If you grew up like I did, you had a mother who constantly nagged at you to do your chores. I never voluntarily cleaned my room because I knew that at some point it would be a punishment or at best a reason to get me out of my mom's sight (and who can blame parents for needing some time to themselves?). "Go clean your room!" was not a gentle suggestion, but a command issued in an impatient voice.
So it is, I conjecture, that cleaning house is not a pleasant, looked-forward-to activity in my life. I generally wait until either the clutter is too much or I am expecting guests, then I race around for half a day and end up exhausted and wondering why I do this to myself.
I resolve to keep up as I go, and then I get caught up in a project or an outing and I find myself back at square one. Self help books? I've tried them, and generally find that they're of the most help to the author.
I have a point here-- please bear with me!
While quilting with the Broads on Tuesday, Pat mentioned by way of conversation that her daughter was a big fan of Fly Lady. Huh??!? Who the dickens is Fly Lady? I envisioned a comic superhero complete with cape and googly eyes that pestered everyone and parked at picnics. Turns out that Fly Lady has a Yahoo Group and a system to help hopeless folks like me learn to be organized and keep their homes clean all the time.
Don't believe me? Take a look at this.
I joined the group, which is an announcement-only group so that you are not flooded with messages from over 300,000 members whose particular needs do not concern you. The first thing I was asked to do is to Shine The Sink.
"This is your first household chore. Many of you can't understand why I want you to empty your sink of your dirty dishes and clean and shine it, when there is so much more to do. It is so simple. I want you to have a sense of accomplishment. You have struggled for years with a cluttered home and you are so beaten down. I just want to put a smile on your face. When you get up the next morning, your sink will greet you and a smile will come across your lovely face. I can't be there to give you a big hug, but I know how good it feels to see yourself in your kitchen sink. So each morning this is my gift to you. Even though I can't be there to pat you on the back, I want you to know that I am very proud of you.
Go shine your sink! - FlyLady"
Baby steps, she says-- you didn't get here in one day and you can't change it all in a day. I like this.
The irony of it all is that although I am rather opposed to organized religion for myself, it seems I am all for religion in organizing. This is actually a lot of fun and just might work. I am dressed to my shoes, my bed is made and my sink is very, very shiny.
Posted by Sheila at June 30, 2005 09:42 AM Posted to Family | FlyLady | TrackBackI enjoy reading your blog -- your creativity is inspiring and your poodle is way cute!
I'm delurking to sing the praises of FlyLady. She is a lovely cheerleader (albeit occasionally hardnosed), and can really help you get a system going that works for you. She's big on not beating yourself up, but she has no time for excuses, either. I'm not currently subscribing to her, but I check back in when I want some support.
Best wishes, martha
shined my sink-however it turned me into a sink nazi-GET THAT DISH OUT OF THE SINK!!! Put it in the oven instead. Geeeez mon!
self help books never give you these tips (some of which i picked up as a motel maid with an iron fisted boss so we were driven to trick her...right?)
1. if the counter is clean and the chrome is shiny the bathroom appears clean. If company is coming i open the top drawers and sweep everything from the count into them. scrubbing bubbles the chrome and shower and turn the rugs over. DONE!
2. The oven is your friend. As is the cabinet under the sink when company comes. Every dirty dish goes either in the oven (remove the temp knob first however) or in the pan under the sink. ok I'll admit it, i have a large plastic garbage can for the dishes but your needs may be more modest)
Wipe down the table, scrubbing bubbles the chrome and sink. DONE!
3. start at the front door and put every out of place thing into a garbage bag or large tub as you walk thru the house on a path a guest might take. Shove this under the bed or in a closet. DONE!
4. make the bed, floor clothes go under the bed or behind the pillows to "plump" them up DONE!
see how easy? people think i am really clean and say gee your house is always so clean. Bwa hahahahahahahaha.
tanya where is sherlock?
Flylady is just wonderful! She may be hard-nosed--but, her approach is so kind and gentle. Happy Flying!
Posted by: Mary on June 30, 2005 02:13 PMIlove Flylady. She really does know the path to peace, I think.
Posted by: Judy H. on June 30, 2005 05:58 PMIve done the flylady thing a few times. Yep my sink sure gets shiney and yes she is good with the baby steps but..... the darned checking emails to find a directive[drink my water and put my feet up!] had me wondering if the fly babies managed to get away from their computer long enough to do the tasks. I keep wishing she would put up a calender of stuff to do so I could get my ass offa the chair ;^>
Posted by: elka on June 30, 2005 11:59 PMBeen trying to do flylady for the last three months. It is helping, but definitely babysteps... My sink is shiny about 80% of the time... unless I have a bad week.
Posted by: noonie on July 1, 2005 12:00 AMHow funny, Sheila! I just rejoined the FlyLady group yesterday. I'm notorious for starting things and then not keeping up, but I have to say that FlyLady really made an impact. I started it about two years ago. Unsubscribed eventually, but just realized that I've been shining my sink on a daily basis without even thinking about it. And definitely doing the 27 fling boogie at least once a week. I've rejoined to get a handle on my zones. My zones are not too pretty these days!
:)Fly, baby, Fly!!
Posted by: Mary on July 1, 2005 04:58 PM