Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Friday, March 13, 2026

Is Your Train Running On Time?

To keep your plans on track, create a timeline for all your major projects. Use it to establish objectives and deadlines for the accomplishment of each major step.

Measure your daily progress by comparing it with a weekly timeline of written objectives.

Today's TQ Challenge: Get More Specific About WHO, WHAT & HOW -- Now!

Choose to be DETAIL-ORIENTED! Right now, how do you know if you're train is on time or not?
Choose to be METHODICAL! Does each of your objectives have a stated arrival time?
Choose to be WELL-PREPARED! Who could benefit the most in your organization by adding checkpoints to their projects?

Every goal -- regardless of how complex or difficult -- is nothing more than a series of steps that must be completed along a path, from one objective to another. A written plan includes all of the critical objectives that must be met to be successful. It also provides the step-by-step instructions for the actions that must be taken, and the resources that must be available, to reach each objective. With a clear set of instructions, you can go anywhere and achieve anything you want -- one "do-able" step at a time.

"Ability is of little account without opportunity." ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

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

"I write my plans with defined steps that lead to specific, major objectives."

A high commitment (5D rated 8 or better) suggests you are well-prepared and highly productive at whatever you set out to do. You are capable of reaching almost any destination you desire, because you have the ability to write a specific set of instructions for how to get there. With a carefully crafted plan, you take on things that others would consider impossible. Your confidence to proceed comes from your basic skill of identifying "do-able" steps to get from one major objective to another. With a fully detailed map in hand, the key to your success is following your own instructions -- step-by-step.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests you may know where you want to go but you have no idea how to proceed. Your progress toward each of your goals is slower than you'd like. By not thinking through the best route in advance, you are often delayed as you stop to reconsider the next move. This "making-it-up-on-the-fly" routine causes you to take numerous wrong turns, and forces you to retrace many of your steps. Every time you feel lost, you lose a little of the hope that you'll ultimately succeed -- and any hope that you'll actually arrive on time.

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

Your most difficult goals are simplified to a series of single steps leading in one direction. You accumulate performance positives like "Detailed, Thorough and Deliberate" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

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

It takes a lot longer to get where you want to go because you haven't prepared a detailed map in advance. Negatives like "Ambiguous, Uncertain and Indefinite" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 5D 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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