Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Saturday, May 9, 2026

How Much Of Your Day Is Truly Yours?

Block all of the time you have no control over, out of your schedule, e.g., meetings that you must attend. This will show you how much -- or how little -- time you have in your control.

Reduce your "must do's" to allow for more "want to's."

Today's TQ Challenge: Block out Time to Focus on Top Priorities Each Day.

Choose to be PRODUCTIVE! How much of your time today was devoted to items over which you had no control?
Choose to be FOCUSED! Are you surprised by the amount of time you have no control over? Are you aware of the amount of time you do have control over?
Choose to be DEDICATED! What can you do today to reduce or eliminate any of this "must attend to" time? (Hint: DELEGATE!)

The only way to guarantee there will be enough time to complete your top priorities of the day is to block out a sufficient amount of time for them in advance. Do this before you schedule anything else. If you don't, your schedule will automatically fill up with everything else, and there won't be time left for high payoff activities. After you've reserved time for top priorities, you can fill in the time remaining with less productive activities.

"You will never FIND time for anything. If you want time, you must MAKE it." ~ Charles Bixton

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

"I block out time in my schedule to focus on my top priority for each day."

A high commitment (5G rated 8 or better) suggests you tend to make steady progress on your top priorities -- every week. You continuously identify the projects and activities that will have the greatest impact on each area of your life. You then take control of your time by planning ahead and reserving blocks of time exclusively for completing those objectives. Before you start each day, you review your schedule and dedicate additional blocks of time to the top priorities you want to accomplish that day.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests you are someone who can get to the end of the week with limited or no progress made towards the attainment of your goals. Time and circumstances dictate how much action you take on your top priorities each day. Every item on your to-do list, regardless of priority, is given as much time as needed to get completed -- one after another. Too often, an entire day is filled with minimally productive tasks, daily demands and constant interruptions. Only at the end of the day do you realize there's no time left for your top priority -- the most important item to complete that day.

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

Your most productive tasks are always completed before the day is done. You accumulate performance positives like "Productive, Focused and Rewarded" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

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

Your most productive tasks are typically delayed. Negatives like "Delayed, Frustrated and Misguided" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 5G 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.

* * *

This PDA version of Today's TQ is provided by ThinkTQ.com, the leader in personal perfomance and intentional excellence.