[[ ARTICLE FROM JANUARY 2016]]
HOW CAN I MAKE THE
FLYLADY SYSTEM WORK FOR ME?
Why do I love the Flylady
system? Because it’s simple. It isn’t rocket science and we aren’t reinventing
the wheel. It’s just good old common sense. We are putting the tasks that we
do, every day of our lives, into simple routines. Which saves us time, energy
and stress. We’re decluttering our homes and offices in small, manageable
steps.
For me, the Flylady
system takes the chaos out of running my home and my family. I finally got rid
of the clutter in my house. And the clutter between my ears…
So why are you reading
this? Why isn’t the Flylady system working for you?
The answer is consistency and accountability.
Let’s start with consistency.
Do you have a Morning
Routine? Mine is this:
Make my bed, head to the bathroom and dress to shoes/put on makeup,
Swish n’ Swipe the bathroom. Put a load in the washing machine, eat breakfast, run the dishwasher.
I do my Morning
Routine in the same order, every single day. I’ve been doing it for so long
that I do it automatically, without thinking. I’m on autopilot. I love starting
off my day with a plan, and with a spring in my step.
But what about
weekends – you ask? Don’t you ever take a day ‘off’? When I first started
Flylady I would skip my Routines at the weekend. Hey, the kids were starting to
sleeping late, so there was no need for me to get up so early. So I enjoyed my
long lie in, did laundry when (or should that be ‘if’?) I thought about it, and
let the dishes pile up in the sink. I took the weekends ‘off’ and put my
Routines on the back burner for those days. And you know what’s coming next, don’t
you? I learned the hard way that skipping my Routines allowed the chaos to come
sliding right back in. I didn’t like the way that felt! I realised that doing
my Routines isn’t more work but less work. Wow, imagine that. I save
time and energy because I’m piggybacking tasks. And I save myself from that
horrible feeling of not knowing what I need to do, or what to do next.
But, hey, don’t you ever have a long lie in – I hear you
ask? Oh yes, yes, I do! I spend a lot of time in bed on weekend mornings, enjoying
a cup of coffee and checking my phone or reading a book. But – and here comes
the important part – as soon as I finally get out of bed, as soon as my feet
hit the floor, I do my Morning Routine. And then I’m ready for whatever the day
throws at me.
But what about those
times when ‘life’ happens – I hear you ask? Those days that I’m feeling blue,
one of the kids is ill, there is an emergency at home, the death of a loved
one. When I feel like I’m on a carousel and am hanging on for dear life… These
are the very times that I need my Routines the most. I am on automatic pilot.
My Routines (repetitive and strangely comforting) help me to get through the
day and cope.
By being consistent with our Routines and
decluttering, everything else falls into place.
And the accountability part?
That’s where I can help!
I will hold your hand as you begin to declutter and build routines. I’ll help
you tweak the routines to your circumstances and challenges. I understand what
you’re going through. Trust me, I’ve been there before. I’ll keep you
accountable because I’m right there with you, every step of the way. On both
the good days and the bad days.
Accountability comes
in many shapes and forms. I can give you a gentle nudge. Or maybe what you really
need is a kick up the bahookie?!
But, perhaps most
importantly, I’m here to stop you from crashing and burning. I’ll encourage
you, but pull you back when you’re pushing yourself too hard. I’ll make sure
that you get there because we will be doing it together. In babysteps.
Good luck!
Diane in Denmark
January 2016