Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Who's In Charge Here?

If you don't set priorities, the demands of the outside world will set them for you.

Establishing priorities shows respect for yourself and prevents others from taking advantage of your time.

Today's TQ Challenge: Focus ONLY on What's MOST Important Each Day.

Choose to be FULFILLED! If you don't consider your next task important, how did it get on your schedule?
Choose to be SELF-DIRECTED! When you're walking with purpose, do people stop and give you directions?
Choose to be PURPOSEFUL! Who needs more information today about your personal priorities?

When you prioritize your life, you determine where your time will produce the most rewarding and satisfying results. Base these priorities on your personal list of values, goals and commitments. Urgency is a quality given to something requiring immediate attention -- regardless of its relative value. You can spend years chasing down one urgency after another. Or, you can focus on top priorities and ensure that what's most important to you actually shows up in your life. By choosing priorities over urgencies, you stop reacting to circumstances and start creating a life of power, passion and purpose.

"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing." ~ Harriet Braiker

Think about it. How well and how often do you actually DO Prioritize Factor 6A?

"I prioritize my life by choosing what's most important rather than what's most urgent."

A high commitment (6A rated 8 or better) suggests that you prioritize your life based on things that mean the most to you. You consistently make the right choices between the urgent -- and what's most important. You apply your life's priorities to every situation -- from how you're going to spend the day -- to those crucial decisions that determine your future. Sometimes, you choose to put what you value most on hold while responding to more demanding events. Yet, even then, you make sure time is not diverted so long that it does any permanent harm to your highest priorities.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests you are someone who can lose sight of what's most important. Your life is often not as satisfying as you would like. Urgencies tend to rule your day, and it may feel like there's never enough time to do the things that are the most meaningful to you. Long-term goals are consistently delayed, as you attend to more urgent demands in your life. You also tend to put off your favorite dreams indefinitely, while chasing down easier or more immediate payoffs.

What happens when you CHOOSE to do Factor 6A a bit more frequently?

Your performance and your ultimate results are gratifying and fulfilling. You accumulate performance positives like "Fulfilled, Self-Directed and Satisfied" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

What happens when you FAIL to consistently do Factor 6A?

What's most important and dearest to your heart gets sacrificed every day to more urgent concerns. Negatives like "Reactive, Unguided and Uninspired" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 6A 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.