Friday, October 23, 2015

About Those Intentions


In a capsule form - Intentions need attention. 

Forming the intention almost doubles the chances that you will follow through.  Explicit Intentions, I believe makes the odds even better.  After breakfast, by 2:00, etc is an example of explicit intentions, sometime soon is not.  Tomorrow obviously is a slippery one, it can be explicit and it can be vague.  My examples are about time but there is other explicitness that comes into play.  To catch up with housework leaves the field open for distractions, perhaps it is the bathrooms that need attention, so do that.  It is easy to slip into an unending version of housework, as you vacuum the rugs and end up sorting though some corner of clutter and the bathrooms wait, while your whole day is gone and supper is about to be take out.  I’m assuming that housework is not your priority every day, although some days it will be.  So form an intention that includes time but also puts an accurate description on the activity chosen. 


Intentions can also come into play when there are problems.  If … then.  If I get tired, then I will persevere.  If I lose focus, then I will move my attention back to the task.  If a lot of things come up that seem to justify not following my intentions...
if I find one thing too difficult....
if I slip up or blow it....
then I will make sure it doesn’t become the new routine by getting back on track as soon as possible. 
 
I intended to open a file (intention) and give it a rounding out, a polish and publish.  That is to be done before it is time for coffee.  9:50. Done.