I’ve been thinking about starting a new blog series recently. Here’s the idea: there are so many buzzwords out there in the blogosphere that people like to throw around. These words can sometimes be part of really solid advice. But most of the time, they kind of blend into the background noise since they’re used so often or in such general terms. And other times, they can be unhelpful just because a lot of people don’t get what they even mean.

I’m totally guilty of using some of these words from time to time. It’s hard to stay away from them fully. I’m talking words like “authentic” and “intentional.” They have meaning, but sometimes it’s hard to get any actionable advice from that because they’re kind of general.

So the idea behind this post (and others like it, if you guys would like to see me continue this series) is to really break down what these words mean and what you can take from those pieces of advice where these words are mentioned.

I hope you all might find this helpful! First up: intentional.

What it means to be intentional

Let’s start with the dictionary definition, shall we? According to the all-knowing internet, intentional means: done on purpose; deliberate.

Okay, cool. So now what does that mean in the context of business/blogging/professional advice?

When people tell you to be intentional with something, that usually means that you should be extra careful when making a particular decision. It doesn’t just mean not to do things on accident. Like, most of us don’t have a problem with making business decisions while we’re sleepwalking or anything.

But here’s what does happen: we get into routines where we do things simply because we feel like we should, because we feel we don’t have any other options, or because we just run out of time and do whatever is easiest.

So when someone tells you to be intentional in a business context, they basically mean that you need to take the issue at hand more seriously than that. Don’t leave it until the last minute so that you only have one option available to you when you get around to it. Don’t just fall into the same old habits or do whatever seems easiest. Actually take the time to consider the pros and cons of a decision and make the choice that is actually going to be best for you/your business. Be deliberate about every step in the process.

The benefits of being intentional

Alright, so you should have a pretty good idea of what the word means now. But why is this something important that you should care about?

Being intentional is something that ideally you should do constantly when running a business. But that’s not always realistic. We all fall into routines and get behind on work and make decisions based on what seems easiest at the time. It happens.

The key is to know those situations in which it’s most important to fully evaluate decisions before making them. If you’re able to do that, then you’re much more likely to make decisions that will benefit you and your business in the long run, instead of falling into routines that take you down a path you never really envisioned.

If you’re not intentional with your decision making, at least in those really important instances, you can find yourself in situations that were never part of your original plan or your overall goals for your business. But if you are intentional, you’re likely to make decisions that are actually likely to fit with your overall goals and be most beneficial to you and your business.

How you can be intentional

Aside from just generally saying that you should be deliberate with your important business decisions, I thought it would be helpful to give some actionable tips you can use the next time you see that super general, what-the-heck-does-that-even-mean advice of “be intentional.” Here are some ways you can do that in your business:

• say no to things when they really don’t offer any benefit to you/your biz
• make pro and con lists for your decisions
• create a five-year plan for each potential outcome, then consider which could benefit you the most
• take some time to evaluate your routines regularly and determine whether they still work for you – if not, change them!
• go back and look at your original goals when making a decision that could impact them
• create new goals regularly
• look back on your goal progress regularly
• establish actual plans for achieving your goals
• create a system for following those plans and staying on track

So what do you think? Is being intentional something you value in your business? And what are some other buzzwords you’d like to see summarized in upcoming posts?