Intentional living is a journey.  It’s not something you do once and you are finished.  Each day we make choices to live an intentional life.  What is one thing you can do today to move you one step closer to your goals (it can be a baby step, you don’t have to move a mountain all at once!)?

Here are 21 simple ways to live intentionally this week!

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1. Exercise for 15 minutes!  

It is important to take care of ourselves!  Without our health, life is no longer the same.  Things that were easy become hard and sometimes impossible so we must take care of our body!  Take a brisk walk, play tag with the kids, ride your bike to your mail box (we have a long driveway), practice yoga, get on that dusty exercise equipment or jog around your neighborhood!  These are just a few ideas, be creative, the options are endless!

If self-care is hard for you, have you tried my free monthly self-care calendar?  Each day there is a fun little challenge to help you take care of yourself!

2. Greet your husband at the door when he gets home with a kiss.

Good marriages take work. Small ways of expressing your love, respect, and appreciation go along way in showing him how much you care.  This simple gesture of greeting with a kiss shows him not only did you miss him but you are happy he is home and is spending time with you.  Let your man know that he is your favorite!

3. Put $10 in your savings account from your paycheck.

Living intentionally also includes our finances.  In order to have an emergency fund, we must intentionally save money!  If this is hard for you try putting just $10 from your paycheck.  No, you aren’t going to have a large emergency fund by putting in $10 but it’s a start.  To quickly get you to Dave Ramsey’s recommended $1,000 baby emergency fund you can always have a yard or garage sale, sell some big items that you no longer need through Facebook groups or Craigslist or pick up a part time job to get you there quickly.

There are tons of challenges on the internet to help you save money.  (I love doing no spend challenges when money is tight!)

 4. Find 5 pieces of clothing that you no longer love and donate them to someone else!

In order to live an intentional life, we must get rid of items that are no longer useful to us to be able to love and enjoy what we do have!  It’s an added bonus that we can bless others with what we no longer need!

5. Make 2 casseroles for dinner (of the same meal).

One way I am intentional in my parenting is by trying to cook my family healthy meals.  This week make 2 casseroles (or any meal that you can freeze) for dinner.  You will have one for dinner and freeze the other to enjoy later on when you don’t feel like cooking!

6. Write down 3 meals your family likes to eat and label the top of the sheet “Meal Plan”.

If you do this each day this week you will almost have an entire month of meals planned out with very few repeat meals!  (If your family is like mine, they prefer to have grilled hamburgers more than once a month!)  Keep this list in your planner or somewhere safe to refer to when deciding what to make for dinner!

7. Play a card game with your kids.

I’m trying to really savor the kids being home for the summer (and some days it’s much easier to savor this than others).  One fun memory I have is playing cards with my Grandma’s.  Have you taught your kids how to play Kings in the Corner, Solitaire (using real cards) or just a good game of Go Fish, UNO, or Rummy?

My kids love playing card games when I take the time to play with them and I am hopeful that they will have great memories of us playing cards together when they are 30!

8. Floss your teeth!

9. Look up your credit card balance so you know how to begin a debt snowball.

If you want to be debt-free, you have to have a plan!  This week find out all of your credit card balances.  After you have them all, write them down from least to greatest, along with the minimum payments.  If you need help with the debt snow ball, read more here!

10. Take 20 minutes to read out loud to your kids.

My kids love to be read to.  Whether it’s picture books for younger kids or chapter books when they get a little older, they have always loved to hear a good story.  My kids have loved old classics like Little House in the Big Woods and Charlotte’s Web.

If your kids have trouble sitting still and listening, I highly recommend letting them color (we love these Do A Dot Art Markers for little hands) and the older kids love playing with small animals, Legos and Kinetic Sand!

11. Tell your husband, “I love you”.

Your husband is the one person on the planet that you chose to spend to your life with.  Let him know you love him, are thankful he is yours and that you appreciate him.  Find out his Love Language and show him that you love him in the language that relates to him the most!

12. Quiet your mind by meditating, going for a walk, or getting a massage.

Being still is important.  We live in a rushed, stressed out world.  Allow yourself some quiet. It might rejuvenate your soul!

13. Read before bed for 15 minutes.

If you like to read as much as I do, there is never enough time to read.  By reading for 15 minutes before bed, you at least get in a little reading for the day if you didn’t have time to do any other reading!

 14. Thank someone that has helped you today.

We never know the last time someone was told something nice by another person.  You might be just what that person needed today.  Being kind goes along way to living a happier life.

15. Reduce how many times you let yourself check Facebook!

Whether it’s Facebook or something else that sucks your time, limit yourself to how many times you will do that thing this week.  You might miss it the first day but I bet you will find time to do something that you love even more!

16. Call a family member and tell them you love them.

Life has no guarantees.  I have several friends grieving the loss of family members who would love to have one last phone call with their loved one.  Take a few minutes and make that phone call!

17. Send a card to someone who has been on your heart.

I love getting “real” mail from someone who took the time to think of me.  It warms my heart and I’m sure the person who receives your mail will feel wonderful when they receive a card from you!

18. Lay out your clothes the night before so you are prepared.

19. Tell each of your children something that you really enjoy about them or enjoy doing with them.  Then tell them, “I love you, for you”!

Sometimes it’s easier to point out our children’s flaws than it is to tell them what we love about them.  Not only is it important to build up our kids based on truths, it is also important for them to know that we are proud of them and that we love them unconditionally.

20. List out 3 goals for the week and put them somewhere you will see them. Reward yourself after finishing them!

I have found that by having my goals in plain sight where I see them often, I am much more apt to work on them and follow through.  If you are visual and creative, try a vision board!  Do what works for you but keep working on your dreams, you will get there!

21. Say no to the things that aren’t good for you.  You will not regret it!

In order to live the life we want to live, we must make intentional choices which include saying no to things that aren’t good for you at this point in your life.  If the people don’t understand that you have other priorities, that is their problem, not yours.  Stay strong, you won’t regret it!

Which one of these tips resonated most with you?  What do you do to live intentionally?

Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!