Day 20: Segment Intending

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You know that feeling when you wake up, stub your toe on the bed, spill coffee on your shirt, and realize your keys have literally vanished from existence? Yeah, that’s your brain screaming, “I did NOT sign up for this!” But what if I told you there’s a way to hack your day before it hacks you? Enter segment intending—a fancy term for “telling your day who’s boss.” (Spoiler: It’s you. Probably.)

Vishen Lakhiani, founder of Mindvalley and guy-who-talks-like-he-invented-adulthood, describes segment intending as “consciously designing how you want each part of your day to feel.” Think of it as being the director of your life’s movie, except instead of yelling “CUT!” when your co-worker starts ranting about NFTs, you actually plan the script.

Why Your Brain is a Drama Queen

Let’s get real: Your brain is lazy. Like, Netflix-and-chill-for-12-hours lazy. It craves shortcuts, which is why you default to panic-mode when life throws confetti (read: chaos) at you. But here’s the kicker: Your thoughts shape your reality.

A study from the University of Chicago found that people who visualised their day in detail before jumping into it were 23% more likely to achieve their goals. Why? Because your brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) acts like a bouncer, filtering what you notice based on what you focus on. Tell it “Today’s gonna suck,” and it’ll highlight every coffee spill. Tell it “I’ve got this,” and suddenly, you’re MacGyver-ing solutions.

Even the Bible nods to this idea: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3). Translation: Plan with purpose, and the universe might just high-five you.

 Ever heard of the Hawthorne Effect? In the 1920s, researchers found that workers performed better simply because they knew they were being observed. Apply this to segment intending: When you “observe” your day in advance—visualising meetings, chores, even your lunch break—you prime your brain to perform.

How to Segment Intend Without Turning Into a Control Freak

Look, I’m not saying you need to schedule bathroom breaks. (Unless you’re into that. No judgment.) But here’s how to Jedi-mind-trick your day:

Morning Visualisation (Before the Coffee Hits):

Spend 5 minutes not doomscrolling. Close your eyes. Imagine your day in chunks, work, lunch, that awkward Zoom call. How do you want to feel in each? Confident? Calm? Like you didn’t forget pants? Write it down. (Pro tip: Bullet journals are cheaper than therapy.)

Micro-Intentions:

Before each “segment” (e.g., a meeting, gym session), pause. Take 3 breaths. Ask: “How do I want to show up here?” (Bonus points if you whisper it dramatically. Own your main-character energy.)

Anchor Your Intentions:

Use triggers: A deep breath before answering emails. A power pose before a presentation. Science calls this “embodied cognition.” You’ll call it “why I finally stopped yelling at my Wi-Fi.”

Reflect at Night (But Keep It Snappy):

Review: Where did you autopilot? Where did you crush it? Adjust tomorrow’s script. Rinse. Repeat.

In Closing...

Vishen says, “The quality of your life is the quality of your questions.” So stop asking, “Why is this happening to me?” and start declaring, “How will I make this happen for me?”

Now go forth and direct your day. And if you mess up? There’s always tomorrow. (Unless the Wi-Fi’s out. Then, uh… good luck.)

This Is What We Do Now!