Inspired by the one and only Lee from America , I began writing intention lists for myself each month since the start of this year. An intention is not a goal. It is about a state of being, with a goal being how an intention is achieved. I combined these two ideas when I began writing my lists and focused both on what I wanted to achieve and how I wanted to achieve it.

Writing monthly intention lists has helped me prioritize large projects or tasks for the month ahead. I usually aim for five to seven intentions per month, of which one to two focus on big projects or tasks I want to accomplish.

Writing out my intentions and thinking them through helps keep them top of mind which keeps me motivated to accomplish my goals and reach my intentions. Moreover, keeping them in a visually-accessible place helps keep the list around as a constant reminder. When I first started, I wanted to keep a journal of monthly intention lists. Yet, each time I cleaned my apartment or needed more space I would clear my work area and the journal would go with it. It wasn’t until I cut out lists and taped them in my apartment, that I really felt a change. I am more attentive to my intentions and the goals since I see them throughout the day.

Writing out my intentions has given me a new sense of clarity and the process has bolstered my creativity. Writing them out keeps me focused on developing myself in multiple facets of my life, including my personal life, my romantic life, and my professional life. Each month I also like to get creative with how I cut out my list, the paper I use, where I place it in my apartment, and creative aspects like color and design are fun to experiment with.

Rereading previous intentions lists helps me set new goals and work on goals I have not yet achieved. At the start of each month when I write my next intention list, I review my previous lists to see if there was something I wanted to revisit. I also note how each intention made me feel during the month and how following it helped me grow.

Writing out my intentions has also helped me feel balanced. Each intention list builds upon the previous one by finding new ways to better myself each month in different aspects, be it self-care options or meal-prepping recipes. This balanced feeling also comes from an increase in positivity and decrease in anxiety. Writing out each intention with a corresponding goal has helped me focus on the how instead of just the end-goal. This has translated into more positivity when tackling new challenges or intentions.