Has anyone successfully used Flylady to get their house/life in order? - Page 3

[rainyday]

Originally Posted by maryjane

This week, I have really focused on establishing some good habits. Every night, I pick out my kids' clothes, clean the kitchen and shine the sink, and pack my kids' lunches for school. Every morning, I swish the toilet and swipe the bathroom sinks and mirrors. Throughout the day, I pick up the toys, shoes, and other bits that have been left out. I can see the routines starting to come together, but I am being careful not to get ahead of myself. Just keeping on top of those few things has made a HUGE difference and I feel so much better. I *love* going into the kitchen in the morning. I *love* knowing that the toilets are clean. I *love* the feeling of peace that comes from not being embarrassed of my home.

Congratulations! Isn't it a great feeling? Having routines and doing things every day makes all the difference. Now I'm working on planning far enough ahead to feel in control even on really hectic days - you know, the days where you have to dash out the door without making beds or giving the bath a wipe or unloading the dishwasher so you can load in the breakfast dishes and then don't get home until after the time dinner needs to be on the table. Those kinds of days still throw me for a loop because I can't do my normal routines. I need to learn how to plan ahead!

Originally Posted by WeasleyMum

*The concept that a load of laundry isn't DONE until it's folded and put away.

This one is huge for me! I wonder why laundry is such a common problem for people.

Originally Posted by maryjane

Just a quick update. I first posted this almost a month ago. Since then, I have done three things consistently:

1) shined my sink (and cleaned up my kitchen) before I go to bed every.single.night

2) swished and swiped my toilets and bathroom sinks every.single.morning (except Saturday, that's my day off!)

3) done one load of laundry (from wash to put away!) every.single.day (except Sat.)

In addition, I have packed my kids' lunches and laid out their clothes at night.

I need to start decluttering for 15 minutes a day, but I wanted to give myself some time to settle with these three accomplishments first. I really want to thank you all for giving me the kick in the behind that I needed!

Congratulations again! It sounds like you're really doing great!:

[Usually Curious]

Two things:

1) Shoes are vile and evil things.

2) If we do a 15 minute 'blessing,' using each of the six able-bodied people in our home, that will give me 90 minutes of cleaning per day, but the kids and dh will only feel like they are doing 15 minutes of chores! Sweet!

Thanks for the thread and congrats on your success!

[Madders]

Flylady does not work for me.

[IsaFrench]

well, I spent 3 -4 hours the other night on the website, writing notes and printing stuff ... it IS full of good ideas ... BUT not always so practical for everyone (or am I just so slow that the "15 minute job" concept doesn't work for me ?)

what I found hilarious is that I've been shining my sink for years now ... all the while thinking I had some sort of personality disorder to spend the little time I had for housechores on that rather than on scrubing the floor or dusting ....

I might pick a few ideas and use a bit more of a plan now ... but I'm certainly not yet able to follow the plan in details ....
overall I would rate the usefulness of the website as "positive" rather than "top marks" ....

[flowmom]

Originally Posted by IsaFrench

overall I would rate the usefulness of the website as "positive" rather than "top marks" ....

I have found the book and the podcasts much more useful than the web site and the emails. I guess it depends on how you learn, but I love that the book lays it all out in a very logical, organized way. And the podcasts are so useful for the attitude adjustments. It really helped me to hear people calling in and talking about the problems that they have in the home and to hear Flylady's responses -- it helped me to understand how to adapt her system better and it underlined how important one's mindset is in the whole process.

15 minutes is a very important concept because we "sidetracked" types get overwhelmed really easily. If we can just convince ourselves to bite off a do-able chunk of a job, it helps us to get started rather than doing nothing. Also, the Flylady system is about getting away from the "do it all at once" mindset. My life doesn't really allow for that mindset any more -- I can't just turn off my kids for a day or two. It's really helpful to realize that people can to huge, amazing things in 15 minute chunks. Those of who are perfectionistic procrastinators need to develop the habit of starting -- and the 15 minute habit is designed to help with that. We also need to get a bit of everything done rather than hyperfocusing on one project and neglecting everything else.

[treegardner]

I tried FLYLady for a long time and it just never worked for me. I am trying out Motivated Moms now. I just ordered the last few weeks of this year for $2. I figured that's a pretty good price to check it out and see if it's worth buying for 2010.

[sweetpeppers]

Originally Posted by completebeginnings

Kids from mom and dad get 3 gifts(like the 3 wisemen) 1 homemade(aprons, capes, blankets, scrapbooks etc.),1 practical (usually new underwear, socks or pj's), and one fun thing (usually what they really want with strong encouragement by mom). Not only has this been cheaper but it really cuts down on the stuff.

I really like this idea. I don't know if I'd be able to stick to it (I spend all year picking up neat things at yard sales, crafts shows, and thrift stores for gifts), but I really like it. I just might steal it.

[sweetpeppers]

Originally Posted by Usually Curious

Two things:

1) Shoes are vile and evil things.

Amen.

[nellfish_momma]

Wow!

So for the past year and a half, I've thought that I was seriously dysfunctional. Me and DH had such high expectations, that the last 18mos has just been a big disappointing, stressful, unhealthy time. Wish I would have found this a long time ago...I started saying last year, about 6 mos in, that I needed a life coach.

Now w/ a 5 yr old and 18 mo old, things are slightly better. 3 d/wk of school has been helpful. But it's still a struggle...and just this week I broke and said I can't handle the pressure anymore, I want to go back to work. BUT this new find of FlyLady or really even this thread has renewed me...I'm not alone. I CAN DO THIS!

The financial strain is also hard to bear. I'm not great with the budget (that's putting it lightly). There is no organization to my life, my home, my budget. WHewww...sounds overwhelming. BUT I love being a mother and spending every moment with my kiddos!

[Savoir Faire]

I personally enjoyed Flylady's book! IT worked so much better than the website for me. We really were doing well until the holidays (which means Halloween on) which have totally screwed me up. Too much crap on extra counters.

You can do it! Good luck!!!

[CariOfOz]

I subbed to flylady several years ago and liked it pretty well. Of course, I don't have a problem with deleting emails, but some people feel the need to read every one and that boggs you down. I used the subject lines only.. I read the subject of the emails in the morning and made my poda and deleted the emails once they were completed.

I have to say though, the emails and tasks therein were NOT what got my house into shape. It was the decluttering! Decluttering for at least 15minutes a day in whatever zone it was time for really made the difference.