A Guide to Living on Purpose

The only way to combat a life of endless scrolling and aimless productivity is to choose a life of purpose. 

Our modern lives move fast. There seems to be a constant stream of distractions, errands, to-do lists, and general busyness. It’s a pace that moves so fast that life can pass us by without much notice. 

Trying to forge a path of intentional, purposeful living almost seems radical in a world that is on auto-pilot much of the time. Our current culture glorifies busyness for the sake of busy, choosing to step away from that is rebellious and incredibly freeing.

It might be radical and it might seem impossible, but I promise it is achievable. It doesn’t take giant leaps either – it’s not about going off-grid or shunning technology. It’s simply about making small intentional decisions each and every day.

Make Food From Scratch

This is such a simple and radical way to start. We all have to eat and eat multiple times a day at that. This very basic, human need is the perfect place to begin a journey of purposeful living.

Making a meal from scratch automatically slows us down and increases awareness. It’s so easy to be distracted by convenience, food delivery, and fast food but those can also keep us starving for meaning and nutrition. 

This isn’t about gourmet 17-course meals. It is about putting together food that wasn’t made in a factory or by someone else. It can be as simple as a chicken breast chopped, cooked, and served over lettuce as a salad or a pot roast tossed into a slow cooker with potatoes, carrots, and water for a slow but easy meal. 

Choose to bake the cookies or cake from scratch. Skip the refrigerated dough and packaged mixes. They don’t taste as good as homemade (they don’t) and making them from scratch provides a chance to slow down and spread joy. Bake the loaf of bread. Fix a pot of soup.

There is still a place for eating out at restaurants in a purposeful life but do that too with intention rather than just mindlessly shoving food into the body. Choose to eat out as a celebration now and then but make it from scratch at home as often as possible (and remember to keep it simple so as not to be overwhelming).

Mend Clothes & Repair Broken Things

Take the time to sew on a button. Patch the hole in a sweatshirt – even if you can’t sew, use iron-on patches. Simply mend the clothing instead of tossing it or buying new.

Glue something broken back together. Tape the broken rake handle and make it last another season. Repair don’t replace whenever possible.

If you don’t know how to repair something, ask a friend or neighbor with skills to help or teach you. You can always trade something with them for the favor if it makes you feel better. 

There’s a level of frugality to this but it goes beyond simply pinching pennies. Repair teaches us skills and patience. It also helps us avoid the trap of instant gratification. 

Throwing things away makes it easy to not pay attention to our life which is the opposite of purposeful living. Take the time to pay attention to possessions and how they can dominate our lives rather than make life better.

Obviously there are times and tasks when repair is impossible. That’s okay too, the key is to pay attention and make intentional decisions about when to repair (or hire a repairman) and when to toss. 

Do It By Hand

Often these technologies that are marketed as a convenient thing to make our lives easier actually become huge burdens without us fully understanding. 

Intentionally choose which machines to use and when to do it by hand. A family of 2 means that washing dishes by hand is probably easier than it is for the family of 8 for example. It’s also a choice that doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Use the dishwasher after Thanksgiving for example but not after a lunch for two. 

Walk the Errands

Carry the mail to the post office. Use a backpack or wagon for small grocery trips. Walk to the library. If walking to do errands simply isn’t possible (you live 50 miles from the post office, grocery store, etc.), park in a central location and walk as many errands as possible.

There’s nothing like walking the mile to the store rather than driving it to force a slower pace. Walking outside has a way of clearing the head, invigorating the body, and encouraging attention. Walking means that we have time alone with our head and that inherently means we’re not moving through the day without paying attention. 

Obviously, there are times when walking isn’t possible. Make the time now and then (and on especially nice days) as an exercise in purposeful and seasonal living. Again, not all or nothing simply sometimes.

Use Pen & Paper

Skip the to-do app and write a to-do list on paper. Write an actual letter or card and put a stamp on it for a loved one. Take notes in a journal. 

Technology is a wonderful thing but it has a way of increasing use rather than decreasing it. Anytime a screen is turned on the danger of getting sucked into social media, online news, and more increases. Those things aren’t necessarily bad but they are often the exact opposite of purposeful living. Use apps when necessary but examine that to make sure it is necessary, not frivolous or an excuse to get online.

Email is a wonderful thing, but an actual letter is even better. Use email to deal with work and arrange quick plans. Don’t use email to send a birthday note. Send a postcard from your vacation rather than expecting everyone to keep up on Instagram. This act of writing and sharing without technology can only build more meaningful relationships with loved ones rather than worrying about how many ‘likes’ are received.

Limit Screens and Artificial Intelligence

The internet can be such an amazing resource. It can also be a horrific place full of mean people, disinformation, and doom-scrolling. Be very careful in how you use it and how much screen time you allow in your day-to-day life. 

There may be places in our lives for A.I. but it should be extremely limited. There’s nothing about chatting with an A.I. robot or using A.I. to answer simple questions that will simplify our lives.

Social media was once an amazing way to connect with others and it may still be, but it needs to be done much more carefully these days. 

Use all these tools but do it very intentionally and very responsibly – try to connect with actual folks offline, read books, and build a community local to you for better ways to simplify, learn, and be a part of the village. 

Purposeful Living Day by Day

Finally, remember that purposeful living isn’t one grand experiment. It’s not completed one day and suddenly everyday from there on out is easy and intentional. Rather than trying to make every day perfectly intentional, focus on the journey and doing little things that add up. Examine personal priorities and make sure they do indeed equal personal and purposeful living.