First of all, if you love a clean house, if you've always been good at keeping down the clutter, and dusting and sweeping and mopping, you do not need Flylady. Look at your ceiling fans: If they don't have dust-balls hanging from the edges, you likely don't need Flylady. You probably dust them at least a couple of times a month, right?
Flylady is for dysfunctional housewives (and husbands and singles) who were born without the "clean gene". These are not necessarily lazy people. Many of them hold down a job, or garden and can the produce, and/or enjoy regularly cooking meals. But you'll notice dust on the furniture; the refrigerator always needs some attention; there will be a couple of dirty dishes in the sink and clean dishes stacked in the drainer, and the trash cans are constantly full.
I just described my normal self.
There are certain precepts that are inherent in the Flylady doctrine. For instance, you never have to do any kind of housework for over fifteen minutes at a time. Flylady's website has a timer you can buy.
WARNING! Anything Flylady sells on her site can be purchased much more cheaply elsewhere (perhaps not in purple, and perhaps not with cute little sayings... but still), so save your money and search the Internet for similar products to hers.
Flylady divides your house into zones, and has you concentrating on that zone for a given amount of time so that after a month, your whole house has been cleaned thoroughly. Don't worry, there's a whole-house cleaning once a week, too, called "house-blessing".
If your house is in bad shape, you aren't supposed to do the zone work until you get a few other things down pat.
You begin by shining your sink. In my case, this step begins with putting away the clean dishes.
Next day you start putting on your shoes.
There are all sorts of decluttering opportunities along the way.
If Flylady still sounds like something you could use, go ahead and try her. It certainly can't hurt. I'm going to think about it while I clean out my refrigerator.
You described my normal self perfectly also, Donna :) IN fact, I love FlyLady.. and my house is in order for a Crisis Cleaning 101 attack. Yes, I *should* never let it get to that point, but unfortunately.. it's the way I roll. I'm always 'jumping in where I'm at' to try to tackle the CHAOS. Thanks for the dose of FlyLady - happy fridge cleaning! -Tammy
ReplyDeleteShoes? Shoes belong outside (or by the door). But I'd sure like sombody to come by once a week to "bless" the house!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the part about not putting on shoes. Apparently, going barefoot increases pressure on certain "reflexology" points on the sole of the foot that can have health benefits. Yea! Finally a reason to go barefoot
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to shine my sink or clean my ceiling fan, but that shoe business? notsomuch.
ReplyDeleteYes, she calls us SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executives), and that's just exactly what I am and what I have always been. I can be SO well-organized. I cook almost every day. I know how to scrub and get out stains and do maintenance tasks. But oh how I do get sidetracked, and then it just gets overwhelming. Did you know FlyLady has a weekly podcast? It's very energizing to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI need a quick lesson or two from the FlyLady to get me back on track. Right now overwhelmed describes it.
ReplyDeleteI have a love/hate relationship with fly lady. I love some of her ideas but I hate some of them too like putting shoes on the minute you get out of bed. I go barefoot until my arches fall even more and then I put on some flip flops.
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