All paintings on this page by Claude Monet, 1840-1926, Impressionism

Living intentionally requires a person to be intentional! At first, it is hard work, much harder than the old, unhelpful habits.

Living with intention means always on — at first. Every response and reaction is up for research. Every focus and flow is questioned. You may feel that time has restricted. There’s no rambling, no freedom. Every move is made on purpose.

It’s time to be intentional.

If you are one of the people who told me your word of the year for 2026 was Intention, then this article is for you. I hope it motivates you to continue living with intention.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. – Annie Dillard

Living With Intention

What does it mean to live with intention? It surely means to be awake! Wake up to the automatic and often harmful reactions we have. Wake up to purpose and meaning. Living intentionally is observing ourselves and the ways we interact with others and then adjusting our responses to align with our values. How would you define intentional living?

Must an intentional person be burdened down with choices? Must we be always weighing the merits of this or that, of here or there, of now or never? The Bible does encourage us to choose life in all we do. (Deuteronomy 30:19) It also says we can live a life without cares. (Philippians 4:6) There’s a tension here that every person may need to define for themselves. What do you think it means?

Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us. – Richie Norton

The most important problem is figuring out what problem to solve. – Greg McKeown

Intentional Living Habits

Our intentions are only as good as our actions. Some habits help us identify specific intentions and make action a likely follow up. Try any one of these.

Reflection is stepping back and observing yourself or your activities with a quiet heart. It helps you extract meaning from happenings and feelings. This can be done with journaling, meditation, or prayer. Some silence and solitude are helpful. (Proverbs 4:26)

Set goals. Goals are an act of faith. Reflection will naturally lead into making goals. These conscious aims work best if they are written down and consulted often. Write your vision of intention, make it plain in a notebook so you can quickly move in that direction. (Habbakuk 2:2-3)

Before an activity or reaction, pause. Slow way down. This pause breaks the reactionary response. There is a small moment where choices are made that can make or break an interaction. There are literally hundreds of ways to respond. Choose one that is helpful in that little pause. This is hard, so give yourself lots of practice. (James 1:19, Proverbs 14:29)

Set some boundaries. Consider things like how much clutter you’ll put up with, or how much exercise is enough, or servings you allow in one sitting. When, exactly, is bedtime? Or, if things don’t go as you had hoped, how will you choose to act? These aren’t the laws of Medes and Persians, but general protocol.

Process emotional baggage as it comes down the line. As we intentionally face our fears, and let go of victim mentality we can find the truth buried under the stuff. You are a new creature in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) God will do a new thing for you. (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Live in your season. Different seasons of life call for different intentions. Sometimes the intention does not need to focus on choosing the best or optimizing everything, but just to enjoy what we have. The journey matters a lot. Redeem the time by using it wisely. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

The key is not to prioritize your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

– Steven Covey

The busier you are, the more intentional you must be. – Michael Hyatt

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. – Oscar Wilde

Intentional Trivia

Now we are going to change tactics. This part is all about words and how they interact and overlap. So if that’s not your thing, skip this part. I find these lists gelp me think specifically and critically about a word.

“I will” is an integral phrase to living a life of intention. I will do my best. I will be patient. I will be kind. I will trust. (Psalm 121:1-2)

Your intentional year could be focused on your home, your heart, your health or any number of things. One way to make sure a word’s wisdom influences every part of your life is to ask yourself questions. How does this word relate to ? ( relationships, spiritual life, holidays, food, a particular event, etc.)

I love a good companion word. It can round out the meaning, expand possibilities, and stretch my understanding. These words might be good companions for intentional: present, chosen, deliberate, premeditated, meaningful, limited, liberty, focused, planned, calculated, aimed.

Then there’s opposites. They help us know what we are trying to avoid. Opposites of intentional include: accidental, haphazard, unwitting, spontaneous, coincidental, random, unprepared.

Good ol’ dictionary definitions help, too.

intentional adj 1: done by intention or design

intention n 1: a determination to act in a certain way, resolve 2: import, significance 3 a: what one intends to do or bring about b: the object for which a prayer… is offered

design v 1: to create, fashion, execute or construct according to plan 2: to conceive and plan out in the mind 3: to make a drawing, pattern, or sketch of

And my favorite — phrases and idioms that relate to intention: by design, on purpose, it’s no accident, make it look easy, by choice, put your mind to it, set your sights, play your cards, stacked deck. Or contemplate these phrases for having no intention : going through the motions, leaving it to chance, flying by the seat of your pants, off the cuff, spur of the moment, all over the map, ad lib.

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. – Lily Tomlin

Everything we design is a response to a specific climate and culture of a particular place. – Norman Foster

Afternoon on a Hill

I will be the gladdest thing
  Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
  And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
  With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
  And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
  Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine
  And then start down!
--Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1892-1950

Going Deeper With Intention

Look up the verses mentioned and write, meditate or memorize them.
Use the quotes and pictures as journal prompts.
Make a mindmap with intention at the center. Add to it as you learn more about intentions and about yourself.
Write about intention in your own words, adding what you know and I obviously don't.
Or just comment and let us know some of your intentions. That would be easy!
--Liz