Intentional Action: How to Move From Idea to Action
What is Intentional Action?
Are you an ideas person? Is your mind always swimming with ideas, but actually taking the steps needed to bring them to life often feel impossible?
This blog explores why you can find yourself stuck at the starting point, and provides a simple step by step guide on how to remove the blocks, push through overwhelm, and finally take intentional action with clarity and confidence.
The key with intentional action and making consistent progress, is learning how to keep your mind calm and supported as you work towards your goals. This creates space to filter and prioritise the ideas in your mind, so that you can remove the mental paralysis and focus intentionally on what matters.
*Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something via the link, I may receive a small commission. This doesn't affect the price you pay.
If you have any questions, reach out for a chat [email protected] or check out my other blogs
Table of Contents
The Gap Between Ideas & Action
There are several common reasons why moving from idea to action can feel difficult:
1. You feel overwhelmed
You may have too much on your plate, or the goal itself feels too big or overwhelming. When the outcome seems far away, and the list of the tasks feels endless, it's easy to feel daunted, especially if you're juggling other things as well. Over time, this can make starting feel impossible, leading to frustration and a familiar cycle of avoidance.
2. You lack clarity on your goal
you may have the idea, but it's still a little vague. When you're unable to see clearly what you're aiming for, or how to get there, it's hard to take meaningful action. Clarity of the goal will allow you to reverse-engineer your path; making it a tangible process and outcome.
3. You get easily distracted
If staying focused on one task at a time is challenging, taking consistent action can feel even harder. When there's so much you want to do, too many ideas competing for your immediate attention, it's easy to become stuck, wanting to do everything, but actually doing very little because of it.
4. You're afraid of failure
Fear of failure is one of the most common reasons that stops people from starting a project. If taking action feels risky, you'll naturally hesitate. Fear can be paralysing, activating those stress responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn). Intentional action isn't about forcing yourself and creating huge levels of stress, it's about allowing yourself to face any fears, and gently move forward step by step.
Tips for Taking Intentional Action
1. Clear the Decks
Brain Dump: A brain dump is one of the most effective ways to reduce mental overload. By getting thoughts and ideas out of your head and onto paper (or into digital notes), you immediately release pressure and create space to focus.
If you're an ideas person, your brain dump can also act as an ideas bank – somewhere safe to store your thoughts without needing to act on them right away. You write them down, then put them to the side, return to it later, and stay focused on what matters now.
2. Create Manageable Goals
Rather than focusing on the end result, bring your attention to small, short-term goals. Daily actions are far more manageable and less daunting than distant outcomes. Working this way gives you flexibility to adjust your working schedule to fit with your time, style or working, and pace.
Create a more realistic step by step roadmap of your goals, and then of the tasks you need to tackle, paying attention to the timeline you set yourself. But remember, it's not about rushing to complete them as fast as possible, it's about the consistency of showing up, and taking intentional action each day.
3. Planning for Intentional Action
Effective planning is essential when you want to move from an idea to taking intentional action. However, it can also become a form of avoidance. If you find yourself repeatedly planning without taking action, you may be stuck in a planning loop.
This often happens when confidence is low, you're easily distracted, or the next step isn't clear. Planning can feel safe and motivating. But it's intentional action happens when you take those first steps.
4. Prioritise What Matters Most
When everything feels important, it becomes difficult to move forward at all. Intentional action requires focus and clear priorities.
Rather than doing a little bit of everything, choose what matters most right now. Prioritising your work helps you move out of planning mode and into meaningful action. Prioritising your work is an effective way to move you from the planning loop, into intentional action.
One helpful approach is the 1,3,5 Rule:
5. Create an Action List
An action list is a more supportive alternative to a traditional to-do list. It focuses on the intentional actions you'll take that day for your longer term goals. It's a ‘living' document that's scribbled in, added to, crossed out, that evolves as you move forward.
Your action list is specific, and focuses on what matters most. It helps you identify your top priorities, and small manageable steps that will help you move forward with purpose.
6. Review & Reflect
Frequently reviewing your goals and progress helps you stay aligned with your goals, and helps you identify things that may need adapting or changing along the way.
Reflection is also motivating. When you're in the thick of it, it's difficult to see the progress you've already made, especially if your goal still feels far away. Acknowledging what you've already achieved helps build confidence and momentum.
7. Short Focus Sessions
Short, focused work sessions can make starting feel easier. Instead of looking at a full day of work, you can break it down into manageable chunks where you will take intentional action.
You might choose to work for 25-30 minutes, and set yourself intentions on what you will achieve in that timeframe. This approach reduces overwhelm, and is great for increasing your focus, often resulting in more progress than expected.
8. Build Supportive Daily Habits
Progress is built through small, repeated actions. Daily habits and routines create structure and reduces decision fatigue as you already know what you will be focusing on.
You may choose to build habits gradually or introduce them all at once – there’s no right way. Experiment, adjust as you do, and keep what works. Even simple habits, like setting intentions in the morning or preparing your workspace the night before, can make a difference.
9. Increase Rest Breaks
Remember – rest isn't a reward – it's a necessity. Increase your rest breaks to keep your energy, creativity, and motivation high.
Allow yourself time to rest and recharge while you're working towards your goals. It's difficult to take intentional action when you're exhausted. Take a look at this blog if you struggle to find balance:
10. Mindset Reset
Each of the nine previous steps supports a calmer, more supportive mindset, but being intentional with your mental well-being is just as important.
Fear, self-doubt, and pressure can create resistance and avoidance to intentional action. If you're worried about what you have to do, or you doubt you'll be able to achieve your goals, you're going to feel less motivated to get going.
Remind yourself that you can do what you put your mind to, and to avoid seeking perfection. Know that it's okay to do things at your own pace.
Practice self care – make space for real breaks, go for walks, switch off completely from work whenever you can, and think about nourishing your body, mind and soul.
Take a look at this post where I explore the fear of failure in more depth:
Tools, Resources & Support
Here are some of my favourite tools and resources, some are my own products, others are from services I use within my own business.
Thought-Shifting Mini Journal – Free CBT-Based Thought Shifting Activities + mini journal with prompts
BigScoots – If you're looking for a top quality host for your website, I cannot recommend BigScoots enough. They are one of the best for bloggers, and their customer service is brilliant. They are very responsive & work closely with you to resolve any issues or answer any questions you may have.
Etsy – Are you ready to create your own online store? Etsy is a brilliant shopping platform that's used by millions. Setting up your store is simple, and when you sign up with this link we both get 40 free listings!
Skool – Create your own community on Skool. As an introvert, it's now one of my favorite places to connect with others and learn. The communities I'm in are fantastic, and as a user I prefer the simplicity of the set up. You can create communities, lessons within those communities and gamify to encourage engagement. There's a 14 free trial period as well!
Final Thoughts
Moving from the planning to taking intentional action can be a huge block – and for some people – they may not know they're doing it!
When you can recognise that it is a safety behaviour, you can use this awareness to finally move away from fear and take those steps towards your goals.
It's normal to feel worry when something means so much to you, and that's where the feelings are coming from. But use the tips above to help you take the action you need towards those goals you desire!
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Meet Lynsey
Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a counsellor, coach and mentor for women who want to create change, but are feeling lost, uncertain and exhausted. With over 7 years’ experience of training, running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and adult trainer, I've learned the value of a gentle and intentional approach to work and life that energises you without draining all of your energy.
I've lived with ME/CFS since 2011, and since then re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses!
How? Improving your mindset, finding acceptance in yourself, and developing a gentle, but solution-focused approach to achieving goals is key. Knowing that it's not about how fast you move, but finding your own pace and trusting that you can achieve your goals in your own way, one step at a time.
If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)
Have you seen my online store Quietly Conquer – Find DFY templates, downloads and more!
