I had heard about flylady.com a couple of times in the last six months or so. I could tell instinctively that it would be very helpful to me. But I was feeling so overwhelmed by the clutter and chaos that was my home that I couldn't even bring myself to look at the site! (Yikes.)Marc came home from a trip to IKEA with a friend, ready to dive in. Apparently the friend has been following flylady's routines for years and spoke very convincingly about the benefits. Marc gave me the push I needed to actually check it out and realize that we can do this!
If you haven't been to the site, a warning: it is extremely cheesy. It's almost enough to turn me off of it. BUT, it's good enough information that I am willing to overlook that. FLY stands for Finally Loving Yourself: enough to free your home from clutter, get things organized in a way that they can stay organized, and developing routines for housework that can free you from CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). (Hey, I told you it was cheesy.)
The fact is, I am sick and tired of being embarrassed about the state of my house whenever the doorbell rings. Sick of telling people that they can come in, but my house is a disaster. And sick of feeling weighed down by too much stuff and nowhere to store it.
So I'm really glad that Marc decided to try this. He shined our sink -- that's the first step -- and has been shining it before bed every night. It's interesting how that one thing makes us all more aware of being sure the dishwasher is empty so we can put our dishes in, gives us a greater awareness of the clutter on the counter and table that we are now committed to clearing off every day.
I'm baby-stepping it, but Marc is on the fast track. He is emptying out cupboards and drawers, de-cluttering like a madman. He is so much more objective about things than I am (why do I want to hold onto things?), so this works very well for me! So far there have only been a few things that I have missed, and he says he will happily replace them.
I'm thrilled to see all of the clear surfaces in our home, to have help with keeping things clean and organized, and to feel the beginnings of freedom from clutter and feelings of being overwhelmed. Here's to freedom!
23 comments:
I am so excited that you guys are doing this, especially that it was Marc's idea and that he is committed to it. Maybe that's what you've needed all these years, because you've been fighting an uphill battle alone. Hmmm.
It would be interesting to get to the root of your hording mentality, because all that clutter weighs you down. I don't feel like I horde things, but I do have a tendency to let them accumulate rather than dealing with them on a daily basis. I've been working on doing that so that I don't let junk mail gang up on me (it's a force to be reckoned with).
Anyway, my point is a shiny, clean and empty sink is good for everyone and is a great place to start. I'm happy for anything that makes life easier for you!
ah, michelle, i started flying back in 2002, and, all cheesiness aside, it. changed. my. life.
i crave routine. i guess i was never able to pinpoint that before. i take comfort in it. if i go a few days, a few weeks, and things have gotten crazy, i literally go back to my shiny sink.
getting back into routines has saved my sanity on more than one occassion this summer. have fun with it!! i am a BIG fan of the timer - it makes me stick to small pieces of projects so that i don't get overwhelmed.
I am so glad that you found FLY Lady. Because I love her. I just started my commentment to FLY Lady again. I will be fun to actually know someone else who is going through the steps. I love her words of encouragement "your not behind just start where your at"
Love the picture of the sink. Good Job!!!
I love this! I checked out that site a long time ago...need to refresh. I just now emptied a box that has been in the garage for 5 months since moving here -it was exciting to find all my misc.stuff that was in my junk drawer at the other house! I knew it turn up someday. The only problem is, now I've got little piles of collections that need a home! No longer in the box! urgh! Misc. papers, cards, photos, magnets. oh well! happy organizing ;)ciao
go!go!go! Michelle! I'm excited for you. There's nothing like the absence of chaos to make the world a little more sane.
Michelle I am happy that you found something that works for you. It is also so great that Marc is on board with you, that must really help.
I have to have a clean house to be happy.
How fabulous that Marc is in on it too! The shiny sink would start my day off right!
I have gotten better at not shopping and brining more things in that we don't need. I am also finally starting to get rid of stuff. It does feel good. I read some stuff on the flylady site a year or so ago but didn't commit. I should go back.
Arrrggghhh! This is so weird! I think God just spoke to me. I feel like I've been given a sharp, holy punch in the chest.
Lelly commented on my blog, so I immediatley hopped onto Lelly's blog to see if she'd posted anything super-di-dooper, but she hadn't (poo, Lelly! *wink*) and I read her sidebar thing (which I only occassionally do) and saw that she was loving FlyLady - and I thought, 'What the heck is FlyLady when she's at home?', then saw Lelly's link, so clicked it, rapidly read some of it, saw her checklist for schoolchildren's morning routines, saw that FlyLady recommends 'Saying Prayers', and I thought, 'Ohhhh! I REALLY need to dedicate myself to praying with Erin before school in Sept'. But I hadn't a clue what prayer to use, or what to pray for, so I wondered if I should ask Lelly her opinion.
So I typed out almost an entire email to Lelly, asking about morning prayers and then suddenly something (the devil?) made me think, 'Lelly's going to think I'm being stupid. Lelly won't know any specific prayer. Lelly will think I'm being ridiculously anal. Lelly will say Google it, durr.'
So I deleted the email.
Then I thought, 'I still want to read a blog, but whose?' and I randomly clicked on YOURS, Michelle. And you're talking about FlyLady!
I'm so stupid. I should've sent Lelly the email about prayers. What a complete lack of faith. I'm an idiot.
In respect of the FlyLady principle, by the way, I've just added her site to my Favourites - BUT, so as not to clutter up my Faves list, I deleted a site that I never use! Clever!
You're not alone with the CHAOS thing, Michelle. I completely stress about having people to visit.
Good for you! I think it's so exciting that Marc is in on it, too. It just feels (and works!) so much better when everyone is on the same page about big changes. (and little changes in our house.) I've checked out her site a few times, and have never fully committed. I might have to check it again. (And you are right, it's insanely cheesy. But, whatever works!) I was so disorganized this past school year, it was ridiculous. I need to get a system in place before it starts up again in a month. And the routines would certainly help my state of panic when a realtor calls to see the house. I'm off to refresh myself on Flylady! Thanks and good luck.
I love flylady! I need to get back into the swing of it again. I think your post has inspired me to do so! I am so impressed that your hubby is flying too! :) hee hee! I linked to your blog thru Janae's!
I know Amy is always listing the virtues of the Fly Lady. I've tried to declutter my house somewhat, but cleaning is a whole separate issue. I cannot wait to take a look.
I think a morning routine is the key to all happiness! It will change your life. I also think that using a timer is magically motivating. Good luck with all the FLYing.
It sounds like this is really working for you. I've looked at her site before, but I've never really converted, mostly because I feel like it needs to be more of a family affair and not just me. I can't do it all by myself. I am glad that it is going so well for you, and especially that Marc is making it so much easier for you too! Good luck with this!
I'm going to have to check this out--a way to get the family interested in keeping order? Amazing....
I love that website. I used to be on their email list, but I got a little overwhelmed with all of the emails. :)
The information is cheesy but it makes sense too. There are so many things that I have learned from that website that help keep my life organized. It really is amazing what a difference having your sink clean makes. I think that is great that Marc is excited about it too. What a great support.
Good luck with it, I am sure your life will feel a lot better when it is more organized! :)
I'm going to check this out.
OK, I just did and I don't like it.
While I can't quite bring myself to putting on my tennis shoes every morning and holstering up my purple feather duster, the whole flying routine does make a big difference! Good Luck!
Thanks for the great tip. We have a serious clutter/messiness problem around my house. I am equally to blame. We both made a big effort yesterday and the results are fabulous. Why is it so much easier to sleep at night when there are no dirty dishes in the sink, or on the counter?
I guess I need to check it out. I am going to clean my sink tonight.
I love the flylady. Just love her. She certainly has helped keep my home in order. Though I go back and forth I hold onto the things I have learned like declutter and time management. One of my favorite things is the clean sink. It just makes a big difference to me to wake up to a clean sink. Oh ya, and I love getting up and getting ready before the kids are awake. Makes a huge difference to my day.
I'm excited for you to be taking on the concept and love that Marc is on board to. It helps to keep the sink clean that way. My advice is to take it slow and do as she said, one step at a time. It can be overwhelming when you just want to tackle everything at the same time. GOod luck!
This is good. I've visited flylady in the past, but couldn't get into it. You have inspired me to try again! Funny, the other night I shined the kitchen sink and the following morning I was actually aware of the fact that it made my morning more peaceful. And I don't remember ever knowing about that little tip before.
Thanks for this post, Michelle. I did flylady a few years ago and was very successful and LOVED my clean home. Somehow, I've gotten out of the routine and my house gets more cluttered by the minute. I agree, the website is unbearably cheesy but it does actually work! I'm going to start flying this weeks! Thanks for the motivation!
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