How to practice intentional living with these 5 habits even if you are very busy.
I love being intentional everyday. I make better choices, I am calmer and I am happier with my life in general.
But when we are busy, being intentional takes too much mental energy.
I am sharing 5 habits to help you practise intentional living as much as possible. Even if you are busy as heck.
If you are new-ish to intentional living, you can get a clearer idea with this Intro to Intentional Living blog post from SimplyFiercely.com.
If you like a more hands-on approach, you can check out my Top 7 intentional living worksheets you can download for free!
Let’s start learning the 5 habits of intentional living for busy babes like you.
Habit #1: Start with a clear mind in the mornings
This is so important.
“Yeah Shikah, but how do I keep a clear mind in the morning?” you ask.
Step 1: Ensure you have at least 7 hours of sleep at night.
Sorry, this sounds boring, I know. But when your mind is well-rested, your day becomes almost magical.
You are in a good mood, you take on work challenges like a pro and you even eat better food.
Step 2: Wake up 30 minutes earlier. And do any activity which calms your mind.
Some examples are:
Meditation (Jason Stephenson’s guided meditations on YouTube are good)
Listening to binaural beats on Spotify
Yoga (Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube is a good start)
Journaling
Going for a run
Sipping on a cup of coffee slowly and mindfully (with no gadgets around)
A clear mind is what stands in between having a mouth-watering, wholesome meal in the morning and grabbing a sugar-laden frappuccino for breakfast.
If you need 25 small ways to start intentional living, you can download my printable below:
Habit #2: Shake up your routine everyday
Some ideas are:
Try a new style of outfit. Wear a colour you’ve never worn before. (Pore over ‘best-dressed celebs’ lists for some ideas)
Try a new makeup technique. (Go to YouTube for inspiration!)
Run along a different route or take a different route to work.
Get coffee from a coffee place you’ve never tried before.
Have a meal at a cafe you’ve never been to before.
Listen to a genre of music you’ve never tried.
I think you get the drift.
If you are quite new to intentional living, you can get advice on 5 intentional habits for beginners in this blog post.
Habit #3: Journal 15 minutes before sleeping
I will admit that I am bad with this habit.
On some nights, it takes too much effort to reflect on my day (I just want to sleep!).
But…on the days that I journal before sleeping, I feel so good and in control of my life.
If you need ideas on how to start journaling a little a day, you can download my daily intentional planner below.
Habit #4: Do a tech detox 60 minutes before bedtime
I know many of us will struggle with this. But it’s life-changing, girls.
The first time I did a 60-minute tech detox at 930pm (I sleep around 1030pm each night), I was struggling to find things to do!
I will list down what you can do for 60 minutes without your phone or laptop:
Take a long, elaborate shower. With essential oils, scrubs, body masks and all.
Journal!
Read something. A newspaper, a book, a magazine, an Ikea catalogue (no joke).
Talk to your partner in person
Go exercise! Yoga or some stretching.
Visualisation. I have read that visualising for 10 minutes a day can manifest what you desire faster.
Lie down in bed and rest
Before you realise it, 60 minutes is up. This is when you tuck your phone away and go to bed.
(Warning: Don’t give in to the temptation to quickly scroll through your emails or messages! Leave that for tomorrow morning)
Habit #5: Plan every single day!
This habit sounds really obvious isn’t it?
But sometimes, days have gone by without me planning anything.
No elaborate planning is needed: just list 3 things you want to accomplish the following day.
I will advise you to plan your days the night before, not on the day itself.
Once we’ve listed the 3 priorities to accomplish the following day, we will sleep better.
And wake up all geared-up with a sense of purpose.
My last thoughts on intentional living if you are busy
Intentional living needs some effort.
In this blog post, I share 5 intentional living advice for beginners to help you kick start your intentional living journey.
If you want to take action immediately, you can download 25 simple ideas for intentional living which you can start today.
I believe that if we practise the 5 habits I shared in this blog post, we can be intentional on most days!
Share with me below: What are your challenges with intentional living?
Shikah
