Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Monday, May 4, 2026

Is Your Day Spiced With The Variety Of Life?

Alternate between routine and creative tasks, and between the active and passive aspects of your schedule. Too much time spent in one mode can result in burnout. Use variety to maintain enthusiasm and momentum.

Forcing yourself to continue a task, after your enthusiasm is gone, won't do you any favors. Switch to another type of task for a while -- give yourself a chance to recharge.

Today's TQ Challenge: Schedule Tasks Around Your Most Productive Time Periods.

Choose to be PRACTICAL! How long have you been working at your present pace and task?
Choose to be EFFECTIVE! Would it help to reach some state of completion on your current task and then temporarily switch to a different type of task?
Choose to be FORSIGHTFUL! How could you switch some responsibilities among your co-workers to offer everyone a little variety?

No one is at their best all the time. Study your daily performance and discover when you tend to be the most and least productive. Schedule your top priorities for when you are at your mental and physical peak. Assign the rest for less energetic periods. Don't try to take on your toughest tasks when you're only capable of running at half speed. And don't waste your prime hours on your least productive chores.

"A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug." ~ Patricia Neal

Think about it. How well and how often do you actually DO Make Plans Factor 5H?

"I schedule my day around my most productive time periods."

A high commitment (5H rated 8 or better) suggests you are careful to match your activities to your energy cycles and personal work styles. You schedule your most demanding tasks for times when you are more energetic, and your least demanding tasks for those times when your energy is low. Matching your energy and moods to the tasks at hand allows you to be at your best when you need it the most. This allows you to "go with the flow," and achieve maximum productivity -- all day long.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests there are too many times when you just don't feel like doing what's next on your schedule. Your schedule is in constant conflict between what you're supposed to do and what you feel like doing. Even when you have the option to schedule your own work, you fail to consider personal energy cycles. For example, you might zoom through minor routines with energy to spare, but then burn out before getting to your more important tasks.

What happens when you CHOOSE to do Factor 5H a bit more frequently?

You're in the game and at your best when it counts the most. You accumulate performance positives like "Optimized, Practical and Effective" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

What happens when you FAIL to consistently do Factor 5H?

You're not in the right time frame or frame of mind for the task at hand. Negatives like "Ineffective, Inconsistent and Unproductive" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 5H 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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This PDA version of Today's TQ is provided by ThinkTQ.com, the leader in personal perfomance and intentional excellence.