New Year, Fresh Start with Flylady

[HazelNotHungryLC]

Are you looking to finally getting into a new routine with housework? Something simple to start that can be easy to add to over time? Flylady may be the answer for you!

This is a long running thread, but we are a friendly bunch and all are welcome to join in.

Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - it's an excessive amount sent every day.

There are Baby Steps for starting out, add one thing at a time to start good habits and routines.

There are 5 zones that we will rotate through, don't worry about finishing it all this month, it'll come around again next month! Flylady is NOT about perfectionism!

Daily missions: each day of the week has a different mission.

• Monday: Home Blessing (or as we call it, home bleugh)
• Tuesday: plan & play
• Wednesday: anti-procrastination
• Thursday: errand day
• Friday: clean car & purse out. It's also date night (with your significant other, or friends, or yourself!)
• Saturday: family fun day
• Sunday: renew your spirit

Common acronyms we use:

• LOL: load of laundry (washing is certainly NOT funny!)
• DW: dishwasher, we are not rotating wives by any means, although an extra pair of hands could come in handy sometimes 😆
• LMS: lose/lost my shit
• DNLMS: did not lose my shit

There are more, feel free to ask us to explain something. I'll try to update links every day, although if you can, it's worth downloading the app, you can even have it send you notifications (although I only have it for when the zones change). You can also modify the tick lists to suit your home & lifestyle.

Links are below 👇 if I happen to not add links in time, they do update at midnight for you. I am in the US, 7 hours behind the UK, so I'll do my best.

Launch Pad: https://www.flylady.net/d/new-links/
Zones: https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/
Baby Steps: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

Oooh, spotted you! Thanks @HazelNotHungryLC , good namechange!

I'm in with a new year name change! I have slackened off over the last couple of months but back on board as from now.
I find flylady helps my mental wellbeing, not just my home. Thank you @HazelNotHungryLC

Thank you ED 😊 and thank you for running the December thread!
Welcome @MrsBellsBoots! I have been slacking with flylady routines & zones and need to get back on track. Hopefully being thread leader this month will help!

Can I join you? I use a few Flylady techniques discovered years ago when DC were toddlers. But I don't do the whole routine and am ready to upgrade to it.

Hi all, signing in! Thanks ED for December and thanks Hazel for taking on January!

Welcome owl and bells 💐

Love the name changes ED and hazel 😁

Or rather welcome back bells 😁

I am pondering my aims for the new year. I feel a bit in limbo TBH with no idea when H will find somewhere else to live. But I need to find ways of starting to reclaim my life space while he’s still here!

Getting my place. Absolutely have to get organised this year.
Anxiety is really bad and makes me shut down at home and not do anything. Hoping to be able to schedule worrying time and find what I can resolve and try and stop the should, could, would voice.
Am going to try and think of a 2024 To Do list so have positive, achievable goals.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year

Hi shannara sorry the anxiety is bad 💐

In the audiobook I just finished the author mentions a daily meditation habit. 20 minutes of just letting your mind wander - it’s absolutely NOT about having a perfectly blank mind or anything like that, it’s just about giving yourself the time and space to think rather than having those thoughts fighting for attention all day. The person he described actually used some of the time to think through to do lists etc and found it helpful. I wonder if you would too 💐

I’m going to try and do this in January as while I spend a lot of time staring into space or doing nothing it’s never a calm, intentional time to myself IYSWIM. I do it because I’m overwhelmed by life. Maybe deliberately taking some time will be helpful.

Oops left it too long to edit - I meant to say, your mention of having specific worrying time is a good idea!

Happy new year! crashes into thread and wakes everybody up 💤💥 🥳🎉⚡🎊😁 and now to bed 😴

Thanks for the new thread Hazel

Welcome...shit what's your name again? frantically scrolls back up thread...Owl, hi 👋

Welcome back Bells I'm too dang tired to work out who you are right now

Liking the new name ED, thanks for last month's thread

Sing my brain likes to do that all night while I'm trying to sleep brain 🧠...if you're listening 👂...STFU!

Good luck with the getting organised in 2024 Shanara. Same aim here. We have to be optimistic, right?!

Welcome owl isn't it great how some things really stick with us? Here's to hoping we can all improve and add to our routines to make our lives easier 🤞
shannara I'm sorry to hear about your anxiety 💐 it sounds like you were thinking the same as Sing great minds and all that!
I hope things work out for you and finding your new normal Sing I'm crossing my fingers for you that H will move out soon 🤞
Ditzy I love the name change!

Happy New Year everyone! 🥳

I'm in bed after having family and friends over (it's 1am here). We have mostly cleared up already so not much to do tomorrow.

Monday is the day for the home bleugh as we like to call it, quickly run the vacuum through, empty bins, change the sheets, you know, everything that actually takes longer than an hour to do! I usually end up doing that on Tuesdays, but that's because I don't work that day, so it works best for me. If you need to change up the days, so be it!
You can also break it down into smaller chunks over the whole week, if need be.

This week we are in zone 1, the entryway.
Monday's mission is to shake out our front step mats and sweep the porch.

This month's habit is shining the sink. As flylady says, there's more than one way to get the job done. You can scrub it however it works for you, with whatever you have on hand. Once you are done, dry it and use window cleaner. Buff it out to a nice shine.
Try to do this every night, it's really worth walking into the kitchen in the morning to an empty, shiny sink!

Launch Pad: https://www.flylady.net/d/new-links/
Zones: https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/
Baby Steps: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a lovely festive period.

I plan to properly get back on it this month. My brain was too focused on Christmas and hosting in December.

My dishwasher has broken and I’ve been unable to fix it myself so am doing all our hundreds of dishes by hand which is a slog. The dishwasher does make quite a good draining rack though 😆

Hotspots that are bugging me:
Food cupboards -got messy over Christmas and are still overfilled
Board games -got new ones for Christmas so need to go through and reorganise
Craft stuff (kids)- need to get the kids to do some of the craft kits to get rid of them
Toiletries - everyone got new stuff for Christmas and the cupboard is a mess.

I’m place marking- used to do Fly Lady years ago and it worked really well. Just need a kick up my butt!!

Thank you for Decembers thread @EffortlessDelegation and to @HazelNotHungryLC for running this months 💐

I tried to change the name to searching for sanity, but that user name was taken so snow it is - we are going to have a cold snap according to the weather but not cold enough here for snow ⛄️ but I can still search for it !

We had a lovely evening last night , music and dancing with the annual just dance and mario kart game off ! Dd1 chose to stay at home rather than going out to parties, she has been working hard to save up for her lessons, car and Insurance whilst off college and she's shattered❤️ I'm feeling much better, however eating is still a bit of a struggle. Hopefully today I will feel 100% !

Today's plan is just to do a general tidy and cook a roast dinner , we have mil coming over for food . I also want to paint my toenails in a bid to look after myself more during 2024. Full flylady mode will begin tomorrow (although I may spend 15 mins decluttering the entrance / stairs / landing today ready for cleaning tomorrow depending how the day goes )

Welcome back @MrsBellsBoots and @Shannaratiger ! Sorry to hear your anxiety is bad shannara 💐

Welcome @OwlWeiwei & @JMAngel1

@SingToTheSky you are in a predicament, is H any closer to finding somewhere to live ? Meditation sounds like a good habit to get into ! Which book was you listening to ? I use crafts to have my switch off time which I plan to do more of . I have a couple of crochet projects to finish and I'm going to try cross stitch for a bit of a change . Those that I know that meditate started off with just doing a short time , maybe 2 minutes then building up the time if you find 20 minutes too long .

What an entrance into the first 2024 thread @ItsieDitzyBitsOfOnionInTheSoup !!

December is always tricky to stay on track with routines @TheMainCharacter hope you enjoyed the festivities 💐

Placemarking!

Morning everyone

Sing sounds weird but I actually find washing up very calming so think I will try and do my organised worrying at the same time. Have just downloaded a Kindle book to try.
Owl welcome back
LC thanks for taking on the New Year's thread.

To Do today, tomorrow or sometime this week (reducing stress inducing pressure)

Put Christmas Decs away, cleared space to put them out so should be looking not too bad.
Sort DS's savings accounts
Discuss college/ futures with DS. Think I'm going to back off and let him discuss options with college and help if asked.
Help Dd fill out her tesco application online form.
Take photos and upload to local FB giving away site - DS's old chest of drawers fine but need runners sorted, 4 drawers of lego and DS's old clothes that he has grown out of, he's now 6ft 5!

Right time to get decs away before doing pancakes for me and DS.

Have a great day everyone

Tada
🩱searched for appropriate emoji for tadas for January - settled on swimsuit because I am joining a January shred group and seeing a swim costume emoji may help keep up the healthy eating momentum ??
🩱 dining room table cleared of New Year's Eve party leftovers and will be set for meal later on (currently being used for Lego and car building )
🩱 washed and dressed , mascara and lippy !
🩱 made beds , washing gathered, bathroom bin emptied and fresh towels out

We keep our decs up until 5th Jan @Shannaratiger , although I have taken down Christmas cards, will be washing Christmas duvet covers tomorrow and will potter gathering bits and bobs through the week . Pancakes sound yum!!

Happy New Year everyone!

I've just boxed up all the decorations (and given them a light declutter). The small storage room they need to go in though has turned into a mess again (DH just dumps stuff in there - we converted the loft and the main bit is DH's office, but the other side of the stairs is a small store room, so very convenient for him to just shove stuff in...grrr...it is always me who has to sort it out).

Whilst sorting out the decorations came across the ones that DS bought in the John Lewis sale last year. I don't like them. I think DS (then 18) thought they were a really good bargain (reduced from £10 down to £2.50) but they are all white/pink (his GF at the time was with him and I think helped choose them) and not to my taste at all/will clash with other decorations. I think he thought I would give him the money - I didn't! I feel like I need to keep them though. Minor angst I know. I'm getting a clutter rage on!

I need to stop this and follow FL! Zone 1/home bleughing...

I'd lose the decs House I'll bet DS has forgotten he's ever bought them

I need to lose the Christmas pounds too Snow

You're off to a good start with decluttering Shanara

Welcome to the thread Angel

I always tidy before bed too Hazel I can't relax laying there knowing I'll wake up to mess

Hotspots are a big thing here too Character. Good point about craft stuff, I need to do mine too. Have a habit of buying more than there's time for

Ta-da's:

🎄Morning routine
🎄Home blessings
🎄Washing up that I should have done last night
🎄Checked the bin schedule, can't stand this every 3 weeks system it's impossible to get into a routine where I automatically remember if it's bin day or not

Hello people and HNY!

I’m pinning this thread and hopefully won’t fall off and lose it.

Swinging back in to LoL routine this morning. Also boxes everywhere while I sort out years of panicked stash-and-dash. I keep thinking I’ve finished then have to start again when the scales fall from my eyes (a couple of times a year.)

Thank you @ItsieDitzyBitsOfOnionInTheSoup - I think I will lose them, you're right - he's probably forgotten. They weren't mentioned this year anyway. I've already put the boxes away now, so they can go next Christmas!

I feel like I am stalling now over-angsting about the clutter in zone 1. I should probably just concentrate on cleaning it. The clutter all has a home and is well organised, even if it is stuff that hasn't been used in a very long time...

Count me in. I spent 3 days over Xmas organising cupboards of doom, I instantly feel better. I need to carry on my good intentions and keep organised.

Hello all, I’ll try and join in more this year but still just doing the basics for now. Sorted the calendar for this year so that’s hung up, put some wrapping paper and general rubbish in the bins and need to do more of that. I’ve found that since having a few days off over the Christmas period, I need to force myself to do cleaning and other housework again, anyone else feel the same?

Happy New Year