Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Saturday, January 10, 2026

Are You Avoiding Your Alligators?

Urgencies arise when you delay dealing with the difficult. Perform your toughest tasks first, so they won't continue to haunt you.

Scary difficulties are better off resolved in your past than looming in your future.

Today's TQ Challenge: Focus on Top Priority -- First.

Choose to be FOCUSED! What have you been avoiding today?
Choose to be PROACTIVE! When you've accomplished your toughest task of the day, won't the others seem a breeze by comparison?
Choose to be DEDICATED! What's your toughest task on tomorrow's agenda? Do you have everything you need to accomplish it?

Nothing will increase your progress more than completing your most productive, most rewarding task of the day. Once you have prioritized your to-do list, focus on your Number One item first. Do it first or schedule it for a time that provides the best chance of its being completed correctly. When you perform your tasks by rank of importance, you spend time on those items you predict will be the most valuable -- well before giving away your limited time to less important tasks.

"The reality of life is that your perceptions -- right or wrong -- influence everything else you do. When you get a proper perspective of your perceptions, you may be surprised how many other things fall into place." ~ Roger Birkman

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

"I focus on my #1 priority of the day first, and complete it as soon as possible."

A high commitment (6H rated 8 or better) suggests you are someone whose #1 responsibility is to make sure your #1 priority gets done every day. You consistently do whatever it takes to guarantee that your daily #1 priority is complete, well before the day is over. If you can't do it first, you make sure that everything is in place to do it later. Regardless of what else does or doesn't get done, you finish each day satisfied that your #1 objective was achieved. Your momentum builds with each day's progress, and your confidence grows when you consistently accomplish your highest rated objectives.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests you may never get to your # 1 priority because you easily get diverted by minor tasks instead. There are times when you don't identify which of your tasks is your most rewarding of the day. Many times, it takes you longer than expected to finish tasks previously started -- before you even get to start on your # 1 priority. There are other times when you don't feel like doing your # 1 priority first, and choose other tasks to complete instead. Many times, your number one never gets done at all. You feel cheated, because you traded the only day of its kind on things of limited value to you.

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

Every day is a profitable investment of time, because your largest payoff gets cashed in first. You accumulate performance positives like "Focused, Pragmatic and Proactive" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

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

You waste time on minor tasks that would have been more productively spent on major ones. Negatives like "Unfocused, Lackadaisical 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 6H 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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