We all know one of "those" people — they have their lives arranged in Tetris-like blocks on Google calendar, their emails sound like they came from State Department, and somehow, they manage to be present and engaged. I call those people intentional.

Whether or not you identify as someone striving for intentionality in your life, I want to start a series of articles on being intentional. Whether it is aimed toward friendship or academics, intentionality is a habit we choose or do not choose to cultivate. The good news is: we can all be intentional if we make an effort to be.

Intentional is an adjective defined by the New Oxford English Dictionary as "done on purpose, deliberate."

You might think, "Gosh, that sounds really serious." Being intentional is serious: it is a conscious choice to say "now" instead of "later." It is a conscious choice to reply "going" instead of "maybe." It is a conscious choice to say "Hey, want to hang out Tuesday at 3:30 over by CBTL?" instead of "Hey, we should hang out sometime."

See the difference?

Doing something on purpose, deliberately sets you up mentally to act on the things you want to do and the people you want to see.

Being intentional is a habit. Like any habit or skill, it needs to be modeled or cultivated in order for it to have any effect. My mom is one of the most intentional people I know when it comes to relationships. She was always encouraging me at a young age to plan my own playdates. Find someone in your life with whom you can study the habit of intentionality; maybe it is a professor or friend you look up to, a relative or even a stranger whom you admire. Being intentional is a habit which can combat the apathy of our non-committal social lives.

Being intentional reflects what you value. Simply put: we give our time to the things we value. By deliberately choosing to go to 'this event' or plan time to meet one person, you are communicating your care and value of that activity or person. Personally, I value deep, one-on-one conversations and schedule them into my Google Calendar. I have another friend who blocks off time in her calendar to pray and yet another friend who schedules time to be alone. What do you value? Do you value it enough to take action and plan it? Do you value it enough to purposefully say 'no' to other things in order to give your 'yes' to something else?

Being intentional involves deliberation and effort. Check back next week for five ways on how to be more intentional.