Intentional: How to Finish What You Start

by Chris Bailey

From Chris Bailey, productivity expert and author of How to Calm Your Mind, comes a new approach to finishing what you start.

Setting goals is easy. Finishing them is the challenge.

In Intentional, productivity expert Chris Bailey reveals the surprising willpower isn’t enough. The secret to accomplishing your goals lies in being more intentional. Bailey distills a decade of deep research on productivity to deliver a profound, practical, and counterintuitive roadmap to getting things done. Forget endless to-do lists and a never-ending workload. To reach your goals, you have to structure your daily actions around what’s most important to you—and let go of the rest. This way, getting things done becomes second nature.

Integrating the science of desire, values, and procrastination with the wisdom of Buddhist monks, Bailey empowers us to build a life of true purpose and accomplishment. He offers practical strategies for following through on our goals, including how

Structure goals for maximum completionMake unappealing, boring, or challenging tasks more attractive to tackleLower the chance of procrastinating on long-term goalsCreate a framework for tracking intentions and progressKnow when a goal isn’t for you—and when it’s time to let it go
Finishing what you start is more possible than you think.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Productivity, Personal Development, Psychology, Education

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love productivity. Love, love, love Chris Bailey. This book admittedly started out slowly for me, but, by the end, I was highlighting entire paragraphs. He documents those things that I learned the hard way, through trial and error, and could never find a way to synthesize as clearly as he does. If you're passionate about goal setting or you want to be, check this out. You won't be disappointed. Great content and simple and direct writing from a totally cool, gracious, good-hearted human.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know about you but I plan and have huge ideas on what I’d like to accomplish but the execution doesn’t always happen 🙈

This book laid out clear ways to create goals that align with our values, how to track goals and how to keep our goals relevant and up to date as life changes. There were gentle reminders that goals are not always linear and often bounce around steps so keep your eye on the larger picture as well as all the details.

I found I walked away with lots of suggestions and ways to follow through on my intentions! This book is perfect for the new year and creating attainable goals.

Thank you to Random House Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I listened to the audio version from hoopla. The author narrates like a motivational speaker/storyteller with infections, emphasis, and other speaking characteristics found when someone is giving an entertaining lecture or selling something (or both). This may be a deterrent for some (I personally found his style nerdy charming), but the information is focused and in-depth.

I think this book would be best for people who are serious about improving goal setting and progress towards them. Having background on values and goal setting, this seemed like a book I needed a step before I started my 2026 goal planning and tracking instead of while I'm in it. I had used my previous knowledge with planning and taking time to reflect and be thoughtful. This book still offered a wealth of information on how to tweak and improve while moving forward. it also had information on how to work with areas of struggles or blocks.

I think it could be very helpful if someone wants to be at the stage of setting up goals, but has had experiences setting and failing. If someone has been in a structured, told what to do place, and is just starting, this may be overwhelming if the book isn't read in small chunks and left until the chunk has been utilized or practiced a bit before moving to the next part.

I personally found it helpful for where I am at and enjoyed the narration. Since I already started my own goals and tracking, it wasn't as helpful as I had thought it would be, but may be a book I purchase and revisit. I would recommend it to people struggling with goal setting and progress. The author also has a currently easily accessible website with resources (as of March 2026).

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book at the beginning of January – kind of a perfect way to start the year. This book is simply a support to help you, as the title says, finish what you start, but it so much more than that.

It starts simple:

“An intention is simply a mental plan to do something.”

Then the author starts to dive in – speaking to our intentions and getting you thinking about your values, moving to goal setting and editing – and working on goals that both excite and bore us. It took me a while to get through this book – not due to lack of interest. I wanted to read a chapter, let it sink in, work on my own plan before moving to the next. The order of the chapters moves smoothly and helps build on your plan; let you adapt and adjust as you move through it. I have so much fun in books like this, reading and rereading, highlighting what stood out to me. I learned so much about myself, the way I think and what is important to me.
 
I wanted to share just a few things (not giving too much away) that really stood out to me:

The discussion around SMART goals – this gets thrown around all the time and I found this research fascinating.

Focus hours – how much time you have in the day to focus on complex things

Procrastination – a built-in impulse (this made me feel better as a pro procrastinator)

Task pairing – such a simple thing but something I already do in some ways

I could go on and on but really what I am saying is read this book! Everything might not be for you, but I think you would be hard pressed to not find something that you relate to (hello Friends reference 😊). I also loved that at the end; there is a recap to redirect to you to the pages where you learned about all these fun things. Highly recommend to anyone just looking to reset on their intentions and goals for pretty much anything.

Huge thank you to Random House Canada

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intentionality has been a buzzword in spiritual circles for a while now, so I was very interested when I had the ability to get this review copy of a book that's about task management and goal setting. This has been something that's been a challenge for me so I like the idea of tying them into my spiritual practice. That isn't quite how it ended up working out in the book, although the author's meditation practice grounds the premise.

The key concept is the intention stack, which is a way of looking at where your goals sit in terms of your priorities and values. By tying these to goal, as well as planning in advance what to do when you avoid tasks or they don't feel as important as when you set them. (The Desire Curve.) In particular, looking at your core values then mapping goals and tasks to them made a ton of sense. I also found switching goals from outcomes to processes to be really helpful for me. I found the ideas easy to follow and the book is engaging, with the author putting in examples from his life to illustrate how it works. The final chapter summarizes the book in a system that you can use on the daily.

This book has already made a massive difference in my life. One of the things the author suggests to do when you're finding it challenging to get to your tasks is to rearrange your space. I did and it massively changed my overall mood. So thanks!

[Alexandra Tower Nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely reframed how I think about goal-setting—especially the connection between my values and the goals I build around them.

Through thorough research and compelling (often humorous) examples, Bailey delivers a practical, approachable guide to building, achieving, and sustaining both small and ambitious goals. There were so many thoughtful tips woven throughout that I genuinely became more productive while reading it. Thank you Random House Canada for the ARC— truly a great read!

[Jung]

"Intentional: How to Finish What You Start" by Chris Bailey examines why so many people begin goals with enthusiasm yet fail to complete them. The book explores the psychology behind motivation, habits, and attention, explaining that the key to long-term achievement is intentionality - consciously aligning daily actions with personal values and meaningful goals. Many individuals start projects with excitement but gradually abandon them as motivation fades or distractions appear. Bailey argues that this pattern happens because people often pursue goals without understanding their deeper motivations or the automatic habits that guide their behavior. By combining research from psychology and productivity science with practical strategies, the book shows how individuals can become more aware of their habits, clarify their values, manage procrastination, and maintain steady progress toward goals that truly matter.

A central idea in the book is that much of human behavior operates on autopilot. Studies suggest that around 40 to 45 percent of daily actions occur automatically, without conscious decision-making. People reach for their phones, check messages, snack, or shift tasks without deliberately choosing to do so. While these automatic behaviors can be helpful in routine situations, they often interfere with meaningful goals that require focus and intention. Bailey suggests that the first step toward greater productivity is learning to notice these automatic impulses as they happen. For example, someone might observe the exact moment they feel the urge to check their phone during another task. By identifying the trigger - such as boredom, distraction, or habit - they can pause and decide whether to continue the current activity or give in to the impulse. This simple awareness begins to interrupt the unconscious patterns that often derail progress.

Developing awareness also involves slowing down everyday activities. By intentionally paying attention to small actions - such as making coffee or preparing a snack - people can observe how many tiny decisions occur automatically. Bailey describes how even routine behaviors involve chains of unconscious intentions, such as reaching for a plate or opening a cupboard without deliberate thought. When individuals slow down and observe these moments, they gain more control over their choices. This awareness helps them move from reactive behavior to deliberate action. Instead of allowing habits to dictate their day, they can begin directing their attention toward tasks that align with their priorities.

The book also highlights the importance of giving the mind time to wander. In modern life, people constantly fill quiet moments with entertainment or information, leaving little space for reflection. Bailey explains that unstructured mental time - such as walking without listening to music, cooking without distractions, or simply sitting quietly - can help clarify goals and motivations. Research shows that when the mind wanders, it frequently turns toward the future and personal aspirations. During these moments, individuals often think about their goals far more frequently than when they are intensely focused on a task. Allowing this mental space can help people reconnect with what they truly want to accomplish and why those goals matter.

Another key theme in the book is the role of personal values in sustaining motivation. Bailey explains that goals are easier to pursue when they align with the values that guide a person’s life. Values represent the fundamental motivations that influence choices and behavior. Psychological research identifies several core value categories that shape human actions, including independence, achievement, pleasure, security, tradition, and concern for others. Although everyone possesses these values to some degree, each person prioritizes them differently. Understanding which values rank highest can reveal why certain goals feel energizing while others feel exhausting or meaningless.

To identify their values, individuals can examine how they spend their time and energy. The activities people consistently choose often reflect their true priorities. Bailey illustrates this idea with a personal example involving marathon training. Although he spent considerable time preparing for a race, he ultimately chose not to run it. For him, the process of learning and enjoying the activity mattered more than achieving the official milestone of finishing a marathon. Someone whose highest value is achievement might feel deeply motivated by the goal of crossing the finish line, but Bailey’s priorities lay elsewhere. This example demonstrates that motivation depends on personal alignment rather than universal standards of success. When people pursue goals connected to their most important values, the work feels more meaningful and sustainable.

The book also challenges the way many people think about goal setting. Often, individuals focus primarily on outcomes, such as losing weight, earning more money, or completing a major project. However, Bailey explains that outcomes are often outside direct control. Unexpected events, changing circumstances, and random factors can influence results. Instead of relying solely on outcomes, he recommends pairing them with clearly defined processes. A process refers to the specific actions that individuals can control daily, such as exercising regularly or saving a portion of each paycheck. By focusing on consistent behaviors rather than distant results, people maintain momentum even when progress feels slow or uncertain.

Regular reviews are another essential component of effective goal management. Bailey suggests keeping a visible list of goals that includes both desired outcomes and the actions required to achieve them. Reviewing this list weekly allows individuals to track progress and make adjustments. Goals should be treated as flexible experiments rather than rigid commitments. As circumstances change or new information appears, people may need to modify or abandon certain objectives. Letting go of a goal is not necessarily failure; sometimes it simply reflects a better understanding of personal priorities and limitations. Editing goals regularly ensures that energy remains focused on pursuits that genuinely matter.

One of the most common obstacles to progress is procrastination. Bailey explains that procrastination is not primarily a problem of time management but of emotional regulation. People delay tasks because the tasks trigger negative emotions such as boredom, frustration, or anxiety. When the brain anticipates discomfort, it searches for easier or more enjoyable activities instead. Recognizing this emotional conflict helps individuals develop strategies to overcome it. For example, tasks that feel boring can become more engaging if they include elements of challenge or novelty. Turning a chore into a timed challenge or small competition can increase interest and reduce resistance.

For tasks that evoke strong avoidance, Bailey recommends a technique called aversion journaling. When someone feels reluctant to start a task, they write briefly about why they are resisting it. This exercise forces them to confront their emotions and often reveals practical ways to reduce discomfort. Another effective approach involves breaking distant goals into smaller, visible milestones. When progress is tracked visually - such as through charts or progress bars - the goal feels closer and more manageable. Finally, tasks that lack clear structure benefit from systems that guide behavior, such as linking the task to an existing habit or creating rewards for completion. The more unpleasant a task feels, the more structure it usually requires.

In addition to reducing avoidance, the book emphasizes increasing desire for meaningful goals. One of the strongest influences on motivation is the behavior of other people. Human habits spread through social networks, often unconsciously. Research shows that individuals are more likely to adopt behaviors practiced by their friends or close contacts, whether those behaviors involve health, productivity, or lifestyle choices. Bailey suggests using this social influence intentionally by surrounding oneself with people who practice habits that support personal goals. Joining groups or communities focused on similar ambitions can make positive behaviors feel natural rather than forced.

Another source of motivation comes from the sense of control people feel over their goals. Clear planning, progress tracking, and structured routines all contribute to a stronger feeling of agency. When individuals believe they can influence their outcomes, they are more likely to remain committed. Bailey also emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between fleeting thoughts and genuine intuition. Not every idea or impulse reflects a true desire. Practices such as meditation and journaling help individuals observe their thoughts more clearly, separating momentary distractions from deeper motivations. This clarity strengthens commitment to goals that align with personal values.

Maintaining progress requires consistent reflection and adjustment. Even with clear goals, daily life often pulls attention toward urgent tasks rather than meaningful ones. Bailey recommends building regular pauses into the day to evaluate whether current activities align with priorities. These pauses may be brief moments of reflection or longer planning sessions. One useful method involves writing down the current task and the next few tasks in sequence, then completing them without multitasking. When distractions appear, they can be recorded for later attention rather than interrupting the current work.

Another helpful strategy is the rule of three, which encourages individuals to identify three key priorities for the day, week, or month. Limiting goals to three forces clear prioritization and prevents overload. These priorities can be organized hierarchically so that daily tasks contribute to weekly and monthly objectives. Time-blocking is another planning method Bailey recommends, though he suggests using it flexibly. Instead of rigidly scheduling every hour, individuals can create a list of tasks with estimated time blocks and choose the order throughout the day. This provides structure while allowing adaptation to changing circumstances.

Bailey also discusses the importance of energy management. Human concentration naturally declines after extended periods of focus, typically around ninety minutes. Taking regular breaks allows the brain to recover and continue working effectively. Surprisingly, many highly productive individuals spend about a quarter of their workday resting or stepping away from tasks. These breaks allow the brain to process information subconsciously and return with renewed clarity. Rather than reducing productivity, strategic rest often improves it.

Ultimately, "Intentional: How to Finish What You Start" by Chris Bailey argues that achieving meaningful goals requires more than motivation or discipline. It requires understanding how habits, emotions, values, and social influences shape behavior. By recognizing automatic patterns, clarifying personal values, designing practical systems, and regularly reflecting on progress, individuals can align their daily actions with what truly matters. Instead of constantly forcing themselves to stay motivated, they create conditions that naturally support follow-through. Through intentional awareness and thoughtful planning, the goals that once seemed impossible to sustain can gradually become consistent and meaningful achievements.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook. I did learn some things from this book. Many of these types of books just say the same things. What I learned: 1. align your actions with your values rather than relying solely on willpower. 2. define the goal, which is different from the outcome that you will measure. 3. define the process that will get you to the outcome and therefore the goal.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installment from "Canada's productivity expert"! If you've read his other volumes, this one might seem a cumulative offering. To read Chris Bailey is to be given immediately valuable and salient information. It is a master class in cutting the literary crap out without sacrificing value for readers. As with his other books, he writes about how he actually uses the tools he writes about. I've been fortunate enough to interview bestselling Canadian authors, be taught by prominent activists, work along senior leaders in national corporations, as well as with municipal and regional politicians in my hometown. It taught me that not everyone prioritizes this in their praxis. At the risk of vulgarity, opinions and advice are like a**holes in that everyone has one. Few prioritize taking their own advice (even I struggle with this at times), so knowing that Bailey's life is a lab for the advice he shares with readers is an important marker of expertise for me. What people derive authority from, absent of this important facet of expertise is a big deal, and way I hold information up to the light of critical thinking/consuming. He walks readers through the nuances of how he applies his own work to himself, and what worked, or didn't. We don't just get a glimpse of a few ideas to help us work better. Bailey gives readers a system, inclusive of a way of thinking about the work they do: it matters greatly and you deserve to be happy on the journey (or as he calls it, the process goals). It's not revolutionary by any stretch of the imagination, but it is refreshing. If you're feeling pressed for time or are in a season where everything is a little bit TL;DR, the back of the book sums up the system (a contiguous feature of his work) so you don't miss out on the best parts of the material.

Most of my notes on the book were spurred by the depth of the first fifty pages. Whether it's my ADHD or something else, I'm unsure. What I do know though, is that when it comes to abstract, and big picture thinking, I revel in new ways of thinking. Bailey definitely had me considering my own systems under the light of the idea of intentionality, where it wasn't just a want to do something, but a trigger for action. It showed me that not only are intentions contextual, but they are different from goals ever so slightly. Seeing them in a different way, as Bailey delineates, was a helpful way to consider my own goals but moreso my intentions. For example, this year I have fairly ambitious plans to learn more Hindi, exercise as much as possible to run at least a 35km run (between two major surgeries for my transition), learn some songs on a thrift store guitar for storytimes at work, as well as make sure I'm doing my mantras in the morning and evening to keep my soul and compassion elastic to face the demands of the day, as well as spending as little as possible this year ("no spend 2026"). I made some decent progress for the first week, but am reconsidering my strategies and approaches after assessing how I felt trying to accomplish those through the first two weeks of 2026. Reviewing those goals under the auspices of intention, Bailey is giving me so much to reflect on. To be clear, goals can make us seem a little self-obsessed (or a lot in some cases), for those who do not equally understand the need to express ourselves through them. Bailey reminds readers that: “This is the power of noticing your default way of being. The sum of our default intentions provides us with a default way of living” (p. 21). It cuts right to the heart of it: you don't know what you don't know. This is our best learning curve and our fiercest challenger when it comes to setting positive intentions. Bailey's book reminded me of the stark difference between self-awareness (which critics may eschew as self-obsession), and self-indulgence (neglecting values, humanity, compassion, empathy and more) in goal setting, productivity, and achievement. Intentional helps readers learn more about their habits that they are otherwise unaware of so they can better accomplish the outcomes they hope for. If not the outcomes, then at least they smooth out the goal processes so that rather than the goals making them better via accumulation of achievement, iterative processes transform them into better people along the way.

One of the more mic drop resonant parts of the book for me, was its focus on values and goals. It reframes goals so that they are values, but in motion instead of static indicators. Intentions are the triggers that remind us of our values, which facilitate the action required to turn all of that into goals. Nearly ten years ago now, I made a "Lamp post" goal book that was based on my attempts to run up to 5km. I would be running on city trails and remind myself when I felt like my soul was ascending and I might meet with my maker "just make it to the next lamp post" which turned into a way I began viewing goals altogether. In this book I also demanded of myself to write why I wanted to achieve whatever goal I set my sights on, and why I thought it would be achievable (aka: what or whom was around me, and what power did I have to make this possible even if only through sheer acts of determined grit and will?). Bailey says it so much more eloquently than this and with far more insight I wish I had in 2014:

“Simply put, values are our true nature. In this definition, the word “goals” is also worth touching on. Goals and values are commonly viewed as different things, when in truth our values and goals are much the same. Values are goals, but ones that take place across a very long time frame. If you squint your eyes and turn your head a bit, every value is eerily similar to a goal in that it is something we desire to accomplish–only more broadly and over the course of our lives. Values are our ultimate goals and serve as an articulation of what we are really after in our lives” (p. 27).

Values are your why and much like the intentions above, they make our default what it is. Absent of this insight, goals and productivity can be about as useful as Formula One race car tires in the middle of a Southern Ontario winter (which is to say, we won't get very far). I enjoyed the pause to consider competing values, and whether or not any goals I have are deleterious or cause friction with one another such that they frustrate my accomplishment energies. Thankfully that is not the case for my personal goals, but when I pull back and look at the lifetime vista of values where goals are specks on the horizon, Bailey gave me a moment to appreciate the view of the things yet to be. If nothing else, this was a great takeaway from the book. Gratitude isn't just a little thank you, pithily stuck in the midst of something; It's a value that elevates your vista. Maybe I'm too particular about it, but the gratitude expressed to feign intimacy or give ourselves a dopamine boost feels cheap in comparison to the value woven through a lifetime and as a way of being because it covers a whole bunch of other "traits" that are a natural offshoot: humility, listening more deeply, easygoing nature, inquisitiveness, flexibility, an inclination to wonder and awe, and more. In other words, if you look at James Clear's advice in Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, you might feel like you want to rush to become the kind of person who in order to be worthy of your goal. Bailey's nuance is a beautiful layer to this where the enduring principle of values guide you to become that without the effort that sounds like a pair of shoes in the dryer.

Who might I recommend this book to? Anyone who cares enough about their goals, values, and subsequent intentions as Bailey writes them to find inspiration. If someone's looking for the quick wins I don't think I would recommend this to them, simply because they will be frustrated by its big picture view. The world we live in may be changing our neurology to be excellent at the short term view, but there's something truly incredible about the steadiness of a well contemplated and carefully considered long view that is like rocket fuel to the short term. For many people, talking about goals can be about as exciting as Melba Toast and I would recommend this book to them, because of how it's less results oriented and far more process focused (the results are reflective of the process). It promotes a way of thinking about goals which is entirely different from seeing them as existing somewhere beyond the quotidian. After reading Intentional, I can confidently say that he didn't get the title of Canada's productivity expert for nothing!

[Inkeri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I may have read one of too many self-help books as I'm not sure whether Intentional was that necessary.

The book is about setting your goals and aligning those with your values which is a good piece of advice. I'm not optimizing my time or resources like I should (although I don't agree with tiring need for constant improvement either). I just want to be smart about my limited time. However, there's not enough material for a whole book. I'm not saying that the book is bad but is feels stretched. It starts slowly and the repetition is not necessary to that extent. I found useful advice but reducing the page number would have been easy.

I did some of the exercises and they gave some food for thought. Unfortunately, the informative parts were well-hidden under the endless chitchat.

[Selena Soo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Practical Guide to Finishing What You Start

I’ve always been drawn to books like Essentialism that help us focus on what truly matters. Intentional builds on that spirit—but instead of just doing less, it helps you actually follow through.

My favorite insight is Bailey’s idea that every goal contains both desire and aversion. We want the result, but we resist parts of the process. He offers practical ways to work with that tension—like journaling about what’s creating resistance and finding ways to make the task more engaging or rewarding.

If you care about meaningful productivity and finishing what you start, you'll love this book.

[Synthia Salomon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blinkist app book of the day

Intentional (2025) reveals how to achieve your ambitions by aligning your daily actions with what truly matters to you.

Drawing on a decade of productivity research and insights from Buddhist philosophy, this guide offers practical strategies for structuring goals, overcoming procrastination, and knowing when to let go of pursuits that don’t serve you. Discover how to transform productivity from a struggle into something that flows naturally from your deepest values.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have selected this book as Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 1/6, as it stands heads above other recently published books on this topic.

[Ananya Saravanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

*well-written, easy to read
*informative and very educational
*highly recommend