April is coming up fast: Here’s why I start every month with a list of intentions & why you should too

By: Ariella Youssefyeh

Every time a new month starts it feels like the same thing happens. I tell myself all the ways I’m going to level up my life, and then suddenly the month is over and I haven’t gotten to any of it.

This year I decided to change that and truly make life happen for myself. I’ve been starting every month with a list of intentions for what I want to do that month and how I want to feel that month. Even though I’ve only done it three times so far, it's made the biggest difference in my life.

The Details:

Some people might prefer to do this on paper because it feels more concrete, or it just might feel better for you, if so totally do that (I just use the Notes app which is perfect because I always have my phone with me so I can look at the list whenever I want)

This month I titled my list “March Intentions/Feelings” and then I put a few emojis that symbolized the vibes I wanted to bring into this month.

I use the checklist feature on Notes because I love getting to check everything off the list as it happens, and getting to see how much I’ve accomplished for myself in just a few weeks.

Some of the examples of intentions/feelings I’ve written have been:

●  Maintain an A in all of my classes

●  Read two books this month

●  Try another one of my saved recipes

●  Sleep earlier

●  Have more faith that everything will work out for the best

(You can also definitely expand on your intentions more than this, I just find it can be overwhelming to expand on your intentions when you have so many of them, but there is always the option to maybe pick fewer intentions, and make those few very detailed)

Remember that this should be very tailored to you—there isn’t a right or wrong way to go about this, and you should write down anything you want to happen that month, no matter how crazy the odds of it happening may seem.

I always make my list in the last few days of a month, in preparation for the next month, but feel free to add anything you think of in the middle of the month.

Next Steps:

So now you’ve made your list of intentions, but what are you supposed to actually do with it??

●  Read it every morning, use it as a way to go into every day with a positive mindset and go towards your goals

●  Use it throughout the day to remind yourself of what you can accomplish and to give you a boost when you’re feeling a little lost

●  Look it over every night to reflect on your day and if you’ve stayed true to the goals you planned for yourself this month

Finally, remember this is supposed to be fun!!! You can accomplish so much, and deserve to feel proud of what you’ve done.