Edit wiki/intentionality.md — Work Reflections

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# intentionality

the meta-skill. "be intentional" applied to work selection, relationships, growth — everything.

## the core question

"what are we even trying to do here?"

this question cuts through drift, scope creep, and the feeling of being busy without being productive. when things aren't working, often the problem isn't execution — it's that you forgot to be intentional about what you're executing on.

## intentionality in relationships

"connect intentionally — talk to people you can learn from, but also chat with people you're not closest with." at the neurotech startup, i deliberately repaired relationships with two teammates through intentional one-on-one walks (see [[relationship-repair]]).

"make people feel good" — the intentional choice to build people up rather than tear them down. there's a contrast between scary-attacking leadership and comforting leadership. both can work, but the intentional choice matters.

## intentionality in growth

"what i want to be doing is learning and implementing and growing." when i check in on this, the drift becomes obvious. see [[critical-path]].

## the first-principles version

get values → values are hard so get fuzzy values → do things that roughly fit. this is the most stripped-down version of intentional living. you don't need perfect clarity — fuzzy values still create direction.

## intentionality vs. ease

"there is an ease in unfocus that is unsettling — want purpose ↔ confidence." being intentional takes energy. [[resets]] and [[zooming-out]] help restore the capacity for intentionality when it's drained.

monotony kills intentionality. the fix: structure the first hour robustly, make the next hour unstructured. spend 10% on crazy ideas. see [[startup-workflow]] for the 80-15-5 rule.