Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Sunday, February 22, 2026

Are You Keeping A Fresh Perspective?

Don't let the monotony of a routine take a toll on its quality. Evaluate each repeated process for its benefit, effectiveness, necessity and timeliness.

Keep your routines fresh and efficient by evaluating them from a first-timer's perspective.

Today's TQ Challenge: Create Efficient Routines -- Stick To Them.

Choose to be SYSTEMATIC! How would you explain your routines to a beginner?
Choose to be ORDERLY! How much of your daily routines can you delegate to those new in your organization?
Choose to be PROCEDURAL! How would tomorrow's routines look through a child's eye?

A routine is a series of actions that are performed the same way every time -- usually at the same time. Routines ensure that every important action or step in a process will always be completed without fail. Make it a habit to do the right thing the right way -- every time, and you'll become vastly more productive.

"The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts." ~ Booker T. Washington

Think about it. How well and how often do you actually DO Organize Factor 8D?

"I use efficient routines to complete recurrent tasks as quickly as possible."

A high commitment (8D rated 8 or better) suggests you habitually repeat the right actions at the right times. Every morning after your walk, your coffee perks while you shower. You then sit down for ten minutes of planning time. Far from being a slave to your routines, you create enjoyable and productive habits to guarantee the automatic completion of important tasks. By sticking to a routine, critical tasks are never put off or forgotten. Your routines reduce mistakes, stress and the time required to complete any task correctly.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests you are someone who can be inconsistent in completing recurrent tasks, responsibilities and duties. Because you fail to follow carefully prepared routines that define the right way to achieve the desired result, you waste time compensating for neglected, forgotten, overlooked or ignored elements of those activities. As a result, urgencies are created that often demand your immediate attention -- urgencies that pull you away from higher payoff activities.

What happens when you CHOOSE to do Factor 8D a bit more frequently?

Your efficient routines guarantee positive results. You accumulate performance positives like "Procedural, Systematic and Consistent" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

What happens when you FAIL to consistently do Factor 8D?

Your actions can be random, impulsive and unpredictable. Negatives like "Capricious, Inconsistent and Sporadic" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 8D Causing You Problems?

If you believe this factor is a key performance obstacle -- and that it's preventing you from realizing your personal dreams and goals -- then you need to improve it.

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