Mitzvot that are from the Torah (tzitzit, tefilin, sukka, etc.) require having the intention (kavana) to fulfill that commandment. But with many such mitzvot, it is inherent in doing the mitzva that you are doing it for the mitzva and therefore you do not need to have a special intention (for example, you would not put on tefilin to keep yourself warm).

 If a woman can either study Torah or say Tehilim (Psalms; recited as prayers), the priority is for her to study any halachot that she needs to observe before saying Tehilim or other prayers.

Men say she'hecheyanu on a new talit. Do not say she'hecheyanu on tefilin.

B'di'avad, you can say shema and amida as early as 72 minutes before sunrise (alot ha'shachar).  You can put on tefilin and tzitzit/talit even earlier, although you may not say the blessings over them until “mi'sheyakir”—which is later than you can say shema and amida!  (See above.)

If you must say shacharit very early:
     1. Say birchot ha'shachar;
     2. When you reach the end of yishtabach, if it is:

• 36 minutes (or less) before sunrise:
  • Pause after the blessing (ending El chay ha'olamim),
  • Put on your talit and tefilin, and
  • Say the appropriate blessings.
• More than 36 minutes before sunrise:
  • Put on your talit and tefilin WITHOUT saying the blessings. Later, after it is less than 36 minutes before sunrise:
    • Hold your tzitzit and say the tzitzit blessing,
    • Move your tefilin slightly,
    • Say the tefilin blessings (if you are in a place in the prayer service where you are permitted to interrupt).

 

To pray for a sick person, say the yehi ratzon inserted into the refa'einu (8th) paragraph of the amida on weekdays (but not on Shabbat or Jewish festivals) either:

• When saying the amida (add your request after "makoteinu"), or
• After reciting Tehilim (Psalms) for the sick person (see Concluding Tehilim with Yehi Ratzon of Refa'einu).

1. Place arm tefila box (bayit) on center of bicep of whichever arm you do not write with (knot on the arm tefila should touch the side of the box). If you are ambidextrous, put the tefila on your left arm.
2. Say the first blessing, “lehaniach tefilin.”
3. Tighten the strap.
4. Wrap the strap around your arm seven times between your cubit (inside of your arm, opposite the elbow) and your wrist.
   Note If you wrap more times, it is OK.
   Note You may wrap the tefilin strap over a wristwatch or put a watch on top of the tefilin strap.
   Note Tefilin straps should not overlap with each other and should not be wrapped on top of the ulna protuberance, but if they do--it is permitted.
5. Wrap the excess around the palm of your hand (tuck in the end to keep it tight and out of the way).

You may not waste people's time or upset them (tircha d'tzibura).

By surrounding ourselves with reminders of the commandments and with objects for observing the various Jewish rituals, we can be constantly aware of what we should be doing to live our lives as Jews.
There are two categories of items used for mitzvot:

• Holy items (tashmishei kedusha), such as tefilin and its boxes, Torah books and commentaries, and Torah scrolls and covers. 
• Items used for mitzvot (tashmishei mitzva), such as lulav, etrog, and talit/tzitzit.

Women
Sacred scrolls (Torah, mezuza, tefilin) may not be written by women for sacred purposes. However, if they were written by a woman, you may study from them. You may not use them for public Torah reading, putting on tefilin, or affixing to doorposts (for mezuza).


Disposal
Both tashmishei kedusha and tashmishei mitzva should be disposed of in a respectful manner. Tashmishei kedusha should ideally be buried. Newspapers with Torah or Torah commentary must be double-wrapped and then may be put in the trash, since they contain material that should not be buried with holy writings (only a newspaper's Torah or Torah commentary contain inherent holiness).
To dispose of tashmishei mitzva, you may wrap in one layer of plastic and throw it in normal garbage.

Women and girls are generally exempt from time-dependent positive commandments (mitzvot), but they may perform these voluntary mitzvot and if they do, they do say the relevant blessings:

• Lulav
• Sukka
• Saying the full shema.

Women and girls may NOT do these time-dependent positive commandments (mitzvot):

• Kiddush levana
• Tefilin
• Tzitzit.

These holy writings (tashmishei kedusha) may not be thrown directly into the trash, but should ideally be buried with like items (sheimot):

• Holy writings that contain God's name.
• Parts of Tanach (24-book Jewish Bible).
• Explanations of the Torah or commandments.

However, if a printed or written page (in contrast to parchment scrolls such as tefilin, Torahs, or mezuzas) contains God's name plus secular content, it must be double wrapped in plastic before being thrown in the trash.
Do not throw into trash, even if double wrapped:

• Handwritten scrolls of Torah, tefilin, mezuza.
• Printed Torah, Talmud, siddur, books of halacha, or Torah commentaries.

Rather, put them into a sheimot collection box or wrap in plastic and bury in a place where they will not be dug up. It does not need to be a cemetery.

Double wrap and throw into trash:

• Newspapers and flyers that have Torah psukim or Torah commentaries and also have non-Torah content.
  Reason Non-Torah material should not be buried as sheimot. 
• Children's school handouts with psukim from the Torah or halachot that also contain non-Torah content (if they ONLY contain words of Torah, they should be buried as sheimot).

For disposal of items used for mitzvot (tashmishei mitzva), you may wrap in one layer of plastic and throw it in normal garbage:

• Lulav,
• Etrog, or
• Talit/tzitzit (but NOT tefilin!)

A frequently performed commandment generally takes precedence over a less frequently performed commandment, but ONLY:

• Regarding the order in which they are to be performed, and
• If there is no specific reason to do the less frequent one.

If you are only able to do one of several commandments, do the most important one. 

Although women and girls are generally exempt from time-dependent positive commandments (mitzvot), they may do some mitzvot for which they are not obligated and it is considered to be virtuous behavior for which they will get a reward. They may say the blessings before each mitzva.

1. These are voluntary mitzvot that women may do:

• Lulav

• Sukka

• Saying the full shema.

2. Women and girls MAY NOT  wear tefilin.

 

3. Women traditionally do not:

• Say tachanun. 

• Wear talit or tzitzit (talit katan).

• Study gemara.

• Say kiddush levana or birkat ha'chama.

But these are not forbidden.

 

You may not do “expert” or “professional” work of certain types on chol ha'moed, and some types of expert craftsmen/women may not do their trades on chol ha'moed.
Examples

• You may sew or lay bricks or other such labors, but not if you are an expert or professional in those fields and you are doing expert work.
• Skilled writers and artists may not do their professional writing, calligraphy, or drawing (even for free!) on chol ha'moed. They may not do calligraphy or sofer work (Torah, tefilin, mezuza), but they may write normally.
• If you are not a professional writer or expert craftsman/artist, you may write on chol ha'moed but the preferred practice is to use a shinu'i --an altered method of writing, such as:
  • Using your other hand,
  • Holding the pen/pencil differently from normal, or 
  • Writing diagonally across the paper.