Leading Ourselves with Intention
Busy does not always mean effective. A packed calendar might feel productive, but if we’re constantly reacting to the latest request, the next email, or the incoming task, we end up chasing urgency instead of choosing what really matters.
It’s easy to fall into a reactive rhythm. We fill every open space with quick responses, constant motion, or low-priority work. And when that becomes our normal, we stop making room for the focus and perspective that leadership requires.
Leading yourself with intention means slowing down long enough to ask better questions. It means pausing to ask, What actually deserves my attention today? It means deciding what kind of structure supports the person and leader you want to be.
This session is dedicated to learning how to lead yourself with intention—not just by managing your time, but by managing your energy, your focus, and the patterns that shape your workday. The goal isn’t to follow a perfect routine or rigid schedule. It’s to align your daily actions with what you value and to create space for clear thinking, strong decisions, and your most grounded self.
“The more intentional you are about your leadership growth, the greater your potential for becoming the leader you’re capable of being.”
Self-Assessment: Leading Ourselves with Intention
Please take a few moments to answer the following self-reflection questions. Where can you identify opportunities for personal growth in your leadership?
What part of my day or week feels the most reactive?
Do I build in time for focus, or do I give it all away to urgent tasks?
When do I do my best thinking? Am I protecting that time?
Where am I saying yes out of habit instead of alignment?
How often do I step back and ask what really matters today?
What small structure could help support my focus?
What boundary would make space for clearer thinking?
How do I feel at the end of most workdays: purposeful or scattered?
Remember, this self-assessment is just a starting point for understanding your current Work/Life Balance and how well you can lead yourself with intention. It's essential to reflect on your responses and actively work on areas where improvement is needed.
You arrive at work with a to-do list and a clear goal for the day. By lunch, that list is buried under new emails, phone calls, and unexpected tasks. And by the end of the day, you’ve been busy all day, but it feels like nothing meaningful got done.
This is what happens when urgency runs the day. You are reacting, not leading.
Now imagine instead that you begin your day with five quiet minutes. You choose three priorities and block off 90 minutes for your most important task. You still respond to what’s needed, but you’re doing it with clarity and structure. Even a simple task like this makes a huge difference in helping you work and live with more intention.
“Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls—family, health, friends, integrity—are made of glass.”
Pre-Work Check-In: Leading Yourself with Intention
Take five quiet minutes before your shift or workday begins. Ask yourself:
What kind of season or day am I in right now?
How am I feeling: physically, mentally, emotionally?
What are the three most important things I need to focus on today?
Am I protecting the time when I think most clearly?
Is there anything I need to say no to or push to later?
What would help this day feel steady instead of scattered?
Instead of letting urgency drive every decision, we need to be asking ourselves: What really matters today? What deserves my full attention? Let’s walk through a few practical ways to lead with more intention, even when life is moving fast.
Best Practices for Leading with Intention:
1. Notice Your Natural Rhythms: We all have patterns of energy and focus. Some people do their best thinking in the morning. Others come alive in the afternoon. Pay attention to when your mind is sharpest and protect that time for deeper work. Save low-effort tasks for when your energy dips.
2. Separate Urgency From Importance: Not everything that feels urgent actually matters. Before diving in, pause and ask, Is this important or just immediate? The things that matter most often don’t shout the loudest. Make sure they still get your attention.
3. Make Space Before You Decide: You don’t have to respond instantly. Give yourself time to think before you say yes, start something new, or react to a situation. Even a few minutes of breathing room can help you respond with clarity instead of stress.
4. Establish a Light Structure: You don’t need to schedule every minute, but you do need guardrails that protect your focus. That might mean a morning check-in, a clear start or end time, or one block of no-interruption time each day. Small habits like these help you stay connected to what matters most.
5. Watch Your Urgency Habits: If everything feels like a fire, it’s time to pause. Are you responding out of habit, or out of intention? Are you overcommitting because it feels easier than saying no? Step back and check your pace before it runs you. Leadership means choosing what matters, not doing everything at once.
6. Allow Yourself Flexibility: Intentional living isn’t about getting it perfect. You will have reactive days. You will forget things. You will hit a wall sometimes. It’s part of being human. What matters is how you adjust and keep going.
Reflection Questions:
What is one small change I could make to slow down this week?
What habit helps me stay grounded when things get busy?
Where am I acting out of pressure instead of intention?
What would it look like to plan my day around what matters, and not just what’s next?
How can I give myself more space to think, rest, or decide?
How we lead ourselves shows up in how we lead everything else. It shapes how we spend our time, how we handle stress, and how we interact with the people around us. Even small intentional choices can bring more clarity and steadiness to the day. The demands may not go away. How we move through them, especially on hectic days, is what makes the difference.
To push your understanding of Leading Ourselves with Intention to the next level, explore these valuable resources. They’ll help expand your skills and provide essential tools for building strong leadership.
How To Live And Lead With Intention
Living With Intention at Work and at Home
How to gain control of your free time
Laura Vanderkam (11:44)