Setting intentions – the Day Crafting tool you’ll use most

Have you heard of a stitching pony? Every craft has ubiquitous tools, the potter's wheel, the smith's anvil, the carver's chisel – and the leatherworker has the stitching pony, which is used to grip the material. To the Day Crafter, the tool used most often has to be intention setting.

Harnessing the Power of Intention for Daily Focus and Clarity

I recently took some time to reflect on the tools introduced during the Day Crafting Apprentice Course. I noticed that the processes involving setting intentions appeared in every phase, while some tools were only used once. Ultimately, it comes down to how effective a tool is in solving a particular problem and how frequently that problem arises. One common challenge we face almost daily is distinguishing between what truly matters and what is merely urgent, particularly in terms of prioritising important tasks. Often, important things get pushed aside by urgent matters—like time-sensitive crises, other people's priorities, or the difficulty of saying no. I’ve found that the quickest way to shape my day for meaningful progress is to pause briefly and set an intention. This could be answering a question like, ‘What’s the most important thing I need to accomplish today?’ but there are many other ways to do so. Think of the intention as your trusty stitching pony—an essential tool that helps hold everything together and keeps you focused throughout the day.

Setting an intention is a nice thing to do. There are added benefits to the practice. I find the moment of setting my intention each day a delight. It connects me with myself by bringing clarity and often surprise. I hear myself slotting into place as I'm calmed and unified, and grounded. The surprise is that one of my pre-prepared prompt questions jumps out at me and brings a moment of delight – 'Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that'. And then stuff gets done; day by day, step by step, intention returns value.

The Practice

The practice is straightforward. Set an intention for the day, such as the most important task to complete, or ask, as Benjamin Franklin did, what good I can do today. You can establish a day's intention as we do in the Day Crafting Apprentice Course or set an intention for the next activity. You may also experiment further by incorporating the practice into group work or meetings, asking all participants to share their intentions for the session.