What Intentions Do You Want to Bring Into 2021? Part 1

2020 was a rough year, let’s say that again, 2020 was a rough year! Many times, in the month of January, clients are talking about what goals they want to accomplish for the New Year. While I love helping clients set goals, I also think it is important to set intentions. To me, intentions have more of emphasis based on the values you carry in your life and what you what to want to do versus what you have to do.

I recently read an article from Fast Company, that touched on this similar topic, titled “Habits to drop in 2021- and what to do instead” by author Gwen Moran. Habits and intentions sometimes can overlap; thus, I thought this article was worth highlighting going into the New Year.

Below describes some of Moran’s key points from her article.

•       Adaptability. 2020 certainly forced us to adapt to a new way of living. No one could have predicted what 2020 was going to be, I certainly didn’t. An important intention to put into place is learning to tolerate the discomfort of adapting to changes we cannot control as opposed to trying to predict each and every uncertain scenario. The idea of adapting does not mean to not set goals/intentions, but to simply reflect and challenge the idea that things may not go as perfectly planned, and that should and needs to be okay! If we psychologically prepare for things to get a little messy and not so perfect, we will be more prepared for adapting. And let’s face it, life never goes as planned each and every day, and certainly can be messy at times.
•       Drop your phone. No, do not actually drop it on the ground on purpose, unless you find that to be therapeutic in some way! Instead of looking at your phone first thing in the morning, I encourage individuals to simply just look out their window and give themselves a few minutes to reflect about something that excites them for that day, whether it is a nice cup of coffee or watching their favorite show that evening. Starting your day that way sets the intention that you have some control over your day, as opposed to letting your phone (social media, emails, text message, etc.) control your day.
•       Lighten your schedule. When the pandemic started, many clients expressed they ended up having more meetings scheduled as opposed to less, because their bosses implied that due to them working from home, they now had more time for those 8am and 6pm meetings. A recent study from Harvard University and New York University showed that meetings went up 13% in the year of 2020. Productivity expert, Aye Moah, states these added meetings can certainly decrease productivity. He states to set predetermined times for meetings so that you don’t have to waste time via email to schedule meetings. It can also allow for your work day to be divided by “meeting times” and “work times”. I have heard so many clients say their work day is filled with meetings so they cannot even start their actual work until 5pm! Moah also encourages the idea of time blocking, which simply means to allow for time in your day that you know you will have disruptions and distractions. I also encourage clients to make sure at the very least to take a lunch break and add coffee/water/stretching breaks throughout their day.

Part 2 of this blog post will discuss the remaining intentions to set for 2021 (setting boundaries, connection with others, make time for your intentions, self-care, and implementing mind-body connection).