I was with a group of women and we were all talking about things we love about our husbands. Many of us said, “He makes me laugh,” or “He is so great with the kids.” All wonderful things.
But then another woman said, “My husband always does what I ask him to do—like house projects—usually the same day. I never ever have to remind or nag him to do anything.”
The room fell silent. It was as if she had hit the holy grail of awesome husband traits. One by one, we showed our amazement and admiration. Mostly, we said, “Can he teach our husbands how to do that?”
As I was thinking about the broken lawn mower still in our garage, and the tools still piled up next to an old basement project, I realized that everyone has a lot to do. We all intend to get things done. But sometimes, other things have to be a priority, or we are too tired, or there is no incentive to get it done.
Why Nagging Doesn’t Work
It isn’t that our husbands want to disappoint us. It’s just that they have so many demands on them, just like we do.
Still, there are things I need my husband to do in a timely fashion, like trim the overgrown bush in the front yard. I asked him to do it, and he happily said he would, but after a few weeks, it still isn’t done.
If there is anything I’ve learned in 11 years of marriage, it’s that nagging doesn’t work. It reminds us of our shortcomings and is usually a negative conversation. Nagging just leads to hurt feelings, and in fact, many times it yields the opposite result we wanted in the first place.
What else can we do instead of nag? I am excited to share with you this great, easy-to-use feature at RememberStuff. Com.
Introducing the Digital “Honey Do” List
Remember Stuff has an awesome feature called the Honey Do list. Just go to Remember Stuff’s To Do’s & Lists page. Then click on “Create New List” and you’ll see a few options. Click on “Honey Do” and you’re there!
First, it’ll ask you to enter your honey’s name or nickname. Then it’ll take you to the list, where you can start inputting tasks. Enter as many as you want! But maybe just start with a couple this time.
Next to each task you’ll see two boxes. In the first box, you can assign an urgency to the task, like low, medium or high, to indicate which tasks are the most important. The other box is a calendar, and there you can assign a due date to the task.
Once you have filled out the list, click “Save & Continue” and you’ll be taken to the rewards page! This is probably my favorite part of the Honey Do list, since it adds that incentive my previous nagging failed to include.
“Honey Do” Reward Ideas
Rewards can be most anything from a special date to an item to even something you do for him in return. Here are a few ideas:
- Backrub
- Movie ticket
- Special dessert
- Guilt-free nap or sleeping in
- Lunch date
- Gift card to his favorite store
- Book or magazine or DVD
- New phone app
- Foot massage
- You do one “honey do” task for him
- Frozen yogurt date
- Time at the batting cages, mini golf, bowling, etc.
When you come up with your idea, add it under “What reward will you give your honey when he finishes this list?”
In addition, Remember Stuff gives a few options to add info or visuals to the rewards on your Honey Do list. The first option is to add a link to the reward. Perhaps there is a DVD or app that your honey has been wanting, and completing a task could be a great incentive. Add the link here.
The next option is to include a picture of the reward by either using your device’s camera or by uploading a photo. Here you could take a photo of a dessert, restaurant, or place you want to take him hiking—whatever sorts of things would interest him and make a great photo.
Once you are done, click “Continue” and you’ll see a screen where you can email your honey and add a personal message. Click “send” when you are ready.
When your honey sees the email, the Subject will be his name that you entered and a notice that he has a Honey Do List from you. In the email he will be able to click on a button that will send him to the list you have created, complete with rewards!
Now that your Honey Do list is typed and saved and shared, there is no question about what projects you would like him to work on. And, there are very clear rewards for getting tasks done!
If projects are still undone and he has a few hours of free time, simply say, “Anything you need help with on the list?” And who knows? Maybe next Saturday you both can spend some time knocking them out one by one. Then you’ll have the rest of the weekend to do something fun.
To start your own Honey Do list, check out Remember Stuff’s To Dos & Lists.
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