In part two of my intentional living series, I want to focus on resources for being intentional in the things you pour yourself into and the things you surround yourself with. 


Missed Part 1? Find it here: Intentional Living Resources Part 1

Your Home as an Intentional Space 

Your home is where you likely spend a good portion of your time outside of work – make sure that it is an intentional space that enhances your productivity, relaxes you at the end of a long day, and gives you the function you need – whether that’s to relax, to host, or to crank out more work towards your goals. An intentional home is a good first step towards better intentional living.

Similarly to how you should be intentional with how you spend your time and who you surround yourself with, make sure that the items in your life are intentional. 

I really like Marie Kondo’s KonMari method (read more here), since the focus for tidying your space is on intention and care. 

The Method

  • Clothes
  • Paper
  • Komono
  • Sentimental items

Digital Declutter

In today’s digital age, our devices can get just as cluttered as our physical spaces. I find it so refreshing to go through and digitally declutter that space as well. 

  • Computer Desktop 
  • Folders 
  • Email – Clear out those unread emails cluttering up your inbox. Address the important things, clear out the unimportant, and maybe unsubscribe from a few things along the way.
  • Open tabs – I’m guilty of having wayy too many open at any given point. Many of these never to actually be viewed again, despite the best of intentions. Go through and take action on the ones that are important and close out the ones that you’ll get to “one day.”
  • Photos – I currently have 3,000 photos on my iPhone. Is that necessary? Absolutely not. A lot of them are from my recent trip to Italy, but it’s time to pull many of them off and start fresh for the new year. What to do with all those photos? Print them off, make a photo book, share them online.. You took them to remember a moment, now let them be seen!

Being Intentional in your Personal Development

With personal development being a big focus for many people, I also wanted to touch on being intentional with your approach to personal development. There is so much literature on personal development, different techniques, approaches, and areas of focus. However, what I want to highlight is to focus on being intentional with your personal development. Ensure that the things you are focusing on are the things that will push you towards achieving your long term goals. This may sound obvious, but I think with all that’s out there today, personal development for the sake of personal development is just as popular as personal development for the sake of progressing towards a specific goal.


Intentional Reading 

In 2018, I realized that I had read a decent number of books that year, but the overall quality of the books I read, left something to be desired. In 2019, I approached things differently and set some goals to make my reading more intentional and more valuable for the year. I set a goal to read 25 books for the year, with at least 5 of them being classics and 10 nonfiction. Additionally, I created a reading list in GoodReads for the year with books that have been on my to-read list and other new ones that really excited me. Looking back, my average rating for 2019 rose significantly from the previous year. 

Here’s a few of my favorite resources to get everything checked off my reading list:

  • GoodReads – Great for tracking books you’ve read, books you want to read, and even set a reading goal for the year. Check it out here.
  • E-book apps – Check out your local library to see what apps they offer for free eBook reading. A few popular ones are Cloud Library and Overdrive. I’ve used both, and it’s a great way to get through my reading list without breaking the bank. I also love that I can throw my kindle in my bag for when I have a few free minutes throughout the day.
  • Project Gutenberg – Interested in the classics? Project Gutenberg offers free eBooks for many of the classics.

Curious what’s on my list for 2020? Check it out Here.


Books to Inspire your Personal Development 

There are a few books that I’ve read recently that have inspired me to focus on intentional living this year. 

Becoming – Michelle Obama

Easily my favorite book that I read in 2019. Michelle Obama’s Becoming is not only a fantastic memoir of her life, but also packed with enduring wisdom. My favorite bit that she describes is “the swerve.” The moment in your life that you “swerve” from what it is you’ve been doing to the thing that you are passionate about doing. 

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – Angela Duckworth

This book encourages you to focus on the things that you are passionate about and to pursue them relentlessly. The author breaks grit down into 4 steps, essentially:

  • Interest
  • Practice 
  • Purpose 
  • Hope

I won’t get into this too much, because I encourage you to check it out for yourself. It’s an easy read, filled with a lot of great insight and anecdotal stories to encourage you as you embark on your own path.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life – Mark Manson

I liked that this book is approachable and humorous, but also filled with digestible wisdom. It might not be filled with profoundly new ideas on the topic, but it does offer valuable insight on living well. 

You can’t care about everything, so focus on the things that you care most about. Just like you can’t avoid all suffering, what are the things in your life that you are willing to suffer for? No job, relationship, or passion comes without work and hardship – but the ones that are truly important to you, are worth the work that comes along with them.


Being Intentional with Your Finances

Getting a better hold of your finances is a goal that a lot of people have. There are so many wonderful resources out there to help you. I’ve found that actively focusing on my finances and being intentional about the way I spend money and pay off debt has helped tremendously.

  • Apps – Apps are a great way to track your spending and to be more conscious about how much you spend in different categories. Using this insight, you can be more intentional with how you spend your money.
    • Mint, YNAB (You Need A Budget), PocketGuard, banking apps
  • Financial Planning spreadsheet – get a clear look at your debt and set a plan to pay it off
    • My husband and I have one that lists all of our debt (student loans, car loans, etc.), our recurring expenses (rent, groceries, insurance, etc.), and our incomes to create an expense sheet and budget to see where our money is going, where we have extra, and to calculate our debt pay-off schedule
  • Books
    • You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth – Jen Sincero
    • The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich – David Bach
    • The Total Money Makeover – David Ramsay
    • Financial Guidebook – Put the 9 Steps to Work – Suze Orman
    • Broke Millennial – Erin Lowry

Share your favorite intentional living resources with me, and check back for Part 3 – Being Intentional in your Relationships!

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