

What feelings do I want to let go of? What might I need to do more of? What might I need to do less of? 

Taking the above answers into account, summarize what you want to feel & experience this season (aim for 3-5). Then ask yourself: What will I have to do more/less of to feel and/or experience these?

Write a statement for each and focus on the positive things you can do to support that intention.  The negative/do less side will still likely come up, but is often discouraging.. So if we focus on the positive that we can act on, often we do less of the negative as a by-product. I keep the “less” list around so I’m aware, but focus on my 5 intentions and positive to-dos.

• (My Example)

  What am I excited about in the season to come? Warm weather, flowers, sunshine, visiting with friends, cottage plans, longer days

  What have I previously loved experiencing that I want to do again? BBQs, time in sunshine, bike rides, sunrises/sunsets, vacation adventures

  What’s most important to me in my life? What’s least important to me? 
  Most: time with friends, healthy habits, work/life boundaries + balance, enjoying warm weather.
  Least: mindless consumption (TV & socials), evening plans

  What feelings do I want to embrace? What tasks/habits might help?
  Feelings: warmth & comfort, calm & grounded, healthy mind, energetic & well-rested

  Tasks that might help: Time outside in the sunshine, mindfulness practice, yoga, meditation, journaling , time engaged and inspired, sleep, rest/time off, early bedtime, excitement/anticipation for planned activities

  What feelings do I want to let go of? What might I need to do more of? What might I need to do less of? 
  Feeling behind, stressed, anxious, worried, indecision, resentment, low energy
  Do more: mindset/belief work, rest, coaching around rejection, decisive action, boundaries, prioritize energy preservation
  Do less: sacrificing my time to others, people pleasing, worrying about others feelings, energy depleting tasks

  Summary

  Adventure with friends (holidays & weekends off)
  More: plans, dedicated time off
  Less: TV time, scrolling

  Time outside (warm, sun, BBQ, bike rides)
  More: fresh-air, seeking sunshine, cooking BBQ, porch time, bike rides
  Less: indoor exercise, indoor activities, TV, microwave meals.

  Grounded/balanced (mindfulness)
  More: mindful activities, mindset work, boundaries
  Less: people pleasing, overworking, scrolling, numbing 

  Well-rested/energized
  More: boundaries at work, sleep, healthy food, water/hydration, energy recharging
  Less: overworking, overthinking, binging, junk food

  Organized
  More: keeping on top of mess, tidying, following plans, asking for help
  Less: skipping minimum cleaning tasks, changing plans often

My Spring Intentions

1. Adventure with friends
   • anticipate/plan holiday with friends
   • book more to look forward to
   • seek out/research day trips
   • dedicate time to planning/time off

2. Enjoy warm weather 
   • time outside & fresh air
   • BBQ meals + porch time
   • bike rides

3. Feel grounded, balanced + calm
   • dedicate time to mindfulness
   • prioritize habits (journaling etc)
   • boundaries!!

4. Feel energized + well rested
   • sleeping, eating, hydration
   • honour energy levels + recharge

5. Feel organized
   • stick to routines (i.e. cleaning)
   • create plans & follow through
   • ask for help with cleaning

Less (aka unsupportive stuff): TV time, scrolling, indoor time/activities, people pleasing, overworking, overthinking, skipping plans

It’s that simple! I dedicated 30 mins to doing this exercise and will now post this list up somewhere I can refer to often. I might even screenshot it to have on my phone.  

Remember, guidelines of what you want to feel/experiences, not more to-dos to accomplish.