
Intentional
How to Finish What You Start
Chris Bailey(Author)
Macmillan Business (Publisher)
Published on 1. January 2026
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-0350-6219-5 (ISBN)
Description
From the bestselling author of Hyperfocus, productivity expert Chris Bailey, a new approach to finishing what you start.
'The most productive man you'd ever hope to meet' - TED
Most of us have no problem setting goals. We know what we want, and we have a pretty good sense of what it takes to get it. But consistently making progress until we've reached that goal is the hard part.
In Intentional, Chris Bailey presents a new and better way to accomplish your goals. It turns out, the secret to finishing what you start isn't willpower or the latest productivity hack - it's intentionality. Your deepest intentions are your greatest motivating force. By structuring your goals around the things that matter most to you, whether that's feeling secure in your job, having autonomy over your decisions or being in a community, getting things done becomes second nature.
Drawing from the latest productivity research and packed full of practical strategies, Intentional will show you how to:
Structure goals to increase the likelihood of completion
Make unappealing, boring or frustrating tasks more attractive to do
Lower the chance of procrastinating on long-term goals
Create a system for tracking progress
Know 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.
'The most productive man you'd ever hope to meet' - TED
Most of us have no problem setting goals. We know what we want, and we have a pretty good sense of what it takes to get it. But consistently making progress until we've reached that goal is the hard part.
In Intentional, Chris Bailey presents a new and better way to accomplish your goals. It turns out, the secret to finishing what you start isn't willpower or the latest productivity hack - it's intentionality. Your deepest intentions are your greatest motivating force. By structuring your goals around the things that matter most to you, whether that's feeling secure in your job, having autonomy over your decisions or being in a community, getting things done becomes second nature.
Drawing from the latest productivity research and packed full of practical strategies, Intentional will show you how to:
Structure goals to increase the likelihood of completion
Make unappealing, boring or frustrating tasks more attractive to do
Lower the chance of procrastinating on long-term goals
Create a system for tracking progress
Know 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.
Reviews / Votes
Chris Bailey tackles a critical aspect of personal transformation that's too often overlooked. An important new contribution to the genre! -- Cal Newport, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Slow Productivity</i> and <i>Deep Work</i> A powerful guide to turning ambition into action . . . Bailey introduces a science-backed framework for meaningful accomplishment -- Charles Duhigg, author of <i>The Power of Habit</i> and <i>Supercommunicators</i> An engaging book . . . Bailey teaches how to re-examine your tasks, determine your priorities and minimize interruptions -- <i>The New York Times</i> on <i>Hyperfocus</i> A must-read for readers seeking to regain control of their ability to concentrate -- <i>Publishers Weekly</i> on <i>Hyperfocus</i> Extraordinary [and] eye-opening -- David Allen, author of <i>Getting Things Done</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> Attention-grabbing . . . Chris Bailey offers actionable, data-driven insights for sharpening your focus - and finding the right moments to blur it -- Adam Grant, author of <i>Originals </i>and <i>Give and Take</i> and co-author of <i>Option B</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> When you have read this book, get ready to do your most important work! -- Chris Guillebeau, author of <i>The $100 Startup</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> Let me guess. You're like me. You don't have time to read this book. Or any book! Who has time for books any more? Well, that's perfect. Because it means you have the disease. And right now you're holding the cure -- Neil Pasricha, author of <i>The Book of Awesome</i> and <i>The Happiness Equation</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to do more of what matters in a distracted world -- Laura Vanderkam, author of <i>What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast</i> and <i>168 Hours</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> I loved the book -- Greg McKeown, author of <i>Essentialism</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> Practical, well-written and timely -- Shawn Achor, author of <i>The Happiness Advantage</i> and <i>Big Potential</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> A lifeline in a world in which we are all overwhelmed with too much to do and not enough time to do it. Read this book if you want a stress-relieving salve as well as a guarantee to improve both your productivity and happiness -- Jim Citrin, author of <i>The Career Playbook</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> Using all of the latest science, Bailey gives readers practical, incredible frameworks to change how you work -- Vanessa Van Edwards, author of <i>Captivate</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> Pay attention to Chris Bailey - this book is well worth the focus -- Peter Bregman, author of <i>18 Minutes</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> Hyperfocus takes decades of scientific insights and pairs them with practical application to show us all how best to manage and multiply our attention -- David Burkus, author of <i>Under New Management</i> and <i>Friend of a Friend</i>, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> A fascinating guide to managing our attention . . . a wonderful toolbox full of practical and detailed best practices. I can't wait to give these ideas a try -- Kai-Fu Lee, president of Google China and chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, on <i>Hyperfocus</i> This book will appeal to a wide audience, from those in business to self-help seekers and busy parents -- <i>Booklist</i> on <i>Hyperfocus</i>More details
Edition
Main Market Ed
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
464 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0350-6219-5 (9781035062195)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/2026
Macmillan Business
€19.49
Available for download
Person
Chris Bailey is an author and lecturer who explores the science behind living a more productive and intentional life. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject and has garnered coverage in media as diverse as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, HuffPost, New York magazine, Harvard Business Review, TED, Fast Company and Lifehacker. The bestselling author of The Productivity Project, Hyperfocus and How to Calm Your Mind, Bailey's books have been published in forty-two languages. He lives in Ottawa, Canada.