the most intentional article you'll ever read
spoiler alert: "intentional" is ai's new tell. you won't be able to unsee it.
Sep 17, 2025
what the fuck do we mean by the word “intentional”?
ai bots, life coaches, gurus, yogis, mindfulness masters. they keep saying it. act intentionally. live intentionally. breathe intentionally. wash your dishes with intention. and i’m here scratching my head very intentionally like i failed the elementary school head lice screening. let’s unpack this.
🧠 micro logic & philosophy course
according to the oxford english dictionary, a tautology is a statement that says the same thing twice in different words, often as a fault of style. class dismissed.
🔁 the tautology you didn’t know you were nodding at
ok. we’re going to have to define some words, and i’m not trying to pull a fast one on you here. i’ll do this as gently as i can.
intentional = with intention, deliberately, on purpose
intention = a thing intended, a purpose, an aim, a plan
so when someone says “act intentionally,” they’re really saying: act with an act-y purpose. sounds deep, right? except it’s redundant. literally. (and yes, you can use “literally” correctly here.)
to act = to do something voluntarily
to act intentionally = to do something voluntarily, with intention
but acting already implies intention.
exceptions? sneezes. hiccups. that fart that eked out when you laughed. accidentally texting your ex after some shots of don julio. those are events, not acts.
so “act intentionally” is basically grammar showing off in a guru gown or midtown yoga athleisure.
🤡 why we keep pretending it means more
“intentional” as it’s used today doesn’t just mean “with intention.” it weasels in extra baggage:
the right kind of intention: moral, virtuous, mindful, whatever’s trending.
awareness of your intention: it’s not enough to do, you must reflect while doing.
performative purpose: it signals to others, look at me, i meant this.
in short, “act intentionally” is about styling your act so it looks thoughtful, like rearranging bookshelf spines inward and calling it a lifestyle.
🤖 ai and the illusion of profundity
“intentional” is everywhere. you can’t unsee it after reading this. ai loves the word “intention(al)” because it’s a swiss-army adjective. it’s:
impossible to disprove
vaguely flattering
pseudo-poetic
generic af
“create an intentional workspace.”
as opposed to what? working in a tornado? a messy desk? some people thrive in clutter.
“write an intentional email.”
ok. so you meant to write what you wrote. congratulations. your grammar achieved enlightenment. you didn’t accidentally hit send (and there are send-fuses for that anyways).
“breathe intentionally while meditating.”
wait. isn’t the whole point of meditation to remove ego, release intention, and detach awareness from the “you” that acts and inhales/exhales? meditating with intention is oxymoronic. like “virtual reality” or “civil war.”
the word survives because it sounds profound without ever defining what that actually means. it’s the linguistic equivalent of scented candles and affirmations. all atmosphere, no anchor.
🥷 the real question behind “intentional”
so next time someone tells you to act intentionally, don’t stress about your moral alignment or breathing technique. the question is: what kind of intention are you smuggling under that word?
because, as i’ve already hinted at, “act intentionally” is vocabulary in drag, strutting down the runway of self-help, mindfulness, and ai-generated pseudo-wisdom.
🐝 beyond the buzzword
maybe the allure of “intentional” isn’t in the action itself, but in the performance of meaning. in a world where everything can be commodified, like your time, your energy, or your vibes, declaring yourself intentional becomes a kind of aesthetic self-possession. it says: i am aware. i am choosing. i am… sophisticated(?).
but choice, awareness, sophistication, they’re not delivered by words. they live in the messy, unglamorous act of actually doing things. succeeding slightly. failing wonderfully. and sometimes sneezing on purpose just to remind yourself not everything can be stylized.
so yeah, act intentionally if you want. but remember: it’s the act that proves the intention. not the other way around.