First of all, a big thank you to SingToTheSky for leading us through the August thread, (you can park your mop and hang up your duster now)
If you are struggling with C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (Something That Undermines Family Fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of support and chatter along the way.
The FlyLady link is here . Don't be put off by the twee language of the site – we all agree that the underlying system is very effective.
This little-and-often system is designed so that you can follow a series of steps and routines each day (which gradually become second nature) in zones of the house which are designated weekly; defining and minimising housework - which in theory should leave you with loads more time to do something more interesting instead.
At the same time it is intended to reduce that panicky "rabbit in headlights" feeling when you are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once. No problem if you miss a day or two; just jump right back in and it will all come around again next month.
It's up to you, but we advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be swamped with marketing nonsense. All the information you need will be linked here on a daily basis.
From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's steps and routines using a three-pronged approach (dependent on the stage everyone is at):
- start or repeat baby steps
- repeat baby steps + do 15 minutes a day decluttering in the current zone
- reinforce baby steps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.
- And if you are really enthusiastic and have finished decluttering - you can go on to detailed deep cleaning in each zone.
There are three key points to keep in mind throughout:
- No perfectionism allowed - this is harder than you would imagine and many of us on this thread struggle with this one.
- You are never behind - just start where you are and anything you do is progress.
- It didn't get into a mess overnight, it won't get tidy over night - accept it will take time to get on top of things and you will be happier.
If you are new; then trying to spend 15mins decluttering daily and doing the baby steps is a good way to start. Some of us (mentioning no names) can have scary looking ‘ta-da’ lists but don't let that worry you. Do what you can, anything is better than nothing, and don't judge yourself against others.
If all else fails, a 
+ the power of three technique + a bit of support on here can work wonders.
Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings.
Don’t let it put you off if we appear a bit cliquey, we really aren’t. Some of us have been on here for years – but all lurkers, intermittent returnees, oldies and newcomers very, very welcome.
SingToTheSky put together a glossary of the many weird and might-seem-a-bit-cliquey terms. We have been going a long time but we always love newbies - hopefully this list will help you settle in.
KCC - the Keep Calm Corner, invented by our lovely Fledgling SC back in March, where the OP posts nice diverting links, memes, questions etc to distract us from the pandemic.
Ta Da - instead of a to do list (which is of course welcome too) we often post our achievements, with accompanying jazz hands, in order to celebrate the positives, however small they seem! Sometimes if we want to share an embarrassed giggle/commiserations we also post a ta didn’t - the stuff we didn’t get done!
BRC - Bag/Box of Random Crap. These are usually formed when we are panic tidying and shove anything in “to sort later” which is also known as a stash and dash .
Power of Three or PO3 - the idea that if you’re feeling really unmotivated/overwhelmed by your to do list, you just choose three things to do, and then post when you’ve done them.
DLMS - didn’t lose my shit - in other words, somehow stayed relatively calm despite a stressful day!
SS/S&S - Swish and Swipe - this is one of the key parts of the morning routine, a quick once over of the bathroom.
And a few basics:
LOL - load of laundry
WM - washing machine
TD - tumble dryer
DW - dishwasher
HSL - hallway, stairs, landing