💡 The Intention Initiative

The weekly newsletter that helps people be more successful at work, by enjoying it more.

Hi Reader! 👋

I hope you've had an amazing week.

In a few days, I'm heading to Tiago Forte's "Second Brain Summit" — a conference on the topic of using technology to unleash digital creativity. I'm looking forward to walking away overflowing with smart take-aways, and expect I'll mention one or two of them in next week's email.

Feeling overwhelmed at work = soulcrushing
The "intention initiative" = soulcrusher-crushing

Overwhelm can take many forms. Maybe it feels like there's too much to do. Maybe we're suffering from information overload. Maybe there are too many options for where to focus next. Maybe there are too many meetings and not enough time to actually, you know, do the actual work and OMG did we just schedule another meeting to follow up on the meeting we were just in?

When we feel overwhelmed, it's a natural reaction for our brains to slow down — or shut down. It's a defense mechanism. But one that often makes the problem of feeling overwhelmed even worse.

A simple, powerful weapon against this is the "intention initiative."

I'm a big fan of the word "initiative" because it means "starting things independently" — and not "we were told to do this." Initiatives give us power.

But even more important is the "intention" part. Setting our intention means consciously deciding what we want to achieve and how we want to approach a situation. It's being clear on our purpose and mindset before taking action, so that our efforts align with our goals and values.

It takes less than 30 seconds, yet has a profound effect of everything that comes after.

The intention initiative has two simple parts — proactively thinking things through, then writing it down.

Simply ask, "what's my intention for this (day / meeting / event / project / email / conversation?"

If it helps, these three questions are especially good at quickly unlocking some proactive thinking:

What do I want to achieve? This helps clarify our goals, so we'll be better positioned to hit them.
How do I want to show up? This question helps us define the mindset, attitude, or energy we want to bring to the situation.
Why does this matter to me? This connects our intention to a deeper purpose, ensuring it’s aligned with our core motivations and long-term ambitions.

Next, write the intention down somewhere to make it feel real. Sticky-notes work well. Notebooks, too. Or some people like adding digital notes next to events on their digital calendar.

The intention initiative feels simple — but it's transformative.

Without this clear intention, work "happens to us." It pushes us every which direction, and we usually let it.

With a clear intention, "we happen" to our work. We bring our best selves, make smarter progress, and feel more energized because of it. We're more focused, because we know what we're aiming for. We make smarter choices in the moment. And we feel less overwhelmed, because we gain clarity and purpose from the exercise.

PRO TIP: Try this when reading a newsletter (like this one!), and watch the take-aways get even more powerful.

This week's creative thinking workout:

Create literal recipes for success

The corporate world loves itself some "best practices." But using checklists and guideline documents on things that require original thinking is A) uninspiring, B) stiff, and C) a fun vacuum.

Instead, we can remind ourselves what's important in a more interesting way — by creating recipes.

For example...

Recipe for a Winning Presentation

Ingredients:
1 cup of clear points
3/4 cup of cool visuals
3 tablespoons of confidence
A pinch of humor
A splash of audience engagement

Instructions:

Start by sifting the points until they are clear and focused.
Stir in confidence, presenting with energy and purpose.
Add a light pinch of humor to keep things engaging.
Fold in visuals that enhance your points without overpowering.
Top with a splash of audience interaction, keeping them involve and engaged.

See how the details are all still there, but the approach feels more engaging and human?

Try creating one for something meaningful to you. A few thought-starter topics:

Recipe for a Productive Meeting
Recipe for a Successful Brainstorming Session
Recipe for Handling Client Feedback
Recipe for Writing Efficient Emails
Recipe for Work-Life Balance
Recipe for a Valuable Job Interview
Recipe for Writing a Winning Proposal
Recipe for Successful Networking
Recipe for Staying Focused

(And if you particularly like anything you come up with — and I hope you will — please hit reply and share!)

Smiles,
-Tim-

Let's Lightbulb - Founder / CEO / Crusher of Soulcrushers

Let's Lightbulb is a strategic facilitation consultancy, specializing in outcome-based workshops, off-sites, sprints and trainings. We specialize in working with leadership teams, inspiring creative thinking, and keeping things soulcrusher-free.

If you know of anyone looking for a facilitator for any of the above, we'd appreciate you sharing our info.

Every week in this newsletter, I share how to reduce the stuff that makes our work not-fun, and increase the stuff that makes work fun.

It's 98.3% Pollyanna-thinking-free.

Thanks for reading, and please share with friends and colleagues that might find it valuable — because we need more fun people in the world.

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Crushing the Soulcrushers

💡 The Intention Initiative

This week's creative thinking workout:

💡 Don't over-think. Don't under-think.

💡 Fixing a Glitchy Focus Switch

💡 How to fight "not feeling it"