Flylady

Periodically on my blog I talk about Flylady.

Flylady is a great system of decluttering, cleaning and organizing basic weekly tasks.  I started using Flylady techniques probably about 12-15 years ago.  What I have learned is the following:

1) The Flylady plan is truly a great starting place. She lays out daily and weekly plans based on the rooms in your home.
2) It's ok to change HER schedule to meet YOUR schedule.  For example, her errand day is Thursday - but if you run errands on Tuesday, make that your errand day :-)
3) Alter the cleaning tasks/schedule to fit the size of YOUR home.
4) Her daily tasks for each zone are really great - follow them if you can; alter them if you need to.
5) The key is totally to declutter first - you can't clean clutter.
6) Dig through the website and find all of the extra stuff like deep cleaning checklists :-)
7) Understand that her concept overall is that if you have decluttered and then follow her zone cleaning and basic weekly cleaning concepts, your home WILL be clean and you don't have to do deep, hard cleaning because you will be on top of all of that stuff.  Sure, you will deep clean areas in your home throughout the year (thus the deep cleaning checklists) but you will do it easily on a monthly basis instead of all in one huge chunk.
8) Read about and follow her Flylady Journal from step one - babysteps are key.

When I started this system years ago, I built my journal - I have it saved on my computer.  My morning routine and bedtime routines have changed many times based on my season of life but the over all concept has stayed the same.  I would like to say that I have followed it perfectly over the years but I tend to really follow it well for awhile and then I let it go and get out of the routines.  One of my goals this year is to get back into those routines.  Is Flylady for everyone?? Nope :-)  It might not be your style and that's ok!

There is one thing that I've never done . . .. one of her "things" is to get dressed to your shoes )So if you have to run outside you always have shoes on)  . . well, I don't wear shoes if I don't have to!  I keep a pair of flip flops by the door and, this time of year, a pair of tennis shoes, so I can slip them on and do what I need to do but I hate wearing shoes!