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/

@JMAngel1 wow that’s a very long and satisfying list! Can’t imagine ever having an empty kitchen cupboard!

@SingToTheSky look after yourself, sometimes I think you need to just listen to your body and let yourself be

@cosypompoms sorry to hear you’ve had a tough weekend. I had pmdd for years but fortunately taking citalopram and vitamin b6 for a couple of years helped me. Very lucky really as DP was never understanding and we used to have huge rows every month. For me it was always worse around ovulation then I’d get one day or so before my period so it took ages to make the connection and see the GP

@HazelNotHungryLC , they did help a bit… I’m just really fed up with them at the moment. I work really hard to keep on top of the house and none of them respect it. Constant trail of stuff not put away, spills not wiped up, crumbs scattered…

Today’s tadas
🌞Morning routine
🌞School run 🥳
🌞pick up dp from garage
🌞pop to Lidl for a few bits
🌞take stuff to charity shop
🌞treat mould around our and dd bedroom windows
🌞dust bedrooms x3
🌞vacuum bedrooms x3
🌞hang out lol (outside for the third day running woo hoo!)
🌞finish yesterday’s lol in dryer, fold, put away
🌞remove table that was under Christmas tree from living room, realise there’s nowhere for it to live now we’ve moved some other stuff around.

To do
fly zone stuff
dry and fold another lol
school run
take dp back to garage?
dinner
activities run

@ProfessorplumBilliardroomCandlestick i keep finding rogue Christmas decorations too. Making a pile then will shove them in the top box regardless of which they should be in 😆 Hope you’re fully over your stomach bug.

Oh and @HazelNotHungryLC great news about your back!

@SingToTheSky oh gosh solidarity on the Diet Coke front - I’m trying to give it up too / it’s so hard!
@TheMainCharacter wow you have a busy day. You have just reminded me that I need to attack mould in the corner of the main bathroom - never had mould there before but now have two teenage girls who like to have hot showers that last at least 30 minutes at a time 😱

@JMAngel1 what a brilliant list! Fantastic well done.

@TheMainCharacter did your pmdd ever go away? I'm desperate for help to get better.
Your list is looking great too, fantastic.

✅ made so much soup I don't know what to do with it all.
✅ cleaned the downstairs
✅ took kids to soft play
✅ put up some birthday decorations

@JMAngel1 I’m feeling quite energised and motivated at the moment so getting lots done while I can! Next week I’ll probably want to lie around doing nothing 🤣

@cosypompoms I now suffer from what I’d class normal pmt. So I’m still very affected by my hormones but nothing like how it used to be. It’s awful suffering and even telling myself it was hormones exaggerating stuff didn’t help with the feelings of despair/rage/ melancholy

quick list update
Morning routine
🌞School run 🥳
🌞pick up dp from garage
🌞pop to Lidl for a few bits
🌞take stuff to charity shop
🌞treat mould around our and dd bedroom windows
🌞dust bedrooms x3
🌞vacuum bedrooms x3
🌞hang out lol (outside for the third day running woo hoo!)
🌞finish yesterday’s lol in dryer, fold, put away
🌞remove table that was under Christmas tree from living room, realise there’s nowhere for it to live now we’ve moved some other stuff around.
🌞fly zone stuff- cleaned worktops, windowsill and tiles in kitchen, cleaned microwave, cleaned out toaster, wiped over appliances
🌞dry and fold another lol
🌞school run
take dp back to garage?
🌞dinner
🌞activities run x2
🌞 last minute lol as ds needed something for tomorrow

Now for sleep

Lots of flying going on, I'm impressed!

Everyone is officially done working inside our house, so now things can get put away where they belong 😍 it's almost time to celebrate 🥳

We did move things back in the spare bedroom and moved around a few things in the workout/ closet room.
I just turned the DW on and calling it a night!

Tuesday is plan & play day.

Tuesday's mission is to wipe down the doors of your kitchen cabinets. I like to use dish soap and hot water myself.

Zones: https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/

Baby step #9: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-9/

This dropped off my list gah! Trying to catch up and get inspired.

Does anyone have any tips when you’re just too exhausted to do anything but keeping on top of the basics? I’m physically disabled so doing anything like decluttering seems so hard right now

Someone on here gave me a tip so maybe it’ll help you. If you go to “I’m on” and click the three little dots and pin, you can pin it to the top of “I’m on” so you’ll never lose it

For me, that's Flylady: 5 minute room rescues (tidy the big ugly clutter that makes a room look depressing and unloved in 5 minutes.) It is stunning what a difference 5 mins makes. Do that on the hour every hour 5-7 days a week and you really do notice the difference.

Then 10 minutes in each room for the weekly home blessing which used to be 1 hour, 6 rooms or parts of the house (e.g. hallway or stairs), 10 mins in each, running a duster and a hoover over the bits you can see, throwing open windows for a bit of air, emptying bins.

And she does a 27 thing fling - just get a bin bag and chuck out 27 things that are broken, used, unwanted etc. If you must, have a bin bag and a box and put in the box anything that could be given to charity. But that box goes straight into the back of the car, NOT the garage or loft or a cupboard, so it is there to be delivered next time you are out and about.

If you are keeping on top of the basics with disability then reward yourself - that is actually all you need to do.

Try rotating big, heavy jobs. So change your bedding one week, DC's bedding the next week, in two-weekly rotations. Wash towels one week, bedding the next week.

Have at least two nights a week where the dinner is healthy fast food. That could be gnocchi or ravioli with pesto and salad or spaghetti with tomato and chilli sauce and steamed broccoli. Or chicken pieces tossed in oil and herbs, chucked in the oven with baby potatoes and chunks of carrot, served with peas. Stuff that takes less than 5 mins to prep and is easy to clear away. On those nights you can either just have a well earned rest or use the 30 mins you usually need for cooking and the 20 mins for clearing up afterwards to tackle a job you don't usually have time or energy for, like cleaning the bathroom.

@JewelleryCat i don’t know what your limitations are with your disability but when i was struggling to even do the basics with Velcro babies and no sleep someone said to me that anything is better than nothing. So even if you only unload half the dishwasher that’s half you don’t have to do later. With decluttering many people advise emptying a drawer or shelf etc and working out what you want to put back but I saw a YouTube video where they said this can be too much for people who are struggling and lead to overwhelm so they advise picking up one item at a time “does this belong here?” “Do I want it?” Etc. That way you can stop at any point without the contents of a drawer all over the floor!

Today’s tadas
❄️morning routine
❄️school run
❄️work 2 hours
❄️quick clean bathrooms
❄️mop hard floors
❄️get dc bags ready for this evening
❄️remove huge cobweb I spotted earlier
❄️dry and fold lol x 2
❄️zone stuff: cupboard fronts and sink (and floor)

to do
take bags to charity shop
buy insoles
try to buy gloves (can’t find any anywhere!)
pop to shop
school run
dinner
activity run

I think both my energy levels and motivation are waning!

That sounds good @TheMainCharacter maybe I’ll try that and thank you for your advice @OwlWeiwei

cat you've already been given some good advice. I'm just going to add that it doesn't have to be perfect, so anything you can get done in short bursts of time is better than nothing. Set a timer for 2, 5, 10, 15 minutes, whatever you can manage, then stop once the timer goes off and have a rest. Be kind to yourself.

squirrel just jump right in where we are! Plan your meals & activities for the rest of the week/ weekend. Wipe down your kitchen cupboards and shine your sink!

character did you manage to find any gloves in the end? That is a long ta da list already!

owl that is some great advice! I always try to make enough of a dinner to last 2 meals & lunches, so all I'm having to do half the week is warm up leftovers.

My day started earlier than usual for a Tuesday, but hopefully that'll mean I can get lots done.

We are supposed to have a very bad snow storm starting today and going through the rest of the week.
I do have to leave my house a couple of times today, one to take the dogs to the groomer (I'll leave to do that soon, to avoid the worst of the storm today), but then I'll have to pick DS up from his after school club to take him to get his haircut. If they don't cancel the club. He really needs his hair cut, but the hairdresser isn't far away from my house at all (the school is further).

To Dos: (in no particular order)
🐶 get dressed, makeup on, hair done
🐶 take dogs to groomer
🐶 bathe dogs
🐶 LOLs, including sheets & towels
🐶 make dinner (slow cooker recipe)
🐶 take DS to haircut
🐶 bleach bathrooms
🐶 make bed in spare bedroom
🐶 finish sorting out closet/ workout room
🐶 spin bike workout

I'm not sure what else I'll get done. I'll try to keep posting on here though, as I can.
🍒👋 to everyone

Ta Das so far:
❄️ dressed, makeup on, hair done
❄️ sheets in washer, ready to be moved over to the dryer
❄️ took dogs to groomer
❄️ shovelled first lot of snowfall from driveway. There wasn't much, but drifts were starting already
❄️ tried calling about an order I placed 8th Dec for Christmas for DH and still just says "processing order" currently waiting for a call back from them after waiting almost 11 minutes on hold already (they have a callback option, so decided to use it). At this point I want to know if I'll receive the order at all or at least by DHs birthday in August! 🤬

Currently sitting enjoying my 2nd cup of coffee before working on more laundry, waiting for that call back

@TheMainCharacter you've given me hope! I wonder what changed?

Lots of good lists here so well done everyone.

🥶 frozen more soup off into my new lovely silicone soup portion mould. I could've just put it outside to be honest as it's so bitter.
🥶 cleaned bathroom
🥶 dusted our room
🥶 hoovered upstairs
🥶 had friend over to eat some soup 😂 and taught her to crochet
🥶more birthday decorations up
🥶 made a roast dinner with enough for tomorrow too
🥶 hula hooped

Aiming to wrap birthday presents later and write a shopping list.

I love the soup sharing pompoms 😋

I do have more ta das, mostly consisting of laundry, shoveling snow, laundry, bathing dogs, laundry, wiping kitchen cupboards down, laundry, handwashed dishes, laundry. There seems to be a theme.. 😂

Wednesday is anti-procrastination day. Do what you have been putting off. It's usually easier and takes less time then we think!

Wednesday's mission is to make sure our ovens and hobs are clear of clutter. The oven is not a storage space (although I totally understand if you have to store pans in there). Make sure nothing can melt or catch fire.
Once it's clear, grab a hot, soapy cloth and wipe down your hob, knobs and the door & handle.
I did mine Monday 😇

Zones: https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/
Baby step #10: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-10/

@HazelNotHungryLC you had a busy day yesterday! How’s the snow now? I also forgot to say the other day that it must feel so nice to have all the work done in the house.

@cosypompoms I wish I could tell you what changed. The GP said sometimes the citalopram can act as a reset button and b6 is meant to help with hormone related stuff. I was so worried coming off it though!

Very tired today. DP, DS1 and I were all out late at a football match last night, then sat and had a cup of tea to warm up when we got back instead of heading straight to bed.

So far all I’ve done is
🌞morning routine
🌞school run
🌞take do to garage
🌞big supermarket shop
🌞put away big supermarket shop
🌞lunch

Im trying to summon up the energy to hang up a lol and then vacuum the stairs 🥱

character we had a little bit of everything yesterday, strong, gusty winds, thunder & lightning, rain, hail, snow and sunshine 😆
Today it's snowing pretty hard, I've already shovelled twice at work (only been here 2 1/2 hrs). You've already had a productive day!

Done the basics and also got rid of some very old invoices from quite a few years ago so that’s good, just doing a tiny bit

Just dropping links tonight, sorry!

Thursday is errand day.
Thursdays mission is to clean out the fridge of bad food, uneaten leftovers that will not be eaten. Don't forget the fruit & vegetable drawers!

Zones: https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/

Baby steps: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-11/

Today’s tada’s

🧘‍♀️ morning routine
🧘‍♀️school run
🧘‍♀️get swim bag ready
🧘‍♀️very relaxing yoga class
🧘‍♀️quick tidy up
🧘‍♀️hang out lol
🧘‍♀️dust and vacuum living rooms &dining room
🧘‍♀️prep dinner
🧘‍♀️lunch
🧘‍♀️sorted out some pencils and colouring pencils to send to pensforkids (am doing the orjenise 100 decluttering challenge on Instagram)

still to do
school run
swimming lessons
dinner & clear up

Hope everyone is well