Flying into 2026: January Flylady Thread

[DillyDeclutter]

Welcome to all Flylady regulars and visitors, if you have been reading along on previous threads why not join us again this month? It's January and a new year! Traditionally (in my house anyway) a time to resolve to sort our lives and houses out top to bottom all at once, before forgetting it all in February . . .

This thread is our little corner of calm amongst the January gloom — a place to cheer each other on, share small wins, and occasionally moan about the state of the laundry mountain. Whether you’re shining your sink for the first time or just trying to keep the kitchen table visible for more than an hour, you’re in good company.

The Flylady system is all about baby steps — 15 minutes at a time, routines that mostly stick, and being kind to ourselves when life happens (because it always does). Pop in, post your list, or just lurk with a cuppa — everyone’s welcome.

Kettle’s on. Who’s flying today? ☕🕯️🧺

This is a long running thread, but we are a friendly bunch and all are welcome to join in. Please ask if you don’t understand anything.
Do NOT sign up for the Flylady emails - there are too many. The Flylady website is not working very well any more so I will cobble together something each morning and we will get through together.

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!

Zones:
Entryway, porch and dining room
Kitchen
Bathroom and one other room
Master bedroom
Living room

Daily missions: each day of the week has a different mission. Then there’s:
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, there is an app, but I don’t think it’s working very well either.

Given the broken-ness of the app and website I would advise you not to spend any money on Flylady apps or purchases just now (we are mostly UK and she’s US based in any case). Sorry Flylady.

Links are below 👇
You can also check out the Facebook page Zones:https://www.flylady.net/d/zones/ Baby Steps: https://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/

The bedtime baby step is the one that I struggle with the most. I want to get to bed at a reasonable time, but I just can't seem to make it to bed early enough! That is something I really need to work on though.

ED I don't even look at the threads I'm on. I always look at "watching" and pin this thread so it's at the top (along with a couple others). It makes it a lot easier for me to keep track of.

So yesterday I got the cupboards all wiped down, sanded, and wiped down again. I finished that after 10:30pm, so was exhausted (I started clearing the countertops at 10am).

I did also manage to get 4 LOLs done as well! The 5th one is needing to get washed again though, as it day in the washer too long and was smelling damp. So that'll be my first load of today.

Today is painting day! 🥳 I'll start with primer and see what I can achieve. It won't be as late though. I'll stop at about 3pm. Dinner is at our house with ILs, so I'll need to get started on that. Thankfully it won't take long to make.

Oh, I did also manage to get some yoga stretches in though, I was aching so much (still achy today). I told DH last night that I'm not ready to say I'm old enough to take breaks, I just want to get it all done, but oh man do I hurt today! So yoga is a must again today, although I really want to be in the habit of doing it every night again.

Here's before and now pictures:
I currently have filler on holes as it want a smoother surface. Before I started there was some "distressing" on them, but I'm after a cleaner look now.

I love your kitchen hazel!

I'm currently lay in bed with the littlest dc watching Duggee. I've been full of a cold and have ear ache.

Yesterday was fairly productive -

🧹 3x LOL
🪣 Kitchen tidy
🧽 Kitchen swept
🧹 Bedroom tidy
🪣 Stripped and remade bed
🧽 Hoovered bedroom
🧹 Hoovered landing
🪣 Sorted some of the little dcs clothes
🧽 Took out recycling
🧹 Gave dumping corner in living room a quick tidy
🪣 Tidied under stair cupboard
🧽 Put away boxes of xmas stuff

I've also got a cold and we're watching chitty chitty bang bang with a lemsip. To do:

15 minutes room rescue (living room)
Vacuum bedrooms.
Put away laundry.

Try not to leave everything until tomorrow...my day a week to myself. 2nd Monday of it. I feel like I really should be making the most out of it as I've taken a paycut for it. But prekids would have taken it for granted. I need to stop myself feeling guilty if it's not productive...

Fab kitchen Hazel. I agree that an early bedtime is very difficult, against my natural rhythm, but probably healthier.

Yesterday we did some work in the garden. Today mainly going to work on paperwork/boxes in the study which has turned into a junk room.

Starting with laundry.

Yesterday was mostly spent shopping.
DP went to bed early, he's not feeling well, probably coming down with my bug.
I probably sound like a loon, but my house is haunted. Completely harmless and I've never felt scared.
But last night I was watching TV and the big lamp behind me started flickering, I thought the bulb was going to blow so I switched it off.
Then the TV started crackling, like the poltergeist film.
I started to freak out at this point, and ran upstairs to get poor DP out of bed.
TLDR, the socket behind the TV had started to fry. Bless him he replaced it, had to go out in the pouring rain down to his workshop to get what he needed.
Bit scarey, the sockets themselves have some sort of safety thing to stop them catching fire but whoever bodged the house before we bought it had filled the gappy wall with expanding foam, which probably is flammable.

Cherry I don't think you sound like a loon! I have had experiences, felt things I can't explain, heard a disembodied voice (as well as my manager at the same time as me!). I'm glad none of the homes I've lived in had anybody else there also though..
A bit scary re TV socket, but good thing your DH could fix it!

Jumping isn't it a little cold to be working outside in the garden?! There are definitely areas of my house that have become dumping grounds. I need to work on them, but when I've got used to seeing it all, I become blind to it!

Always & THAT I hope you're feeling better soon!

Thank you for the kitchen love. I've got primer on about maybe half of it, but I didn't have a full day yesterday to work on it either. My aim today is to finish the primer, lightly sand it all and start with the actual paint. I'd like to finish the painting today, but that might be a little ambitious!

It's already looking different in here without the blue. It was here when we bought the house, almost 5 years ago, and was starting to come off around the handles.

I missed those pictures hazel, looks nice

What colour is it going to be when it’s finished @HazelNotHungryLC ? It looks like a lovely kitchen. We had ours gutted and re-done in a completely different layout about 5 years ago and it’s the best thing we’ve done to the house.

Tada!
Mainly seems to have been just laundry and tidying this weekend.

DH has run the vac round and emptied the bins. I have done my tax return.

Sorry you’ve been ill @CherryogDog and eek about the sizzling plug. Sorry you are unwell too @Alwaysploddingon

You've just reminded me why when my dad bought a flat in London he painted all the kitchen cabinets primary colours. As in bright red yellow and blue. He used it as a base for work for a few years before selling it, but I think as my mum wasn't living in it he went a bit wild.

Morning

DH is colour blind and in denial so we have a lot of arguments about home denial (me: thats green and orange tartan him: no it isn't. . .)

Monday is home bleugh day.

This week we're in zone 4 which is the closet, master bedroom and master bathroom. I only have the bedroom from that lost.

Today's mission is to hang up, move to washing, etc any piles of clothes hanging around in the master bedroom.

Today's baby step is to share your progress so far - on Flylady Facebook or even on here if you've been following along.

Fitting babystep as I have some laundry needs putting away. I have my second me time Monday. I feel like I need to make the most of it as we've taken a finicaial hit for it. If never felt guilty about me time before being a mum. My cold is better than yesterday but I'm not massively energeyic. My 3 year old was lethargic this morning, possibly a slight temperature but can't find the thermometer and he was fine again after breakfast so has gone to nursery. I thought I might need to keep him off but he was running about in no time.

I have been doing 10 minutes timers for the home blessing, except the bedding because that you can't leave half done.

Tadas
-Changed our bedding, washed and hung to dry.
-10 minutes dusting, landing and master bedroom and stairway banisters
-10 minutes hoovering, high traffic and under kids table.
-10 minutes with a bowl of soapy water cleaning the radiator and skirting board near where kids eat, plus the frame of the craft draws (I moved this when hoovering and saw all the dust)
-has a long bath
-took old router to post office.

To do
-Take vinted items to locker
-Clean kitchen and mop floor.
-Rearrange dining room to have kids sat up at the table with us again. (At the moment they sit on their own table)

ED I'm painting it light cream/off-white. What I have done so far has really brightened up the whole space. I'll post a picture when I'm done, should be today.
I would absolutely love to tear this kitchen out and put new in, but it's not in the budget. It won't happen in this house. I would love to replace the countertop and backsplash, but DH is against it. Again, due to money. I really hate the counter and the tiles, always have 😪

Always the primary multi-colour cabinets would give me nightmares! You have done great today! Also, as a parent, it's good to have me time, so you don't burn out, so don't feel guilty.

Dilly I'm so glad DH isn't colour blind!

Right best get moving, coffee has been consumed. This painting isn't going to do itself!

Morning all! Sorry I missed yesterday!

Baby step today is one of the ones where Flylady ran out of ideas, you need to think if you have any questions and then ask them on FB/the app/by email. And keep all your nice routines going.

Today's mission is to clean off your bedside table ("nightstand") and put something nice on it.

Wednesday is anti procrastination day! I need to read some papers for a trustee meeting.

Very late reply here Hazel the garden work was cutting down a branch which had dislodged a roof tile. There's lots more needing doing but that was urgent.

I am managing to do roughly a load of laundry each day and my exercises. Partner is dropping off things at the charity shop/tip today from the weekend decluttering so that will help with momentum to get more sorted.

Tonight I will aim for clearing off hotspots and dealing with paperwork. I do find it really hard to do anything much in evenings after work.

Oooh Jumping, I would agree that was urgent!

Dilly it's very easy to miss a day, especially with busy lives!

I haven't really done any flying lately, other than laundry, but the kitchen is done! I'm just working on reorganizing the cupboards etc, and hiding as much as I can get away with as I loved the clear surfaces!

Can I join you please? I struggle to keep on top of my home and usually end up doing huge cleans which just isn’t sustainable. So I’m hoping a new year and new baby (in feb) will force me to be more consistent

Just jump in hather.
Kitchen looks amazing.Hazel, is that not just AI?

Oh wow @HazelNotHungryLC that looks great. I do like blue but the white really brightens and opens it out. You've got a good layout there too. Well done!

Welcome @cometohather you're in the right place. Is this your first baby?

@JumpingPumpkin I struggle to do much more than exercise, cook and eat after work too, that's where the routines are supposed to help but if you add too much to your routines they can get too much. My NYR to swish and swipe every day has bitten the dust already. But the house is definitely tidier. I am trying harder to keep on top of clutter and that definitely helps. Plus using shortcut things like disposable pledge dusters on a stick that you just dab everything with to pick up the worst of the dust.

Welcome @cometohather 👋 a little at a time with the baby steps really does make a big difference!

Jumping definitely not AI, and if you could feel my back pain, you would know it isn't! I'll have to take another picture at a different angle, once I have everything put back.

Thank you for the kitchen love ED & Jumping. It isn't a bad layout, but I wish it had one more small cupboard between the dishwasher and the cupboard, as you can only open one or the other, not both at the same time.

ED cutting down clutter really does help and that's something I need to get working on again.

Speaking of back pain, I'm starting to wonder if I've put my pelvis out again. I'm going to give it the weekend, but if it doesn't feel any better (or gets worse) I'm going to have to take myself back to the chiropractor 😫

Morning! Kitchen looks great Hazel . I've done my back too, I find pilates helps but I have been neglecting the pilates hence it going. Hope you get sorted.

Welcome cometohather, I find the system really helpful, hope you will too.

Thursday is errand day - it's my food shop day.

Today's mission is to clear off your bedroom dresser, dust it, and put back only what's needed.

Today's baby step is to set yourself up a home management binder, where you list out all your routines etc.

Sorry I've been quiet. Ds has some minor ailments but its making my mental health spiral thinking they could be symptoms of something worse.... I did hoover yesterday, thought ds had worms but could have been some musous....DH and I have been changing up our routines. After having the day with DS and DH got back just after 5, I was stressed as I had out the whole school day and only managed to make dinner. Washing was still in the machine, loads needed doing. I walked the dog instead of him and he hung up the washing and did a whole load of tidying. But I felt a bit like he is holding it against me how he does lots of housework, husband/wife roles a bit reversed there. You could say I do weapanised incompetence, but when we have roles for years it's hard to change and I do get overwhelmed and don't know where to start, which is why flylady is great (as DH won't write a list)

Thank you everyone for the welcomes, do I have to download the flylady app as the link doesn’t seem to be working for me and when I google the website it takes me to the app. Also is it recommended to follow the days? As our errand day is usually Saturday!.

@EnchantedDaydream this is my 2nd. We have a little boy already who’s almost 2☺️

Fly lady is all about taking her ideas and working out something similar that works for you, hather. I think the main idea is to do tasks regularly in small chunks with a daily routine for the basics.