When did everything become so “intentional,” my colleague Marie Solis asks in an essay in The Times this week. Marie has noticed the word applied by influencers and “slightly overtherapized people” to nearly every activity, from working out to playing trivia, dating to breathing. Living intentionally “suggests being present and self-aware,” she writes. “Your words and actions are in near-perfect alignment. Possibly, you’ve meditated recently.”
“Intentional” is used so frequently and applied to so many things (intentional skin care! an intentional tattoo shop!) that its meaning has been diluted. Reading Marie’s essay, I realized I had been swept up in the tide of intentionality myself. Haven’t I tried to be intentional with my time and energy and encouraged others to do the same? Surely I’ve aimed to be intentional with my eating, intentional with my words. The shame of using trendy language unwittingly makes me want to scrub my vocabulary of the overworked word, to be more precise and original in my expression.
But the increase in intentionality — if a bit much when applied to things like luxury shopping and selecting a record to listen to — may simply be a rational response to the current moment. Being intentional means we’re making choices and acting accordingly, a simple act that becomes difficult when, as Marie writes, “even mundane, everyday decisions appear more readily shaped by large political forces and faceless algorithms than by any sort of individual volition.” We’re trying to be more intentional precisely because we feel we lack agency.
So how to deploy intention … intentionally? I think it’s most useful when we use it to address places in our lives where we feel its opposite, where we feel we’ve been acting unconsciously. For me, this is in how I budget time. I have, for most of my life, believed that I’m a person who knows how to organize my hours, who, when there’s a task to be accomplished, intuitively allocates the correct amount of time and energy to get it done.
Recently, I’ve realized that this may not be altogether accurate. I’ve developed a sophisticated procrastination regimen whereby I waste exactly as much time as I possibly can before getting down to work. This leaves precisely as much time as is needed to accomplish the task, but not a bit of excess, which creates no small amount of stress. I had always assumed, since I’m so good at managing time, that this stress was just a byproduct of productivity. But since I’ve become more intentional about my time allocation — examining my tendencies closely, compassionately deciding to try some new strategies — there’s been more room to breathe and less discomfort in my routine. Notwithstanding intentionality’s overuse in the culture, I’m grateful that it’s provided me with that.
THE LATEST NEWS
War in Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would cooperate with President Trump to end the war, following Hamas’s statement that it was ready to release all Israeli hostages.
Hamas agreed to return all of its Israeli hostages, living and dead, accepting a major piece of the plan that President Trump proposed to end the war in Gaza.
Hamas’s statement inspired optimism, but did not address several elements of the plan that it had deemed unacceptable. Here’s what to know.
Politics
The U.S. military killed four men on a boat near Venezuela that the Trump administration said was smuggling drugs. It’s the fourth such strike.
Sanae Takaichi was elected to lead Japan’s governing party, paving the way for her to become the country’s first female prime minister.
The Trump administration plans to slash refugee admissions to 7,500 in the coming year — a drastic decrease from the 125,000 cap set by the Biden administration.
The shutdown continues: The Senate failed for the fourth time to take up either party’s proposal to reopen the federal government.
A group of unions, higher education professionals, religious organizations and others sued the Trump administration over its decision to charge a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.
A statue depicting Trump and Jeffery Epstein holding hands has returned to the National Mall, a week after the National Park Service removed it.
Other Big Stories
Sean Combs, the fallen hip-hop mogul, was sentenced to more than four years in prison for prostitution-related offenses. Before his sentencing, Combs asked the court for mercy and called his conduct “disgusting, shameful and sick.”
A would-be assassin who planned to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but had a last-minute change of heart, was sentenced to just over eight years in prison.
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Film and TV
Channing Tatum battled impostor syndrome for years. Finally, with “Roofman,” he believes he can hold his own against any actor.
The star of “Good Boy” didn’t know he was in a horror movie. (That’s because he’s a dog.)
Jane Fonda and hundreds of members of the entertainment industry have revived a McCarthy-era free speech group.
Music
Taylor Swift fans spent yesterday trying to decode her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” and figure out which songs reference other celebrities.
Evan Dando, the Lemonheads’ frontman, fell from grace — hard. Now he’s telling the tale.
At the Met Opera House, bells and whistles — and a fastidious crew huddled in the backroom — bring “Kavalier & Clay” to life.
Georg Friedrich Haas has written a piece of almost ridiculous scale and complexity. With 50 pianos rumbling at once, the effect is awe-inspiring.
More Culture
“Saturday Night Live” will return this weekend for its 51st season. Bad Bunny will host, and Doja Cat is the musical guest.
A novelist was disturbed to learn that her books had been used to train A.I. chatbots. So she sued and won the largest copyright settlement ever.