Observe the times of day when you tend to be the most creative, social or adapt at problem solving. Do your best to match your scheduled tasks to the time when you're at your best for that type of task.
Learn to work with your natural, daily rhythms instead of against them.
Today's TQ Challenge: Schedule Tasks Around Your Most Productive Time Periods.
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
Read Today's TQ, and find out how to improve this aspect of your Make Plans Color.
Once you know your values, you can create the criteria for making any decision. Your values will point to your answer, and a commitment to your values will give you the strength to stick to it.
Balance comes from knowing where your center is. Apply your values to every decision you face this week and you'll truly become centered.
Today's TQ Challenge: Confirm Values -- BEFORE Making Decisions.
Your values, vision and mission mean absolutely nothing unless they are put into play. Your fundamental values and principles are the core elements that determine if a decision is the right one for you or not. Your values should be your reference -- and your guide -- for every action you take, and every decision you make. The only decision you need to make is to live your values. Once you do, your list of values will automatically make the right decisions for you.
"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." ~ John Lennon
Read Today's TQ, and find out how to improve this aspect of your Mission Color.
Wanting success is not enough. You must take action. You can modify your plan as you go, but success depends on your ability to TAKE ACTION NOW!
You'll learn as you go. Make your best guess, then correct as required once you know more.
Today's TQ Challenge: Test New Ideas for Effectiveness.
Making a plan is never enough. You must take action. You can modify your plan as you go, but success depends on your ability to put your plans into action! Stop getting ready to get ready. Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% experimentation. Don't wait until the last detail has been determined. Start by putting your plans into action immediately. Test. Observe. Correct. Repeat until you succeed.
"When I am delivering my very best, then that is when I feel successful." ~ Art Fettig
Read Today's TQ, and find out how to improve this aspect of your Act Now Color.
If you have a poorly located work area next to a heavy traffic pattern, change it if you can. Move your furniture; put your back to the hall to decrease distractions.
Take time in the next 2 days to do whatever's necessary to your work area to decrease your distractions and increase your concentration level.
Today's TQ Challenge: Eliminate ALL Distractions -- of EVERY Nature.
A distraction is anything that diverts your attention from your current objective. It can be as obvious as blaring music in your work area, or as insidious as that small but persistent pain in your lower back. It can be a desirable social distraction -- or a personal distraction -- like reading your favorite sports magazine after you get to work. Recognize that your current task is going to suffer a serious delay if you don't eliminate persistent distractions.
"Be ready when opportunity comes. Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet." ~ Roy D. Chapin Jr.
Read Today's TQ, and find out how to improve this aspect of your Optimize Color.
Establish a time every day for using the telephone in a concentrated burst. Use this time to return calls, make important calls or keep in touch with your contacts on a regular basis.
Batch as many of your calls as you can into one block of time.
Today's TQ Challenge: Batch Similar Tasks Together.
The multitude of life's tasks are easier to complete when you stop, plan ahead and batch similar activities together. You eliminate repetition and minimize effort when you group similar tasks to be done at the same time. Write down the routine tasks you perform every day -- the ones you do once a week, and those you complete once a month. Now group similar activities into their own specific time periods and complete them all at once -- instead of one at a time.
"It is those who have this imperative demand for the best in their natures, and who will accept nothing short of it, that holds the banners of progress, that set the standards, the ideals, for others." ~ Orison Swett Marden
Read Today's TQ, and find out how to improve this aspect of your Organize Color.
When you delegate, explain not only the "what" but also the "why." This will help build cooperation and allow for intelligent participation by everyone involved.
The next time you delegate a task, make sure the person assigned sees how it fits in with the rest of the project or goal.
Today's TQ Challenge: Get Agreement -- Provide Support.
Delegation done poorly is worse than doing everything yourself. However, you can multiply your productivity when you become an expert at delegating duties and authority to others. By issuing a clear request, and receiving a committment in return, you can leverage your time and accomplish far more -- rather than working alone and accomplishing less. The secret is to reach a clearly established agreement of exactly what needs to get done, by when and by whom.
"Leadership is the wise use of power. Power is the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it." ~ Warren Bennis
Read Today's TQ, and find out how to improve this aspect of your Synergize Color.
I made it a habit years ago to ruthlessly limit my exposure to junk, fake and useless news to just 30 minutes a day.
That is more than enough time to get a global perspective on what's going on, process what is being said, and form an opinion.
Think about this.
There are only 1,440 minutes in a day (24 hours x 60 minutes).
Read this article at ThinkTQ.com.
For the past two weeks, we have been discussing the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have done your very best.
If you do the best you can, given the circumstances in which you find yourself, what more is there?
Better.
To achieve your dreams... to maintain balance in the heat of the battle... to know that you have done the best you could given the circumstances you faced... requires you to focus on the important, and not be consumed by the urgent.
This is a major driver of success, both personally and professionally. It is not hard to focus, if you know what's important to you, and what's not.
For the next two weeks, we will be discussing the "flip side" of Will Power: Peace of Mind.
As those of you who have read The Power of TQ know, my definition of success is simply this: "The peace of mind that comes from knowing you have done your very best."
As General Patton says, if you do your best, what more is there?
This week, in light of the upcoming Thanksgiving Weekend, we will be discussing how showing thanks and appreciation, in everyday terms, enhances your ability to live what you value most.
If you are not GETTING what you want out of life, maybe you're not GIVING enough to it.
Daily Motivation, Inspiration, and Information! HERE
