Once your goals are set, it’s up to you to beeline your way to success, and setting priorities is the habit that will get you there the fastest. Goals are achieved one step at a time; priorities help you identify which step you take next.
Where focus goes, energy flows.
—TONY ROBBINS
As you become more boss, you’re going to have a lot of opportunities, tasks, and decisions to make. Knowing how to prioritize what action or choice will make the most impact right now is a skillset you need to hone.
Here are a few questions we make a habit of asking ourselves to determine our priorities:
• Is this the best use of my time?
• What’s most important right now?
• Is this aligned with my values?
• Could I delegate this?
• What do I want to be known for?
• How do I want to be spending my time all day?
• What is my deadline? What needs to happen next?
“Non-negotiables” help you create steadfast boundaries, habits, and routines for the things in your life that are of the utmost priority. Non-negotiables often make everything else in your life run smoothly—if your non-negotiable is neglected or broken, nothing else seems to work quite right.
For us, non-negotiable items include:
• A daily walk or workout
• Getting at least eight hours of sleep
• Being present for our kiddos’ big moments
• Publishing quality content every single week
• What are yours?
You already have intentions, whether or not you realize it. As you read this book, you’re intending to learn some things that can help you be more boss. When you’re done, you may pick up your phone with the intention of making reservations for dinner so you don’t go to bed hungry. Intentions, big or small, shape your actions all day, every day, and it’s up to you how mindfully or consciously you shape your reality with those intentions. If your intentions remain unconscious, you will always be a victim of your own circumstance, going along for the ride of your life rather than choosing where you go and what you create.
Your goals mean shit if you feel like shit along the way.
So, if you ask us what our favorite boss habit is, it is intention setting. Setting intentions is purposefully bringing conscious attention to how you want to move through life. For example, if you wake up one morning with a lot of errands on your schedule, you might approach the day with an intention of efficiency. You have a lot to do in a small amount of time, and making an effort to be efficient will keep you focused on not wasting time or energy. If you don’t create a conscious intention that will support your goal of completing all your errands, you might find yourself feeling frazzled and rushed or end your day without getting it all done. So do you want to run errands like a boss or not? It’s your choice. How you choose to tackle a full day is just a small example of how you can bring intentions into your daily life. Setting monthly and even yearly intentions can make a big difference in how you actively participate in shaping your reality in all aspects of your life—from your relationships and home to your business and career.
Setting intentions is a practice in mindfulness. When you’re practicing intentions, you’re aware of what you need at any given moment, and you’re tapping into the state of being that will most help you feel the way you want to feel while helping you find success. We’ve adopted this practice to help us be mindful of what we desire and proactive about cultivating not only the thing but the feeling in our lives. Perhaps you have a day that calls for focus or a month that needs a little more kindness. Recognizing your needs and committing not only to practicing those intentions but also to identifying where they’re already abundant in your life will set you on a path toward any goal in a way that resonates with you.
We’ve made a routine of setting monthly intentions that guide our actions for the month. We’ve used these intentions to help us find discipline during busy months, grace when we’re trying new things, and to be articulate when our calendars are filled with speaking engagements. Here’s how we do it:
1. Take a broad look at your projects and priorities for the month. Do you have a lot of client work, personal projects, or content creation? Maybe you’ve lined up speaking gigs, podcast recordings, or workshops. Or maybe a big family vacation.
2. Check in on how you feel about the tasks at hand and get a sense of what values or feelings you need more of during the month. Perhaps you need to dedicate your month to organization (great for kicking off new projects or tightening up your ship), balance (perfect if you’re overwhelmed), or magic (if you want to appreciate the wonder around you).
3. Set your intention. It’s usually a one-word intention or a short mantra. Write it at the top of your to-do list or on a sticky note on your laptop.
Now, it’s key to set up your daily routine to remind you of the intentions you want to cultivate and to enable you to practice them. It’s easy enough to set your intention, but it’s up to you to find a way to remind yourself and hold yourself accountable to your intention. Schedule it into your calendar, set daily reminder alarms on your phone, or share your intention with a close friend or even your community. If you don’t get it perfect every day, that’s okay! Practicing your intention is about taking action repeatedly until you get proficient at living in a way that feels totally boss on your terms.