You can't be intentional without this

Last summer, I took an online course through Maven called Designing Your Next Career Step with Simone Stolzoff, an incredible author, designer, speaker, and workplace expert.

(I enjoyed the course so much that I’d share it here, but Simo is currently teaching what is likely the last cohort ever. Instead, consider checking out his best-selling book, The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work*, which will undoubtedly change how you view your identity related to work. Okay, now back to it!)

Early in the course, Simo walked us through a series of exercises, encouraging us to turn inward before making any career path-related decisions. As part of this reflection, Simo asked:

What are your values?

He then asked us to complete a simple task: sort through a stack of cards with values listed on them and arrange them into piles based on their importance.

Admittedly, I dreaded completing this exercise at first. It requires self-awareness, and there is no right or wrong answer. Not to mention that unless this is part of your regular conversations, it can feel uncomfortable and daunting. At various points throughout adulthood, we put our lives on autopilot without revisiting what we care most about.

I’m grateful Simo conducted this exercise, though. None of us can live intentionally unless we know, prioritize, and choose actions that align with our values. And there’s another important lesson from this exercise worth noting: your values will change over time (and that’s okay, too).

So, dear reader, what are your values?

If it’s been a while since you’ve walked through a values exercise, I encourage you to set aside 20 minutes (now or later) to identify your most important (10-12) values. If you need a place to start, here are a few suggestions:

• The New Happy Values Wheel (free download) from my friend Stephanie Harrison 

• Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead List of Values (free download)

• There are several digital card sort exercises available, like this one from think2perform or this one from TruU Psychology

It doesn’t matter how you do this as long as you arrive at a place of clarity with your most important values. Maybe you’re like my sweet friend Kate Haranis and have 4-5 unchanging core values (aka your north star) and a handful of additional values that change based on need (aka your GPS directions). Or maybe you have 1-2 unchanging core values, and the rest fluctuate. Do what works for you.

Here’s a look at what made it onto my list when I completed this exercise in Simo’s course:

Keep your list handy. I created this free mini workbook for those who need a place to write their values or want to explore what they mean to them further.

Values will come up frequently as we consider intentionality, but in the meantime, I hope you have more clarity about yours. If you feel compelled to share them with someone, email me! You can also consider asking someone in your circle what they value and opening the door for a conversation this week.

Understanding what matters most to you is undoubtedly the best way to build a lifestyle that feels intentional.

Time Well Spent: Weekly Roundup

1. I attended a refreshing wellness webinar, A Soft Start to The New Year, hosted by LaShonda Brown and Cassie Butcher (@cassiescure). As others push to enforce unrealistic and unsustainable goals and resolutions, Cassie invited us to break up with unhealthy patterns, release unnecessary pressure, and shift our mindsets around goal-setting. One of my favorite parts? Discussing how to “make time” for our wellness and emotional health. Cassie recommends habit-stacking and injecting these moments into pre-existing routines. For example, if I wanted time to wind down before bed, I might leave a book next to my bed and read for 15 minutes after I put on my pajamas.

2. I’ve been consistently gratitude journaling for nearly 190 days. This week, I spent more time than usual reflecting on my day before journaling, which allowed me to reflect on whether my days felt value-aligned. Every night before bed, I jot down at least three things I’m grateful for using the Gratitude Plus app, developed by my friend, Daniel Shaffer. You can join Gratitude Plus for free (upgrade to a premium subscription for additional benefits!). If you want to practice gratitude in a community, consider joining my circle on Gratitude Plus, where you can share your entries publicly or anonymously.

3. I value my relationships and a heaping dose of creativity! This week, I sat down for less than half an hour to send snail mail to some of my loved ones. I dug out my favorite stationery, stickers, and brush pens for hand lettering. I hope they love their happy mail! 💌

The Takeaways

• Where do you have an opportunity to habit-stack your values and weave them into your current routines?

• Where can you create more space to reflect on your days and understand whether they feel value-aligned? Gratitude journaling is a great place to start!

• Where do your values overlap, and what are some creative ways you can live in the overlap?

Time Intentional 🕰️ Reader Love 💞

• A big thank you to Cameron Kinchen, Joy McEntaffer, and Stephanie Mickelson for buying me a coffee last week to celebrate the first issue of this newsletter!

• Shout out to Kara Detwiller for including Time Intentional as a recommendation for people who sign up for her newsletter, Wishful Working. 

• Thanks to Lauren Page for including Time Intentional in her newsletter on Substack.

I’m Alyssa Towns, and this is Time Intentional, a newsletter exploring what it means to spend our limited (and precious) time intentionally. Only you can decide how to spend your time in a way that feels intentional!

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In addition to writing Time Intentional, I’m a freelance writer and content creator who enjoys partnering with brands to build better workplaces (because we spend a lot of time at work!). Learn more about my areas of specialization on my website!

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