A FROG a week equals a special treat!

Football_Widow_2

I have been totally inspired by the Weekly FlyLady thread and although I don't do all of it everyday, my house is looking much the better for it. As I was hoovering the stairs today I started to think about my FROGS!

1. Frog list - this is a short term list of annoying or horrid jobs that you have been putting off doing for too long - stop procrastinating!

Then I got to thinking about how I could motivate myself to do mine. I decided the only way I was going to get them done was if I was to reward myself (no-one was going to do it for me) for doing them. So I have come up with a plan and wondered if anyone would like to join me.

First I am going to come up with a list of my FROGS and prioritise them as tadpoles, froglets and full grown FROGS. Tadpoles are things which will probably very quick to do. Froglets will take more time and FROGS are things that are not going to be done quickly at all. Then I am going to put a reward by each. It will be appropriate for each i.e. a sit down for 1/2 hours with a cup of tea for a tadpole through to maybe a real treat for tackling the full grown frog - this will be dependent on what you like to do and what you can afford, but it must be for yourself!! For me it could be as simply allowing myself to sit down and watch Holby City that I record and never seem to get to see, guilt free because I have earnt the right to do it.

I am only going to choose one a week to start with (don't want to overwhelm myself.)

I would really love people to join if they would like to, then we can support and congratulate each other (another reward) as well as getting advice, if we need it. :j (obviously nothing financial). I thought that this might be particularly good for those of us who might not have the support of others around them!!!!!

So to get the ball rolling - this week I am going to get my self assessment done for Inland Revenue and as a reward I am going to take an hour out and try and catch up on TorchWood!:T.



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iamsalt

Hi,
I had been inspired by the flylady thread, but not plucked up the courage to join in with that, however i do have some frogs that need to be dealt with and i think that i would like to be encouraged/cajoled and supported to get these done. There are some jobs i know i shhould do which make my brain remind me at odd times that i haven't (usually 2am!) and i think its time i dealt with that!
I will be starting work next month and i know that i should get on with these frogs before life starts getting away with me - i know it will be easier when i am working full time and doing all sorts of other things.

First frog - Sand and paint windowsill in spare room - reward is a long hot bubble bath.

Thanks for starting this Football Widow ( I am today as well!) :T

tiredwithtwins

i have so many frogs it would take me a week to get through them

good luck

Football_Widow_2

Welcome Iamsalt I am really glad you can join me. Good Luck with dealing with your first frog. One of mine will be to finish painting my daughter's bedroom which I started last year, and managed one wall:o. It will be a big reward for me when I do that one. Shame Grandad is staying in there at the moment so can't really get it done at the moment :rotfl:

Good luck with going back to work next month, just think how relaxed you'll feel without those frogs jumping around and waking you up.

tired with twins - thanks for the encouragement. Remember you only have to start with a tadpole if you want to join us x

Emm-in-a-pickle

Great idea Football Widow. I felt faint some time ago after looking at the Flyladies` efforts and sank into CBA mode for a week or so. Then I came back to the forum here and I found the Gentle Messies far more helpful.
I am also one of those people who need both a Carrot AND a Stick to motivate me with some domestic tasks.(those would be the Frogs, right? But why frogs, I like frogs! Still it`s a good analogy with the tadpoles getting out of hand once they get legs and the neglected tasks turn into bigger tasks. Nice one.)
I think I`m already doing this Frog thing. My `rewards` are a 15 minute listen to something on Radio 4 or 4 extra on I-player when I stop for a cuppa. TIMING my breaks at home, like I have to do at work.
Today I had TWO Frogs. One was an online test after a recent course at work. The other was toenails.
Another thing I did today was use a little electronic timer - Poundshop jobbie, but it only does 1 minute at a time, which is a pain as you have to keep resetting it after each minute. Used it today, don`t know why really, just to make a bit of a game of it - to time myself with a MEGA FROG - cutting toenails! Found I did 2 toes per minute except big toes which each took just over a minute! I hate this task, have thought of it as taking ages, and usually put it off as long as I can.
THEN I thought I`d see what one minute`s worth would do cleaning in downstairs loo. Wiped tiled splashback and windowsill (including dead insects...) Another minute - gathered, squashed and put for recycling SEVEN empty bog-roll tubes. Another minute - baking-soda wipe to clean door handles, both sides of door.
Memo to self (and if it helps anyone else...?) make a game of it. Timing the Tadpole tasks before they grow their legs & turn into Frogs!

Buffythedebtslayer

Can I join too, I have lots of things to do both housey and worky. And am a big fan of Brian Tracy

will report with my frong tomorrow
xxx

Football_Widow_2

Welcome Emm and congratulations. I like Frogs too but they are jumpy little things aren't they? Also we have something else in common to - I really don't do toe nails:eek: So well done for starting to tackle your Frogs! The idea of a timer is great, maybe as a reward for tackling your tadpoles so well, would be to buy yourself a new timer!! I have a ladybird one which will do an hour and I think that I will use that one. Isn't it interesting how quickly you can get something done when you might have been worrying about it for ages and then it gets done in a few minutes. Well done you and don't forget to reward yourself too x

Hi Buffy glad you decided to join us. x

Emm-in-a-pickle

FW, I`ve been thinking this `timer` thing might work well for me, getting a decent one would be worthwhile. Can`t see myself tackling all the tadpoles a minute at a time! I HAVE rewarded myself this evening - after doing an ultra-good supper, no work tomorrow - so hit the winebox!
Buffy - `things to do, both housey & worky` - my work (nursing) is SO structured & routine bound, plus with extra events/demands thrown in at us at a moment`s notice or none at all, I`m so used to working like this where what you do every minute counts...maybe that`s why I`ve become a bit laissez-faire with the homey stuff. I want to try to apply the timing I have at work to some of the homey stuff.

Emm-in-a-pickle

TiredwithTwins - only a WEEK to get through your Frogs? I`m envious!
FROGS, as described by Footiewid, is known to folks working in the mental health sector (not my department but have friends there, we compare notes sometimes) as `avoidant behaviour`. Could be trivial or crucial items/tasks that we are avoiding. We don`t have to be `patients` or potential patients, as many avoidant behaviours are well within what we glibly term `normal`. ANY strategy that helps ANY folks to deal with and tackle whatever they are troubled by avoiding (like waking up and thinking about the avoided thing!) has GOT to be worth trying.

squeaky

I posted this elsewhere a few days ago...

Different approaches work in different ways for different people....

Ones I use to different degrees and with varying effect are...

Treat it like a job and have "working hours per day" and you can use any flexi-time type approach that suits you.

For jobs that you are definitely putting off:- Make an appointment with yourself. (if you make an appointment for the doctors, or dentist/solicitor/friends) you will be there. So make an appointment with your "self"... on Thursday morning at 10am I am going to clean the oven / tidy that cupboard / do that "thing!

Some jobs get put off because they are TOO BIG. You take one look at it and somewhere inside yourself decide that you can't cope/deal with it right now; so you put it off. The way to deal with that one is to break it down into smaller chunks. So "De-cluuter the whole house" is a HUGE task. So break it down and pick a single room. If THAT still feels too big... break down the room to - I'll start with "that" cupboard". If THAT feels too big - break it down to one shelf or drawer. (I've been known after really bad times to start in on my kitchen worktop one square foot at a time!)

The "busy-bitty" approach... if you've got the box on and are loafing in front of it.... deliberately switch to a commercial channel. Every time the adverts come on, get up and do something... such as start putting things in the dishwasher or washing machine or tidied away into their proper homes. Don't worry if you don't finish before the adverts ends - by all means go back and loaf. Next adverts... carry on from where you left off... It's truly amazing how much you can get done in three minutes stints every quarter hour or so.

... Anything else that works for you

daphne_descends

Oh, this is the thread for me. Flylady has never worked for me as the little everyday things I find easy. My neighbour thinks I am this super-organised 'Monica from Friends' type so I showed her my book of lists - a whole book, ha ha! of jobs I need to do - usually stuff that can be ignored without detriment to the running of the household, or shoved under beds or in cupboards... I set deadlines that are more than generous and then watch them whizz by. Last year I was pregnant, so the end of the pregnancy was my deadline - then the newborn fog meant things were totally sidelined. Then I thought I'd get stuff done by summer so I could enjoy the break with my older child - didn't happen... so I thought, right, summer is 6 weeks, surely I can get some of these things done! But a week to go and it's not looking good... so maybe confessing to all will be the stick I need?!!

1. Sort out both my children's baby clothes. I have even bought acid-free tissue paper to wrap up the special things I am keeping and have a nice box to put them in. It's just doing it... <heart wrenches> I might try and get this done while OH is at home the rest of the weekend, no excuses for stopping every 5 seconds then...