Canadian writer Chris Bailey shot into the spotlight a decade ago with his bestselling book The Productivity Project, which revolved around productivity experiments he conducted—many of them on himself—during a sabbatical after college.
The book introduced concepts such as the Rule of 3 (writing down three tasks that must be completed each day) and the 20-Second Rule (making a distraction 20 seconds harder to reach). It established Bailey as one of the leading voices in personal productivity, earning praise from the likes of Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit) and Cal Newport.
Intentional: How to Finish What You Start is Bailey’s fourth book.
‘Deciding what to do before doing it’: the power of intention
Bailey’s greatest strength lies in his ability to break down seemingly daunting goals into smaller, less intimidating steps. In Intentional, he tackles the human tendency to abandon tasks before completing them. He does so by challenging a core conventional belief—the idea that achieving goals is primarily a matter of sheer willpower and pushing through even when motivation runs dry.
Bailey argues against this approach, advocating instead for a gentler, more reflective method. In many ways, this is an anti–hustle culture book. Rather than exhausting finite reserves of willpower just to finish something, Bailey encourages readers to step back and focus on what truly matters.
As he puts it: “The key to finishing what you start is becoming more intentional.” But what does “becoming more intentional” mean? According to Bailey, it is “deciding what to do before doing it.” He defines intention as “the mental process that precedes our actually doing anything… it is integral to goal attainment because it creates action.” This intentionality is the key to finishing what we start, though Bailey notes that it is a double-edged sword—we can just as easily form intentions that pull us away from our goals.
Focusing on human values
Bailey argues that maintaining steady intentions depends on human values, which he describes as our “motivational bedrock.” He uses the twelve fundamental human values outlined by Professor Shalom Schwartz—Self-direction, Stimulation, Pleasure, Achievement, Power, Face, Security, Tradition, Conformity, Humility, Universalism, and Benevolence—as a starting point. Readers are encouraged to identify their strongest values, either intuitively or by analyzing how they spend their time.
Aligning intentions with personal values makes them easier to sustain, as they begin to feel like a natural extension of who we are. This alignment also removes a significant amount of stress. Values form part of what Bailey calls the “Intention Stack,” where goals are organized by the time and importance assigned to them, with immediate goals (Present Intentions) and long-term value-based commitments occupying the top of the stack.
Bailey walks readers through not only how to finish what they start, but also what he calls “following through,” which he sees as an essential part of true completion. In some of the book’s strongest sections, he explains how—and when—to abandon goals altogether or modify them, subtly or significantly. Readers are also introduced to the six attributes of aversion that lead to procrastination. Finally, Bailey explains how to make goals more desirable by identifying the antecedents of desire, and he encourages the development of “intention rituals” to support consistent follow-through.
More Buddha than business
While the ideas may sound intense, Bailey’s writing style is relaxed and conversational, making each chapter feel almost like an extended blog post. The book runs to about 240 pages (with the remainder devoted to notes and an index), and most readers should be able to finish it in under a week.
At times, Bailey’s fondness for lists and newly coined terms—such as self-reflective capacity, goal inventory, impulsive procrastination, and islands of intention—can feel overwhelming. However, he generally avoids unnecessary complexity and often clarifies concepts with simple charts. This is a soft management book: there are no rigid rules, only thoughtful prompts and carefully structured guidance.
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Some readers may wish for more real-world examples, particularly from the corporate sphere, and others may find Bailey’s frequent emphasis on meditation somewhat Buddhist in tone—though he consistently backs his suggestions with research. Intentional is not a book that urges readers to charge after their goals with relentless determination. Instead, it gently nudges them forward, reminding them to slow down and, at times, reassuring them that stepping away is acceptable.
All of this makes Intentional an ideal read for those who want to get things done—without obsessively stressing over them.
Intentional: How to Finish What You Start
Chris Bailey
272 pp
Pan Macmillan
Rs 899
Intentional: How to Finish What You Start focuses on personal productivity. 
Intentional: How to Finish What You Start is Bailey’s fourth book.
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