29 January 2014

One little word- intentional

So I am about a month late in posting about my one little word. I'm not letting that phase me!
I have been trying to implement this word all month but wanted to get in writing what I want it to mean to me in 2014.
I am a visual person. Having my word set out is always good!

My word for 2014 is intentional...


This year I want to be intentional about my time.
I want to set aside time and bookmark it for a specific activity. For instance rather than flit between work and Facebook I want to deliberately set aside half an hour to read a journal. Intentional small amounts of activity rather than a long period of time just staring at a screen!

I am realising this month that being intentional won't always mean being productive! But I am learning a form of compartmentalising which is making my work less haphazard.


This year I want to be Intentional about my sleep. At Midnight the light goes off.
Last year I felt like I had to use each hour for something productive whether that be blogging, washing, cleaning or working. The trouble is, lack of sleeps equals low productivity the next day. Yep, I was slow to work this out!
Sleep is good. the end.

This year I want to be Intentional about time with the boy. I want to set time with him aside, turn the screens off and just enjoy his company.

This year I want to be Intentional and deliberate about how I perceive events.
I will often go into something having already put a label on it. This activity is "good', this lecture is "stressful".  This is not really a helpful way of looking at what is going on around me. This quote really stuck with me at the beginning of this year.


I want to deliberately choose happy.

I am so excited to be living more intentionally this year. What one little word have you picked?

17 comments:

alexa said...

Wishing you every success, Abi - and your presentation is beautiful, as always. I don't know if you know this quote from Vicktor Frankl? “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Jane said...

that quote really spoke to me this morning, I agree with all you say and I'm sure you will succeed x

Sian said...

Yes! Sleep is good, and you aren't the only student I've been saying that too :)

You know, it took me years to realise that setting aside time for different activities was better than flitting. You are miles ahead of some of us!

scrappyjacky said...

I think that's a great aim....I admit to being a terrible 'flitter'!!

Sheena said...

great choice of OLW x
Sleep is so very important to our whole wellbeing.

Unknown said...

My OLW is very similar - deliberate. I love your view on it and look forward to seeing how it moves you.

Ruth said...

Intentional is a great word and, yes, more sleep is good!
We have a phrase, be more, for 2014 and I'm being intentional about it.
I'm reading Hands Free Mama right now, although it applies to those without children equally, and it's all about being intentional and being more. You might enjoy it.

Karen said...

What a great word, and I think your reflections will be a wonderful guide. I hadn't thought much about it, but my word, "simplify," is helping me be more intentional as well.

Unknown said...

Hey lovely! I love your blog, so I have nominated you for a Liebster award.Check out the nomination here:
http://afothergillblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/liebster-award-nomination/

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

A great word. It's so easy to fritter away our precious spare time. I always make sure when I sit at the laptop that I take note of the time and give myself a deadline to be off!

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

I love this post so much, Abi! You are well ahead most people older than you with intentionally making the choices you've written out. The quote by Groucho Marx is one of my all time favorites! I look forward to hearing your intentional progress, and as a mom I'm super happy that sleep is one of your priorities! Well done! ;o)

PS: My OLW for 2014 is TRUST. xo

WordsPoeticallyWorth said...

I like my sleep to. An interesting post that I enjoyed reading.

Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

Missus Wookie said...

I love that quote - have used it (from Elisha's set) several times, Alexa mentioned another favourite of mine. Glad that you are finding the time to list your OLW.

You might want to look at Getting Things Done as a way to be intentional and compartmentalise your time. I find it works well for me.

Kirsty.A said...

a great word. Good luck

JO SOWERBY said...

Love ur word and the quote. My word is rebuild and I'll befollowing ur progress too this year,
Jo xxx

Susanne said...

In this busy, busy world of ours, we all need to be more intentional. Good luck to you, and to us all.

Maria Ontiveros said...

Love the Groucho Marx quote. I have learned a lot about the importance of sleep recently. My fitbit has really helped me realize how little I had been sleeping.
Rinda