My apologies first off for not being around the earlier part of this week. With working on this series, my $100 Amazon/PayPal Giveaway coming up on April 11th, and Tre’s 10th Birthday Blowout party on March 16th – I was burning the candle at both ends and they finally met and gave way in the middle. I had a seizure on Monday, and any time I have a seizure it puts me out of commission for a few days. I’m still not 100% back to normal – but I’m going to try and get this post out to you today.
With that said – welcome to Installment #2 of the Spring Cleaning – Procrastination Ends Here Series!
Last week we talked about the Cozi calendar system and how it can seriously get everything in your life organized. I don’t know what I would do without mine. I have it on my Acer tablet, on my phone, and on my desktop as well. My calendar is always just a touch away when I need it.
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Flying!
Today I’m going to introduce you to FlyLady. For those of you who don’t know who (or what) Flylady does, she’s a wonderful woman who teaches you how to master the monster that is your home – or so it seems now. When Marla is done with you – you’ll wonder how you ever managed without her!
The Flying Plan is simple – start small, jump in where you are, and don’t try to catch up. You have to start with the basics before you begin any new project, and getting your home in shape for Spring is the same thing. Doing these simple, daily routines, will help your home run on automatic pilot – and you too! The first step is to shine your sink. I know, sounds crazy, right? But I can personally attest to the fact that there is nothing more pleasing than to wake up to a sink that is shining, clean, and empty of dirty dishes!
Marla takes you through day by day – for an entire month – and tells you how to get on the Flying Plan taking baby steps. Your house didn’t get in this condition overnight, and it damn sure ain’t gonna fix itself overnight either.
I’m not going to lie and say that I’m a full-blown Flybaby because I’m not. However, I have taken her general principles of shining your sink, doing a hour home blessing each and every day, getting dressed to my lace-up shoes and making my bed every morning, and then following the flight plan for the day. Some days I get more done than others – but it always helps to know that there are others out there struggling right along with me.
Marla has a Launch Pad which gives you the starting point for the following:
I suggest bookmarking the Flight Plan link – as each of the instructions for each section change on a daily basis – and keeps you from having to wonder what to do next. You can sign up to receive the emails and you’ll get your daily reminders right in your inbox and never even have to visit the site – along with plenty of inspirational messages from other Flybabies just like you!
Every morning when I get up, I do the following:
-
Get dressed
-
Shoes on – the kind you have to lace up and not slip on!
-
Put your face on
-
Make the bed
-
Hour Home Blessing – this entails a quick pickup in all of the rooms and putting things where they belong, running a feather duster around the furniture, and swishing the toilets and wiping down the bathroom counters as well as making sure the kitchen counter is cleaned off, dishwasher running, and sink shining while the coffee perks
-
Review my control journal – my control journal is my bible. It has my calendar, the bills and due dates, my blog schedule and ideas, important family information, etc. at my fingertips. You can read more about building a control journal like Marla’s here.
My day takes shape from there. If there are other things that need to be done that day, I add them to my to do list and work my way down the list. I’m a list girl. As long as I have something to check off to give me a sense of accomplishment – I’m all for it!
In the evenings, I do the following:
-
Make sure the book bags are packed and ready for school the next day;
-
clothes are laid out for the kids and the man thing;
-
the sink is empty and shining again and ready to go;
-
a load of laundry is in the washing machine so that all I need to do in the morning is add detergent and press start;
-
review my journal for what is coming up tomorrow and plan accordingly.
It’s rather simple once you get the hang of it – but every new routine requires at least seven consecutive days of doing for it to become a routine.
So that is your challenge. Look over the FlyLady plans and zones, figure out what is going to work best for you and write it down. Implement it into your daily plan. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it all done every day. Do what you can each day and strive to make it part of your NEW daily routine.
Before you know it … you’ll be flying too!
Hits: 203