Monday Intentions to Start Your Week Off Right

5 min readDec 5, 2022

Despite my best efforts, Monday rolls around every week. It’s not that they’re inherently bad. It’s mostly that they set the tone for the rest of the week. So a bad Monday means the following days of the week tend to be awful too. While setting Monday intentions can’t fix everything, they can definitely help steer the week in the right direction.

Setting intentions is a lot of things to a lot of people. Some people think of it as an act of mindfulness. Others think of it as a way to set the tone for their actions.

To me, it’s straight up witchcraft, and you won’t change my mind.

(Intentions are like a spell. If you write them down, that makes them stronger. If you think about them while sipping your coffee and quietly contemplating your morning, that’s good too. Saying them out loud while you mix them into your coffee clockwise with a cinnamon stick is superb.)

Whether you set morning intentions, weekly intentions, New Year intentions, or just try to wrangle your Monday into some semblance of control the way I do, setting intentions does a lot to shape your experience.

A Note on Setting Intentions

Intention setting is a lot like goal setting, but they aren’t necessarily the same thing. An intention can be more broad, whereas a good goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Choosing to make your art a priority for the month is an intention. Completing three pieces of art by the end of the month is a goal.

Examples of Intentions

You can set an intention for anything or any area of your life. They can be big ideas or small reminders of the person you want to be. When it comes to setting intentions, don’t overthink it. Instead, choose an intention you feel will help you the most in that moment. Here are some ideas for intentions you might want to set:

Lead by example.
Stand up for what I believe in.
Honor what my body needs.
Follow my dreams.
Show up.
Love the work I do.
Express myself in my creative work.

Spiritual Intention Examples

Spirituality is a personal pursuit. So, my spiritual intentions may not match yours. Or, what I consider a mindfulness intention may be a spiritual intention to you. Below are some examples of my spiritual intentions.

Find magic in the mundane.
Celebrate abundance in all forms.
Trust my intuition.
Follow my heart.
Feel grateful daily.
Connect with a higher power.
Embody my highest self.

Mindful Intentions Examples

Being present in the moment and aware of how I’m reacting to the world around me is a constant work in progress. These mindful intentions help me keep making progress.

Stay calm and focused.
Lean into peace.
Seek balance.
Slow down.
Live with purpose.
Honor my progress.
Give myself compassion.

Monday Intentions

It can be difficult to feel like you’re living your dream life when every week feels the same and you’re burnt out. While intention setting isn’t a substitute for downtime when you’re burnt out, they can help you get through the week until you have some time off.

When I set intentions, I focus on shaping my mindset. As someone who wants to cross all the things off her to do list and get ahead, my intentions tend to lean toward slowing down. Or accepting that I can’t do it all in a week. So with that in mind, here are some examples of the Monday intentions I set for myself.

Focus on the work I can actually complete.
Leave my work at my desk when the workday is done.
Find joy in the work I do.
Make space for play.
Get enough sleep.
Move my body when I need to.
Accept the limits of time.
Work to not over-schedule or overextend myself.
Be present.
Check in with myself daily.
Find moments to be grateful.
Seek peace when others create chaos.
Spend less time on my phone.
Get away from screens once a day.
Be patient with myself as I tackle new challenges.
Live the life I worked hard to have.
See magic when it appears.
Heal past hurts and grow.
Acknowledge the abundance around me.
Enjoy my health.
Accept myself unconditionally.
Surround myself with good people.
Surround myself with love.
Surround myself with inspiration.
Set the example for what I want in my life.
Stay positive.
Find the ease in my days.
Take time off when I need it.
Give myself the space I need to do what I need to do.

This list isn’t exhaustive, and what I need each week shifts based on the projects I’m working on or the time of year. But this is a good representation of the intentions I tend to set for my weeks.

How to Use Tarot to Shape Intentions

I like to pull some tarot cards at the start of every week. I normally ask three questions and pull a card for each. The questions vary depending on the week and what I’m working on or dealing with, but I stick to the 3-card pull.

If you’re struggling to set an intention or aren’t sure what you should pick, then pulling some cards may help. On weeks when there isn’t something pressing, here are the questions I ask my tarot deck.

What do I need right now?
What more can I know?
What’s the overall advice?

I pull a card for each of these questions, and based on what I pull, I form an intention from there. It’s not an exact science, and sometimes it doesn’t feel as relevant as other times. But it’s a good way to check in with what the images on the cards are triggering in my subconscious at that particular moment.

If you like this method, then you should check out these easy spread for a personal tarot reading. There’s also this post on how to make a good morning tarot spread. And if you need a big sign, then check out this post on creating a message from the universe tarot spread.

How Do You Set Intentions for the Week Ahead?

Do you set weekly intentions? Have you tried using tarot cards to create your intentions? What’s your favorite way to set the tone for your week ahead?

Originally published at https://marisamohi.com on December 5, 2022.