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Final Thoughts on My Word for 2013: Intentional

Published on December 31, 2013 By Emily. Updated on January 2, 2014

intentional.jpg

At the beginning of this year, I opted to focus on one word instead of a list of tasks for my New Year’s Resolution.  My 2013 word was “intentional”.  I wrote about my thoughts and experiences a few times in the first half of the year:

Being Intentional (January 3rd)

Intentionality, Reader and Life Lately (March 20th)

Getting Things Done, Intentionally (June 20th)

In the more recent part of the year, which has involved more actually being intentional than writing about it, I’ve mainly been focused on the way in which I complete tasks.

As the school year began, I made some observations about the way in which I was getting work done.  After getting multiple comments from my students about the number of tabs open at any given time on my already taxed laptop, I began to think about why I think that having a dozen web pages ready to go at once causes me to get more done.   I immediately started trying to approach pages in the way that many experts suggest approaching mail or other paperwork: only touch things once.  When I open a browser tab, for work or at home, I try to immediately read it/use it/Pin it/tweet it/leave the comment and then close it. If I know I don’t have time to read or leave comments or whatever, I try to not open the email or Feedly or start planning a new classroom unit.  As a result, my computer is happier, I have less halfway done tasks staring me in the face and my kids harass me less (well, less about that particular issue).

I’ve also noticed that I feel more accomplished when I finish one or two things rather than making a little progress on several things.  I’m trying to restructure my productive time to be completely focused on one thing.  I don’t want to write half of three blog posts but still have nothing to post that evening.  It feels better to completely finish the weekly lesson plans for one of my classes than have all of them started.  I’m sure not everyone would agree, but actually reaching completion of a task motivates me to start something else more than feeling like I’m not really getting anywhere.

Of course, there are still many areas of intentionality that I still want to make serious progress on:

  • Making better use of my to do lists — but I’m still not feeling Asana, even after several months of use.  Has anyone else discovered a good online task management system that works on a browser and an Android device?
  • I need to leave time for non-school productivity.  If I want to be semi-serious about this blog (and I do), I need to make time to work on it.  I also need to make time to care for our home, interact with friends, cook, etc…
  • Relationships, in general.  I had really good plans for spending time with people through dinner parties, dates, phone calls and letters but really did poorly in this area.

Even though I didn’t consistently focus on intentionality as much as I intended, I’d still call 2013 a success.  I’ve gotten pretty serious about being intentional with my spending.  Brian and I began tracking all of our receipts this fall and it’s definitely helped us see where the money goes and plan  ahead for big things like the holidays, tuition and travel.  I baked all of my own sandwich bread in 2013 and I’ve begun considering the human cost (such as slavery) of some of the foods I enjoy.  My food purchasing is changing as a result.  We purchased our first home in April and 8 months in, I’m still loving home ownership.  Recently I’ve really started to get a vision for color and furniture that I’ll be looking to add in the coming months and years.  As part of the move we did a serious book purge and put the “rejects” up for sale on Amazon.  I sold 41 books between April and today.  Well worth the time.  The blog continues to change and improve and develop to more clearly reflect me and I think that’s going to be a continuous process.  This fall I also, finally, began feeling that I’m comfortable enough with the content I’m teaching and the general practice to really start honing my skills and improving what I’m doing.  I made good progress with intentionality in 2013 and I’m looking forward to putting those experiences to work in 2014.

I’m pretty sure I’ve settled on my 2014 word and it’s not a big change from this year.  More of a subtle shift in direction.  I’m looking forward to sharing it later this week.

Happy New Year!

Related Posts

101 in 1001: One Year In
Getting Things Done, Intentionally
Goals in Progress: May
Highlights: Resolved
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Filed Under: life Tagged With: goals, intentional

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Emily
New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the vegetables from our CSA share at @mightyfoodfarm. Link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting room in Sheffield today after years of talking about it. The indoor and outdoor atmosphere was lovely and we took advantage of the complimentary tasting to try some of the products we haven't had before. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy distilleries.
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#BerkshireMountainDistillers #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #SheffieldMA
On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointm On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointment and made a day of it by visiting @forestparkzoo afterwards. For us, the Zoo in Forest Park's size, layout and number of animals (over 225 exotic and native animal residents) is the perfect size for our 2 and 5 year old kids. We went in the afternoon, when day camps were wrapping up and it wasn't busy overall. We were able to easily view all of the exhibits and let our children move at their own pace without interfering with other people. Despite the heat, the animals were pretty active and it was a joy to see my kids spot, identify and appreciate them.
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#ZooInForestPark #SpringfieldMA #igers413 #WesternMass #WesternMassachusetts
Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro in Adams today. We enjoyed falafel bites, cocktails, papas bravas, and a buttermilk chicken sandwich. All of the food was really delicious and the service was excellent, despite very limited staffing. The patio seating was fun for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend the Firehouse Cafe and Bistro if you're looking for a more upscale lunch or dinner in the northern Berkshires.
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AdamsMA #FirehouseCafeAndBistro
It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favori It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favorite girl and I headed to @mountainviewfarm413 this week to pick ours, as is our tradition. We had a great morning resulting in 7 pounds of berries. Some blueberries will be frozen and others turned into muffins, but most of them will be eaten just the way they are. The season is short, enjoy it while you can. @whitneysfarmmarket and @seconddropfarm are doing picky-your-own as well. 🫐
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 #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #blueberries #BlueberryPicking #MountainViewFarm #LanesboroughMA
We're back from vacation and back to picking up ou We're back from vacation and back to picking up our weekly share of @mightyfoodfarm produce. My latest menu plan using these vegetables is live on the blog, link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is t Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is the opportunity to eat something that features a combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, chances are good that I'm ordering it. Yesterday I needed to make a dish to share for a church gathering so I put together this incredibly simple pasta salad. I hope it's useful to you during this time of summer heat and summer gatherings.

RECIPE:
1 lb pasta (I used bowties) 
7 oz fresh mozzarella
1 pint grape tomatoes 
30-50 fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. 
2. Prep the other ingredients: cut the mozzarella cheese in bite size pieces if needed, quarter the grape tomatoes, finely cut the basil with scissors or a knife.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl and miX well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

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#igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies #caprese #CapresePastaSalad #PotluckFood #SummerFood
I could watch birds on the beach all day long. We' I could watch birds on the beach all day long.
We're wrapping up our time in Wilmington, North Carolina with lots of time at Wrightsville Beach. The ocean never ceases to impress.
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#WilmingtonNC #WrightsvilleBeach #BeachBirds #Beach #Sandpiper #NorthCarolina
This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette is one of my favorite summer recipes. The crust is perfectly flaky and the mix of squash and cheese is delicious. I always use summer squash and my husband, who does not typically like summer squash, loves this galette. Though it takes a bit of planning ahead - the crust dough needs to rest in the fridge for an hour and the squash needs to be salted for 30 minutes, the recipe is straightforward and the final produce always impresses. I expect it will make another appearance on my table before the fall.
Link in my stories.
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 #EatSeasonal  #SmittenKitchen #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies  #ZucchiniAndRicottaGalette #SummerSquash #galette #BakingFromScratch
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