An intention poster: a colourful reminder
An Intention Poster: a colourful representation of what you are going to achieve
I am always looking for simple tools and techniques that will help me manage my business more effectively and efficiently. After all there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. And there is always SO MUCH to do.
We’ve all learned about prioritization, to-do lists, goal setting, and action planning … and my reality is that I use all of these systems to outline what I need to get done. However, I’m often amazed at what works most effectively for me: writing my intentions in their BIG picture format.
Every year I spend a quiet afternoon surrounded by my treasured Sharpie Markers, a pad of paper, a glass of wine or a cup of tea depending on my mood, and my planning tools (goals, action plan, cashflow, etc.). I start with the question: what is my core outcome for the coming year / quarter? I write that down in the centre of the page.
Then I fill in the remaining space any number of things including:
the dollar figure or percentage increase I want to achieve in sales;
the internal messages that I need to continually communicate to myself;
the personal values that are essential I continue to respect;
the people I want to connect with to drive my business forward;
the strategies I want to employ to move myself forward.
I then post this colourful representation of what I intend to do right in front of my workspace where I can see it when I look up from my laptop. I’m not always looking at it; however, it’s always in my peripheral vision as a gentle reminder of what I am working to achieve.
What I find interesting, is that when I go back to review how I’m doing against the planning documents I’d created, I’m amazed at how much I’ve accomplished in spite of not referring to them regularly.
For me, this exercise is a blend of planning and vision boarding. It clearly set my intentions in place for the coming months and acts as a touchstone when I am struggling with a difficult decision.
It’s simple, it creative, and it can be done with a glass of wine in hand. J
How do you set your intentions in place for the coming months? Share your techniques below so that all readers can learn from your ideas too.