Good morning, and happy Friday! Any fun plans for weekend?

I’m always down with it being Friday, but I gotta say…I’m also a Monday lover!

Don’t hate me, but I kinda love Mondays – because creativity, motivation, and productivity tend to be so much higher for me than it does on Thursday or Friday. Of course, I try to at least start the day off on a productive, peaceful, and creative note all days of the week, but hey, I get a little tired come Thursday evening!

One thing I do every single  morning is set my intentions – and that’s exactly what I want to talk about today.

Last week I chatted on Periscope about how to choose 2-3 focus words each day to live intentionally; a few words to come back to throughout the day. These 2-3 words have the power to pull a 180 on the direction your day’s going, and bring it back around so YOU are in control of it, rather than life being the one that’s in control.

Here’s how it works.

1. Write down 2-2 Affirmations for Your Day.

It doesn’t matter what they are; just make sure they’re positive affirmations. That means affirmations that start with “I am” or “I will” or “I act” etc. instead of “I’m not” or “I won’t” etc. I use and Evernote Notebook (like I do everything else in life) to journal mine.

Hopefully, at least 2-3 affirmations will come easily to you. If they don’t, ask yourself the following questions:

• What are my intentions for the day?
• How do I want to feel today?
• How can I think/act/speak/feel in a way that aligns with what I believe in?

[Tweet “How do you want to feel today? What are your intentions? via @TrainerPaige”]

For example, my affirmations that I talked about in my periscope were:

1. I am focused.
2. I am patient.
3. I am kind.

2. Choose 2-3 “Focus Words” from those affirmations.

Take the 1 key word from each of your affirmations, and make them your focus words. For example, my focus words were: focused, patient, and kind. They conveyed the feeling and output I wanted from my day in 3 short words. Use these words as your mantra throughout your day, especially when you’re in a situation that requires one of them a little more than normal.

[Tweet “Choose 2-3 Focus Words from Affirmations to Serve as Reminders for Your Day.”]

3. Let them serve as a reminder when you ‘mess up’

I love using the focus words because they help remind me where my intentions lie when I mess up throughout the day. If I’m inpatient or unkind in a certain situation, my mantra, or my focus words help me to choose patience during that next opportunity life gives me.

4. Recap before bed.

At the end of the day, sit down, and ask yourself?

Way I (insert focus adjective?) How or how not? Again, write it out, as a means to hold yourself accountable for those affirmations.

Doing this daily has not only forced me to stop and actually think for a second about my intentions, but it also helps me run my day, rather than my day running me. It allows me to take control of my actions, how I view the day, and even how I view my tasks for the day, rather than being in constant reaction-mode. Because of this, I’ve been able to get much more done every day, and my productivity has increased.

[Tweet “How to Choose 2-3 Focus Words Each Day to Live Intentionally via @TrainerPaige”]

Now I want to hear from YOU!

What would your 2-3 FOCUS words be today?