Play 'The Force Your Hand Game' to get it done

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Don't even give yourself a choice ...

You’re almost out of gas. There’s not a clean fork in the house. The dog puked on the floor.
 
That last one’s gross, I know … but that’s a must-do chore I am thankful almost always falls to my hubby—because he’s an early riser and our yellow lab, the lovable Boomer, has a sensitive stomach.
 
The point is that at times we get stuff done because we have little choice.
 
I like to use this situational pressure to my advantage with what I call “The Force Your Hand Game.”
 
How it works
You create an environment or situation where doing the chore becomes more obvious, compelling or necessary.
 
Here are a few ways to force your hand:
 

• Pull the sheets off your bed in the morning. You’ll need to put clean ones on before bedtime.
  
  
• Roll your vacuum to the middle of the floor, preferably in front of the TV. You can’t move it until you vacuum.
  
  
• Open the door on the dishwasher. You won’t close it until you’ve unloaded or loaded it. (If Boomer happens to be around this isn’t such a good idea. Licking plates in the dishwasher is a goal and hobby.)
  
  
• Put a basket of clean laundry for folding on the couch or chair where you like to sit to watch TV.
  
  
• Remove the shower curtain and spray the shower walls. You’re going to have to do something about that.
  
  
• Take the batteries out of your remote at night and don’t put them back until you’ve done your daily workout.
  
  
• Ask someone in your household to keep your phone until you complete a task.
  
  
• Hang the full garbage bag—or a bag of donations—on the door, so it can go out with you.
  
  
• Put a bill you don’t want to forget to pay in the middle of the floor. (A friend told me he does this and I thought it was brilliant.)
  
  
• Place your free weights in front of your coffee pot. Use them to remove them.

I must confess I haven’t done that last one. Hubby cleans up dog puke and makes the coffee. I could ask him to hold my first cup hostage. I could … but will I? I am already not the most pleasant morning person, so I am not sure he’ll agree to these terms.
 
What I like about this game:

• It helps me commit. Brain scientists often call this a trigger—something that induces a behavior or action.
• It helps me overcome my tendency to procrastinate or overlook tasks.
• If I can trick myself into doing something, I am tickled and my life is better.

 
We can do hard things. Sometimes we just need a little nudge or a good reason.​ So friends, may the force be with you.
 
Have other ideas for “The Force Your Hand Game”? Awesome! How about sharing them in the comments? 

Sally had her genie ways
I’ve written about how my mom inspired my need to infuse fun into chores. And when we were kids, she’d sometimes get her point across without nagging or pleading.

​She’d magically force our hand.

If you were hanging out in our family room, watching Gilligan’s Island or I Dream of Jeannie, you could expect a basket of clean clothes for folding to appear in front of you.

Bam! Sally would drop it and leave the room. Maybe you were the neighbor kid. You still got a basket. A family of nine has a lot of laundry, and just like Gilligan and crew, there was no escaping.

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