Early in life, we are striving fast and hard to determine our path and build the life we think we desire. Often, we skip past the present because we are so focused on the future. As we continue to move along, we naturally gain wisdom through our own journey filled with success, failures, and valuable lessons.
One of the valuable lessons that I have recently grasped is the value of being intentional with our time. Time is precious and as part of the wisdom we gain, managing our time means you need to be deliberate with decisions, as opposed to being reactionary.
Simplicity is good if it is effective, and by practicing the following, I have discovered that the key to living with intentionality includes:
- Aligning your time with your priorities: The first step is to press the pause button and write down what you value. Is it your faith, family, health, relationships, finances, or career trajectory? Take an inventory of yourself and truly determine what matters to you.
- Determine what you need to eliminate: Now that you have determined your priorities, review who you are spending time with, how you are spending your time and think about how this aligns with what you value. You may value your faith, but because you invest so much time on social media, you are not practicing your faith. You may value your financial health, but your spending habits are undisciplined. What needs to change? There will be tough decisions involved, but when you are seeking change, this often calls for making hard choices.
- Break your day into segments: Let us think about the actual amount of time in your day. A third of the day is spent resting at night, leaving 16 hours to manage your decision-making habits. Now that you are managing 16 hours, how will you maximize that time and align the time with your priorities? Again, there will be tough decisions to make but that does not mean those decisions have to suck. It just means you are being deliberate with your time.
Living with intentionality takes time and often appears at a time when we are seeking more fulfillment in life. It is not so much about setting goals, it is about aligning our time with our values. It is about clarity, making conscious decisions and creating the life we desire.
