Getting things done by eating the frog

By now, the majority of area high schools have resumed and college students are making their way back to campus. For the most part, everyone is starting with a clean slate. No one is behind on homework. Everyone is passing their classes. Some have the highest grades they will have all year.

With my youngest daughter starting high school this week, we talked about staying on top of her homework, not putting the work off until the last minute, and asking her teachers for help so she can get it done and get it done right.

Of course, this came after a summer of nagging and cajoling to get her summer homework done. As my kids work their way through the school system, my husband and I have tried to instill the idea that it is better to get something done sooner rather than later.

Yet, every year the same thing happens. They have required summer reading for their English classes, which entails an essay or report about the books in question. And without fail, the week before school starts, the day before school resumes, heck, even the morning of the first day....they are sitting at their desks, frantically trying to finish their reports.

It is especially worse their junior year of high school - when they have their own dad as a teacher and the debate about the books and the essays happens over the dinner table.

But procrastination isn’t just limited to those returning to school. I have found it to be a life-long habit, a habit that is hard to break. Yet, I am holding out hope that if we can learn the habit of procrastination, we can also learn the habit of getting things done on time - and reduce stress - with just a few changes.

Be first.

Maybe it is volunteering first to host a group where everyone will host at some point. Maybe it is giving a speech first in class. Maybe it is writing an article first for an organization you belong to. When there is an option, there are many reasons to go first.

For starters, expectations are low. You don’t have the worry of going after someone who has knocked it out of the park. You get to set the bar as high - or low - as you want.

But more importantly, it is one less thing weighing on your mind. When you get something done first, it can be a relief, especially knowing others still have to complete the task.

Make your bed.

If you get nothing else done the rest of your day, you have accomplished one thing if you make your bed first thing in the morning. And it sets the tone for the rest of the day, knowing that you have done at least one thing already.

It only took me 20 years, but my husband makes the bed every morning after we are both up. And it is simply soothing to walk into our bedroom to a well-made - mostly - bed.

I’m still in a battle with my kids, who use the argument that I remember saying growing up: Why make your bed when you are just going to mess it up that night? One battle at a time.

Eat the frog.

Finally, one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard is “eat the frog” (and it is a great visual).

To put it bluntly, you should eat the frog before anything else, because it can only get better from there. In other words, if you have something unpleasant or burdensome or something you have simply been putting off, you should do it first thing in the day because then everything after that is going to be easy or at least relatively better in comparison.

There is even a work-out facility called “Eat the Frog” Gyms, which I thought was brilliant because who really likes to work out? As someone who works out first thing in the morning, I do it because it is one thing I can cross off my to-do list. And while I don’t hate exercise, I do find myself counting down the laps until I can get to my coffee club.

So good luck to all the returning students, teachers and school staff. I hope it is a year filled with success, achievements and getting things done...in a timely manner with - or without- eating a frog.