Intentionality (noun): the fact of being deliberate or purposive.

Intentionality is a type of mindfulness that I practise often.

The thing I love about it is that it can be a purely internal state. It's a way to frame whatever I'm doing in a positive way, and one that doesn't necessarily require me to choose or change the activity.

Having intentionality lays guardrails around whatever I'm doing. It can help me to adjust and align the practical details of the activity with its context. Or if no adjustments are needed, it simply adds clarity and drive.

Intentional cycling - an example

Perhaps the easiest way to describe it is with an example: I love riding my bicycle, and in the summer months I go on long bicycle rides at least three times a week.

I like to ride with intention every time I go out. My intention for a particular ride might be to lose some body fat. Or it might be to get some conditioning into my legs. Sometimes my intention is simply to keep up with my cycling buddies, or it might be to unwind and clear my mind.

I'll often make certain adjustments to stay aligned with my intention for that outing. So for example if my intention for a particular ride is to lose body fat, I might do that ride in a fasted state. On the other hand, if my intention is to keep up with a bunch who are generally faster than me, then I might align to that intention by having a big high-carb breakfast beforehand.

Those examples are fairly obvious, but there is a more subtle aspect to intentionality.

On a given day of the week I'm usually following the same route on my bicycle, with the same cyclists, at about the same time as the week before. The routine might be identical, but my intention for that ride defines my why. This in turn might influence some of the what and how - as in my earlier examples - but it doesn't have to.

Sometimes the only thing that changes with intentionality is, well, the intention! And that's fine. In fact, to me that's the cool thing about intentionality - it doesn't have to influence the activity in any overt way, it may simply frame it in a way that aligns everything to your goals and desires.

Try it yourself

When you wake up tomorrow morning, before you get out of bed, think about your intentions for the coming day. What's your plan? Why? How do you want to feel? What do you want to get out of the day?

After you've mentally outlined your intention for the day, silently count backwards from 5 to 1, and then get your feet on the ground and go get it!

It may be that none of that results in any specific changes to your plans, schedules, or activities. However you'll feel better having thought about why you're there in the first place, and how your plans align with that.