Setting Intentions with Your Journal

When you set intentions, you tell yourself what you are going to do, and are able to 
narrow your focus to just a few things. It is similar to setting goals or writing down a to-
do list, but with intentions, you are making a promise to yourself to get this thing done. 
Here are some ways to use a journal for setting your intentions.


Plan Your Intentions Each Morning

In order to reach your goals, you need intentions. These are the actions you take each 
day in order to reach the final destination. You can use your journal each morning to 
write out your intentions for the day. It is similar to a to-do list, and many days, will look 
just like your regular to-do list. But write them as intentions – promises you are making 
to yourself about what you will do, what you intend to get accomplished, and even how 
you want to act that day.


Use Your Journal to Track Them

After you write down your intentions, use your journal to keep track of them. This can be 
on a daily or weekly basis, depending on what they are how often you want to use your 
journal. Write out your list of intentions at the beginning of each day, then check in at 
night and just cross off the ones you kept up with. You can even write little notes next to 
each one explaining how you met those intentions, and if you didn’t, what happened 
and what the circumstances were.


Include Weekly, Monthly, and Quarterly Intentions

Aside from those daily intentions, you might have some that span over more time. Many 
intentions can not be applied to just one day, but something you need a week or month 
to complete. Maybe you have an intention to eat more fruits and vegetables for a month, 
or your intentions are related to your quarterly goals. It is great to write these out in your 
journal as well so you are better able to track your progress and keep them in mind.


Look at Your Focus and Priorities Through Intentions

As you begin noticing patterns with your intentions, you will also start to see where your 
focus is, and where it should be. If you always seem to fall behind in your health-related 
intentions, then you know this is where you should focus more of your attention and see 
what changes should be made.






