New Year, Fresh Start for your home - January Flylady thread

[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 a week. 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:
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/

Wednesday is anti-procrastination day.

Wednesday's mission is to go through your cosmetics/skin care etc and check for expiration dates. Toss anything that's too old (bacteria can grow, yuck 🤮), or anything you won't use anymore, whether it's an eyeshadow that's not in fashion anymore, clumpy mascara, you know what to look for!
In the laundry room, pair up any unmatched socks (if that's what you do nowadays). Any socks missing a mate, consider them legally separated and divorce them by tossing the socks!

Baby Step 15: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-15/
Add making your bed to your morning routine. This could mean airing your bed out, but fold the top sheets etc over neatly or completely making your bed, including throw pillows etc. This is very individual, do what works best for you, but try not to leave your bed a mess.
This is something I have not succeeded with my DC, unfortunately. Not for lack of trying though.

I dont make my bed....but is an easy one to add to my morning. Will incorporate the new baby step!!!

Hazel a little better thank you. I was pushed beyond the limits of my endurance by a perfect storm of coincidences. And very much feeling my age, physically and mentally, on top of some deeply emotional aspects of the decluttering process.

I intend sticking to the bare minimum for other ppl in order to clear my mind and to concentrate better. This week I’ve been getting up a little earlier to enjoy a quiet mug of tea and generally sorting myself out for the day ahead. It’s made quite a difference so far.

Yesterday I cleared out the undersink cupboard of the utility room, and shined the sink. I threw out a load of old cleaning stuff that was past its best, old rags and half empty dried up bottles and jars, and bought nice new cleaning cloths in bright colours. They are now folded up in a storage box.

Anti procrastination today, I parceled up some things my DD left here at christmas, and put in some little treats for the DGK, and posted it off. I also walked to the post office, so also did some exercise. And I went through my undies drawer and chucked everything that is uncomfortable, doesn't fit, or I no longer wear. Bonus that the drawer now shuts.

There is still loads to do, but I feel that this is real progress. Probably going to take an hour to rest and read a book now.

@HazelNotHungryLC made me feel better about my lack of productivity
In bed today with a nasty fibro flare . Son cleaning bathroom for me so I’ll count that🧡

Sorry for lack of links for today, I was so tired last night I went to bed early and forgot 🤦‍♀️

I'm feeling much more awake today though.

Scourgify I really enjoy my coffee alone in the mornings, it really helps!

Hip how are you getting on with making your bed?

Nellie that is good progress, it looks like it was a productive day.

Thursday is errand day (I'm aware it's a bit late on the day for you all now!).

Thursday's mission is to make sure you have everything you need in the bathroom. Are you running out of shampoo or need more toilet paper?
Do the same in the laundry room.
Add whatever you need to your shopping list.

Baby Step 16: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-16/
Read an email or article on the Flylady website, while continuing your routines.

Thanks Hazel, not too late for me!

Mascara chucked yesterday, and I'm a bit obsessive about bathroom stockpiles (must be neither too big nor too small) so we are OK there too.

I feel like I've finally got the house back to "normal" after Christmas. Normal is still a bit untidier than I'd like but it's a lot better than this time last year, so I'll keep on keeping on, as they say.

@HazelNotHungryLC made my bed this morning while waiting for my moisturiser to sink in. Took a minute, will keep doing it until it becomes a habit x

Paired up a big pile of odd socks and put them in my bedroom. I have the smallest feet in the house and I get all the castoffs from the Teens :-))

Listened to A Slob Comes Clean early this morning while rescuing the kitchen. Lol then school run. Lidl for favourite bread. Sat down for five minutes and fell asleep!

Fell asleep this evening as well between runs to and from Teen activities. I’m sure I’ll soon get used to my slightly altered routine.

I am catching up with all my LOL that sat waiting while we had the WM fixed.
It'll take forever a while as it;s like painting the Forth Road Bridge
Every time I think Oh I can see the bottom of the basket now it spontaneously refills . <sigh>

I have a couple of things to recycle tomorrow (kitchen) and tackle the Shelf of Doom which is all bedding . I have some new zip up Ikea bags ( the clear ones ) which will make it easier
Vacuum
Washing (anything that isn't bedding or towels)

Then over the weekend wash all the bedding ( still on the Winter Bedding , not Christmas Bedding , it's stags and Nordic for the DC , we have dark red )

Dreaming well done on being on top of your bathroom supplies!

Hip great multi-tasking there! Self care and morning routine rolled into one. I like it!

Scourgify hopefully it won't take long for your body to adjust to earlier mornings. Is it much earlier than you were waking?

70 I'm glad you for your wm getting fixed. I know what you mean about Mt Washmore being a neverending job.

Friday is clean out your car and purse day. It's also date night.

Friday's mission is to shine your bath and sink.
In the laundry room wipe down your washer & dryer

Baby Step 17: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-17/
Set yourself a bedtime. Put it in your control journal under bedtime routine.

Getting to bed on time will have to wait until February.....work is (what is worse than crazy???) ridiculously busy and I'll be working stupid hours all weekend and then prob 12 hour days with extra at home for the rest of January...
Can only say that I'll try my best with my little routines I've set up. Keep telling myself that every little helps x

I sorted out some sheets and pillowcases , put DS and DD spare sets into bags so they're a bit tidier .
I have some to go out so will probably recycle to Charity Shop ( as they are pretty decent )

I have a reminder on my iphone for my bedtime. It reminds me to wind-down and how long till bed.

Urgh , I thought it was fixed (WM) but the bloody thing keeps showing the same fault code .
Sooooo annoyed with it .

Oh no 70 have you had it long?!

Scourgify I also have a bedtime and wake time set up on my phone, it's really nice and makes my screen black & white when it's on, as well as do not disturb (other than certain phone numbers that can get through).

Hip that sounds awful! I'm glad that when I leave work, I don't have to worry about it. Do you at least enjoy what you do? Don't worry though, so what you can, but all fed no one dead is a real goal on this thread sometimes, and that is totally okay!

Still no ta das, but I've just started a 4 day weekend! 🥳
I plan on repainting our bedroom as the dark blue I picked out for the accent wall doesn't go with the bed frame we picked out 🙄 but DH didn't like the dark blue anyway!

Saturday is family fun day - no daily missions!

Baby Step 18: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-18/
Read the 11 commandments for flying.
Confine with morning and before bedtime routines.

Morning. Just checking in as I’ve lapsed completely with posting ta da lists. Not that there’d be much to put on them to be honest! I’ve been cruising along with the absolute bare minimum in terms of housework and life admin.

Ideally I’ll get some stuff done today as I’m out tomorrow and I know I’ll be tired. But I’m grumpy as I woke up at 4.30 and have been trying hopelessly to get back to sleep since. I often wake at a similar time and it’s unpredictable whether I get back to sleep or not, so I prefer not to get up just in case I can get more sleep, but then I end up wasting time I possibly could have used productively!

Not much flying done since Wednesday apart from the baby steps. I have sorted some areas of clutter this week, so its better this Saturday than last Saturday.

The Ironing is piling up again, so my mission tomorrow is to tackle that with a podcast on.

Today's tadas! I went through the fridge and planned to use anything coming to the end of its life, and chucked anything too far gone. LOL including bath towels, and I sprayed and wiped the bathroom after my shower this morning.

Family Fun Day was good here.

Teens - away by bus in the morning for overnight visit. They texted me to say they’d arrived safely.

Me - tv, streaming, sandwiches, sudoku, MN, several naps, rearranged two kitchen shelves, more tv, audiobook, final Christmas bits and bobs on high shelf. Went to bed.

Feel a lot better now. Should have a day like this every few weeks and not feel guilty.

Listened to a lot of A Slob Comes Clean recently. Found myself particularly interested in decluttering without making a mess. Here’s what I’m going to try.

Gradually move stuff off the tops of the highest cupboards and bookcases. Because I can’t reach up so far now, and I wobble on ladders more than two steps up. After that, drag everything out that has been shoved underneath anything, as I don’t like bending.

Straighten up the shelves and cupboards and put everything in there that isn’t obvious rubbish. That means I’m far less distracted because the mess is out of sight.

Then start again using the no-mess declutter approach. If I’ve understood it correctly, it should be much calmer as I can stop and start any time I need to, and I won’t have piles on tables.

This is only possible because, for the first time in years, tiny gaps are starting to appear.

Scourgify that sounds like a great plan for decluttering! Also, a day like yesterday every few weeks is a great plan (even if it ended up being every week honestly).

Nellie great job on making progress! Keeping up with baby steps is great progress too.

Sing that's interesting that you keep waking up at the same time! Do you go to bed at the same time every night, with the same routine?

I'm late again today! I'm sorry 😞

Sunday is renew your spirit day. No missions.

Baby Step 19: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/day-19/
Read the testimonial on the link.
Continue with routines.