Curate your time with intention

When I was a kid, summer camp was a playground of possibility. Each morning, we’d crowd around a bulletin board plastered with a dizzying list of activities: hiking through secret trails, shooting hoops on a dusty outdoor court, a bream-fishing contest, pumping iron in a musty old gym, hunting snakes and turtles, or sitting cross-legged in a cabin hearing ghost stories of the hook man.

As adults, we often let our days slip into autopilot, leaving the outcome to chance. But here’s the truth: If you want a great day, you’ve got to design it like you’re back at camp, curating your hours with intention. You have to work at having great days.

Too many of us wake up and let the day happen, reacting to emails, scrolling X or Instagram, or trudging through life reactively without a plan. That’s a recipe for just an OK day. A great day is built, piece by piece, through choices that align with what lights you up.

Think of your day as a blank camp schedule. You’re not stuck with a preassigned itinerary. You get to sign up for what matters, whether it’s a morning run, a deep dive into a book, hot yoga or an evening sketching ideas for that project you’ve been dreaming about. The key is deciding before the day starts.

How to start with intention

Start by asking: What do I want to feel today? Energized? Creative? Connected? Then, like a camp counselor with a clipboard, schedule your day to make it happen. Block an hour for a walk to clear your head. Carve out 30 minutes to write that blog post or strum your uke. Call a friend to laugh like you did around that campfire. These aren’t just tasks — they’re deposits in your greatness bank.

You’ve got 24 hours, and saying yes to one thing means saying no to another. Want to crush that work presentation? Maybe skip the Netflix binge. Want to feel calm and grounded? Trade an hour of doomscrolling for meditation or a quick workout. This isn’t about packing your day with productivity hacks — it’s about curating moments that make you feel alive. Even small choices, like brewing a perfect cup of coffee or journaling for 10 minutes, can elevate a day from mundane to memorable.

Don’t get me wrong: Spontaneity has its place. Some of my best camp memories were unplanned, like stumbling across a hidden creek during a hike. But even those moments happened because I’d chosen to be out there, exploring. Designing your day doesn’t mean scripting every second; it means setting a direction, so serendipity has room to sneak in. Without a plan, you’re just drifting, and drifting rarely leads to greatness.

A great day is a day you own. It’s not about perfection or checking every box. It’s about waking up and saying, “This is what I’m signing up for today.” Grab your metaphorical camp schedule. Pick your hike, your game, your quiet moment by the lake. Design your day with the same excitement you felt as a kid circling your favorite activities. Do that, and you’re not just living — you’re crafting a life full of great days, one intentional choice at a time.

And watch out for the hook, man.