In·ten·tion·al /inˈten(t)SH(ə)n(ə)l /
adjective
1. done on purpose; deliberate.
Synonyms: calculated, studied, premeditated, predetermined
(This post is a part of my “B” series which I’ll continue to deliver once a month! Continue to B Kind. B Silly. B Inspired. B Imperfect.)
Soooo…it’s June. And I’m pretty much where I started at the beginning of the year when it comes to my weight. I’ve noticed some difference in how I look but I’m not as far as I could’ve been by now. Meh. It is what it is. I’m great at working out but terrible when it comes to eating…especially with my hectic schedule. But I’m really over it. Eating badly and not working out has my energy at an all-time low.
I struggle with binge eating and emotional eating so, in order for me to be successful, I’d need to get an action plan in place. Not just writing down what I would do but actually preparing myself to be ahead of the game. It would require me being very, VERY intentional about my moves. Serious meal prepping. Tracking my calories eaten and burned. Even plotting out my portion sizes. Everything from meals to snacks is sitting in Tupperware or snack bags right now. I already had an exercise routine so I’m good on that. Though I’m just getting back started again on the nutrition front, I feel good and optimistic.
That’s life in general. When we’re making moves, we can easily make things up as we go along. I did that for the longest when it came to my writing career. I always learned the hard way *face palm* until I started calculating my time, batching and scheduling posts ahead of time and taking webinars to grow in my craft.
It’s like…going to battle. No smart army is going to face their opponent without some kind of strategy or action plan in place. It should be the same when trying to make your goals happen. You can try to fake it til you make it but your goals might take longer than you want. Any type of growth takes intentional steps to help you get ahead. That includes everything from your fitness journey to your business. Some steps to do that are below:
Make a clear action list.
What exact steps do you need to take to make your goal a reality? What classes do you need to be in? What research do you need to do? What is going to help you find success? Write it all down and then go do it!
Prepare even with the small things.
Your mornings (and ultimately your days) tend to go a lot more smoothly when you prepare the day before or even the week before if you’re an overachiever. Plan out everything that you need to do and take action beforehand as well. Maybe it means planning out your outfit for the day before or packing your lunch/gym bags so that you’re not scrambling in the morning. Have healthy snacks in your car so you don’t get caught slipping on a busy day.
Create a weekly routine.
All days are not the same, of course, but, for the most part, I know what I need to get done each day and when. I schedule out specific times to do activities, working out, writing, etc. and I stick to it. That also keeps the week running smoothly.
Cut out some electronics/TV time.
This is a big one because it takes up time. I try now to limit myself to an hour of TV a week and turn my phone on downtime between certain hours so I can’t access my popular apps. Some days it works and some days it doesn’t, but cutting down that time allows me to do other things that are more productive like working on blog posts or chores around the house.
Imperfectly B 