Tom Peters, the mind-blowing management consultant, has a saying that I think about every day:

"Excellence is the next five minutes..."

Think about that. Can you be excellent for the next five minutes? With whatever you are doing? Such as:

1. Drafting an email to a colleague.
2. Washing the dishes.
3. Caring for your family dog.
4. Preparing breakfast.
5. Driving one mile to the bank.
6. Shaving.
7. Drafting your next blog post.
8. Working on a project for your client.
9. Running, or some type of exercise.
10. Preparing coffee in the morning...

Think about these ten activities. Think about how you normally do them. Here is what I came up with for myself:

1. I like short emails. So I normally slap together a one or two sentence email, and hit send as quickly as possible to save time.

2. I rinse, half-assed, to get most of the schmutz off the plate before putting it in the dishwasher.

3. As soon as the dog goes potty, I run back inside to get back to whatever it was I was doing.

4. One word: microwave.

5. Hurry up to the bank, stressed that I am wasting time driving to the bank when I could be doing something else.

6. Running late, so carving up my face to quickly jump into the shower.

7. I have to get a post published. It has been too long since I did so. Let's phone it in just to get it out there.

8. Hmmm, this will be good enough. Client will accept it.

9. I have 20 minutes to get this short run in. Go.

10. Use the time to prep the coffee to think about the To Do list that is sitting on my desk.

So, what do you think? Sound like you? Yeah. I thought so.

Here is something I am starting to experiment with...inspired by Peters' "excellence is the next five minutes" concept...

I am going to look at a clock, randomly when I think of it, and require of myself to be EXCELLENT for the next ten minutes. No matter what I am doing. NO MATTER.

Look, let's be honest. This notion of being "excellent 24/7″ isn't real. It is a standard that no one can really achieve. This notion of being "mindful" with every little thing you do really sounds cool, and something worth striving for, but probably isn't possible, at least for most of us.

But asking - and expecting - of myself to be excellent for just ten minutes seems VERY possible. Doable. Attainable. And then, if you want, you can reset the clock for another ten minutes.

You can be anywhere. In the shower. At Target. In the car. Watching TV. Working. Making dinner. Anywhere.

Look at a clock, and just decide to be excellent for ten minutes. In that ten minutes, be mindful with whatever you are doing. Pay attention. Listen. Observe. Shut out distracted thinking. No multi-tasking. Focus. Concentrate. Be aware of doing the best possible work on whatever task lies before you.

Now, let's review the list of ten things from above, and let me demonstrate how different I am personally when executing a ten-minute excellence block:

1. I still think short emails are best. But not I am more careful about the words I choose, the message I send. I think about how it will be received, how will it be interpreted. I question whether the email really has to be sent in the first place. I concentrate on punctuation, grammar, spelling. I fact, I think it is more work to send a short, succinct, but yet still meaningful email. One that sends the message intended to be sent.

2. No one likes to do the dishes. That's why we have kids, so they can do them for us. But seriously, it is a task that has to be done, so do it right. And since you have to do it, take pride in it. Rinse well, remove excess food schmutz, feel the warm water, listen for that squeak noise you hear when something is clean. Trust me, this is a satisfying noise if you are actually listening for it. Be mindful about dishes, and you actually feel satisfied when the job is done.

3. There is a reason you have a pet. Companionship most likely. So treat that animal with respect. Be patient with it. Love it. Take extra time with it. Give it a few minutes extra outside to let it do its business. Take care to be sure it has fresh water. Don't slap crap food into a dirty dish. Prep the food carefully, and put it in a clean dish. Show affection. Trust me, when you ultimately lose your pet, you will treasure all these moments.

4. Man, life it too short to dial in ANY meal. But breakfast is the most important. Enjoy the process of making breakfast. Appreciate the solitude and quiet if that is your thing. Enjoy the moments with your family if that is your morning routine. Don't shovel in crap and eat in a hurry without tasting your food...what a waste of a few minutes of your life.

5. Driving. Most of us suck at it. Why? Because we aren't concentrating. We spend that time doing other things: listening to voicemails, bitching at other drivers (me), reading news on the smartphone, texting, putting on makeup, putting on our tie...anything but focusing on driving. Instead, pay attention to the road, focus on the traffic around you, concentrate and anticipate their (often stupid) moves so you can avoid them. Use the time for solitude and peace, your little oasis from them madness around you. When you are being excellent, you will find yourself less frustrated by rush hour, and actually enjoy driving again.

6. I have found that when I allow myself the pleasure of it, shaving can be one of the most grounding and mind-settling processes of my day. Peaceful, almost. Taking care to do it right, to use a good razor, to enjoy the warmth of the water on my face, to smell the wonderful scent of the lotions, the intense satisfaction of rubbing your hand over a smooth face. Shaving can be a great exercise in preparing yourself for what may be a busy and hectic day ahead.

7. Never, ever dial in your blog posts. Think about what your audience wants and needs. Don't overdo it and never publish, but you don't have to publish if you aren't ready. Being excellent means more careful thinking, more purposeful thinking, and thus, better writing. Being excellent means removing the distractions that usually prevent you from writing in the first place. Turn off Twitter, email and Facebook. Focus on writing. Only.

8. Whenever I am unhappy with work I do for a client it is usually because I am multi-tasking, or in a rush to move on to the next project. Being excellent stops this. Focus on the work in front of you. Hell, it is only for ten minutes. Nothing else. Be mindful ONLY of your client, and doing whatever it takes to WOW them. Again, turn off the distractions (see a common theme here?), and focus on the work.

9. I am a distance runner. Yet I am always rushing to squeeze in a run to fit it into my busy day. I rush it. Instead, be excellent. Lace up your shoes the right way. Stretch a bit. Be sure you are properly dressed, and comfortable. Take pride in how you look. But then, once you are out there, enjoy the fresh air. Observe the world going on around you (the noises, the other silly people rushing and not being excellent, and noises of your feet hitting the ground). You may not be a runner, but you get my point. Taking care of your body is so important. Be excellent about it.

10. If you are like me, coffee is more vital than oxygen. If you cut me, coffee pours out, not blood. So, why do you dial in making coffee? To me, when I actually allow myself to do it, enjoying the scent of coffee as I prep it is the best thing. Allow yourself to listen to the percolating noises of the coffee being brewed. Mindfully pour in the cream just right, if that is your thing. Carefully stir the coffee and cream with a spoon, listening to the noise the spoon makes as it goes around the cup. Trust me, do it this way, the coffee tastes better.

See how different life can look? At ten minutes at a time?

So, do it right now. Look at the clock. Mark off ten minutes. And ONLY ten minutes. What are you working on at this very moment? For ten minutes, do it better. Whatever it is...

[cartoon by hugh macleod]