Monday, May 2, 2005

a Flylady update

Some of you were reading this blog when I discovered Flylady, so you may remember how enthusiastically I wrote about her plan to declutter a home.  I haven't mentioned her lately, so I wanted to let you know I'm still flying... sometimes... rather close to the ground.

I'm not following all of her plan to the letter.  It's spring, and sometimes I choose a horseback ride over "fifteen minutes in my zone".  I delete most of the e-mails her group sends out.  Is it really necessary to ask me where my shoes are three times a day?  Or ask where my laundry is? 

However, many of the changes she helped me initiate have become permanent.  Enough so that Cliff sings Flylady's praises often.

Only once in the past three months have I gone to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.  Except for that one lapse, I make sure my sink is shining every night before I go to bed, no matter how sleepy I am.  If there are dirty dishes sitting around, I put them in a dishpan under the sink, since I don't have a dishwasher.  The dishdrainer that always sat on the counter, full of clean dishes, is no longer in evidence.  I dry dishes and put them away now.

I don't "swish and swipe" the bathroom every morning as I'm supposed to, but I get to it at least two or three times a week, without fail.

When we leave the house to go someplace, I do a quick scan of the kitchen and hallway and ask myself, "Is this what I want to see when I return home?"  Unless I'm in a huge rush, I turn around and fix it, if it looks cluttered.

Every Monday, I "bless my house".  I haven't missed one Monday since I signed up with Flylady.  This is an allover, quick housecleaning... vaccuuming in the middles of the rooms, mopping the non-carpeted surfaces, dusting with a feather duster.  What did I do before?  Well, I'd mop when the floors got so bad I couldn't stand them... or when Cliff grumbled enough.  My vacuum might have gotten used once a month, if that.  I really had gotten to the point that I didn't notice dust at all.

My cluttered upstairs is STILL a mess, although I've thrown lots of stuff away.  I am supposed to spend five minutes (that's all) each day in the messiest part of my house.  This is one simple habit I still need to develop, because it's amazing what five minutes will do.  And it's over before you know it.

So I am still a Flybaby.  But who'd have thought my housekeeping habits would improve at age 60? 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, there is hope for me then cos I am older than you lol!!! I do not leave dirty pans in the sink anyway. Try to keep ahead of things.  Happy cleaning.

Anonymous said...

LOL, I was wondering last week if you were still doing the Flylady thingy since you haven't mentioned her in a while. Happy cleaning to you. I need to get off my you know what and do some de-cluttering myself.  Especially the dusting and straigntening up of clutter on my computer end of the den. I would hate to have to take a pic of it & describe everyting & then post it. LOL

Anonymous said...

I've been cleaning, myself...getting rid of clothes that don't fit and that sort of thing, but I'll admit...my vacuum has a decent layer of dust on it.  :-P  Although, with this new puppy, I've had to start...::ahem::  mopping more regularly....LOL

~Amy

Anonymous said...

Thank God Donna, You are human. It would take flylady and her whole army to declutter my home, but I don't care...it doesn't bother me.   Anne

Anonymous said...

Oh, I love this entry.  I'm following suit!
I love having less to do on the weekend b/c I've done part of it already during the week.
No dreading the bathroom cleaning now.  It has a schedule of getting the big cleaning every Saturday morning after my Saturday shower.  Then during the week it just get's a clean swipe of anything that looks amiss.  
I only do one 27 fling boogie per week.   Every Friday night, I go thru my purse and book bag to throw away any of the week's clutter or receipts.  
The zone work, I try to do some during the week and some on the weekends.  I'm pretty organized anyway, so some of my zone work is done.  But it causes me to notice some things I might not otherwise....like going thru my videos and games in the living room.  We got rid of a lot this week of things we don't want.
I always keep my sink shiny too and I do a 15 minute "pick up" of the house before I go to bed.  
I too, keep the emails coming to remind me of things, and to get the zone of the week, but delete the ones I don't want.  
I bless my house in my PJs and barefoot on Saturday mornings.....then after the shower and bathroom clean I will take out trash.  LOL!  No one better come to my door on Saturday morning.  LOL!
So fun sharing!  And I love flying too....
Sonya

Anonymous said...

You're an inspiration, girlfriend !! If you can change at 60 - guess there's hope for me at 57 1/2 !  Have a great evening.
    skisseberth [Sue]