I am, sad but true, a flylady dropout. she is too overwhelming for me and the zones, etc made me feel more ADD-ish then i already do. I made the conscious decision to be a drop out. I announced to dh, if something is dirty im just going to clean it now, he cheered, he's not a fan either. I dont want to bash her methods b/c I learned alot like the use of a timer and like many of the testimonials/encouraging posts, but for me it just made me feel worse then i already did.
I just came across this site messies.com signed up for her egroup and I am really pleased. She sends out one email a day (hooray!) and alot of it is explaining the phychological reasons for clutter, procrastination, etc and very easy tips and how to avoid it all in the first place. just wanted to share in case it helps someone
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Posted 2 years ago #
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Hey, thanks for the heads-up. I was a flyer for a while, but honestly, I have trouble staying on task (really lazy, here). Any new ideas are good ideas. I'll give it a try!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I hoping that I will get to a point where I've gotten rid of so much that cleaning will naturally be easier. Like right now, I hate to vacuum because there is always stuff on the floor an I hate having to move everything. But I am hoping that if we continue to declutter eventually that will not be a problem. So far its going really well and my boyfriend has jumped on the bandwagon with me and is getting rid of stuff he didn't want to get rid of before without me saying anything to him, just leading by example.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Messies.com looks great! It is unfortunate that a lot of people start to feel guilty when they are trying to follow Flylady. It isn't her intention but she does seem to have that effect. I found that even though I was doing well creating my morning routines etc, then I'd still feel bad that I wasn't doing the zone work like she said, or tidying my car on Friday, etc.
The basics are there but it is a matter of creating your own system with the tasks that are important for you. I don't wear shoes in the house, for example, but still feel kind of bad when I get emails asking me where my shoes are! If you've got an iphone or ipod touch, my husband and I designed an app especially for handling repeating tasks like daily chores *without* making you feel guilty. It is called HomeRoutines. (http://www.homeroutines.com) You get a gold star when you mark a task as done. It's kind of fun, if you want to set up your own lists and feel happy about the whole thing!
Posted 2 years ago # -
There is some site called ChoreWars that does something similar. its like a game and you get points and stuff whenever you complete something.
I wish I was better at developing routines, that's why I need to unclutter more I suck at keeping any routine that isn't absolutely necessary like getting up for work on time and brushing my teeth regularly. Everything else just gets done when I feel like doing it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I found Flylady good for getting me started. (Isn't that first step the hardest?)
Now the decluttering is all but done (OH's desk remains), I have set up a cleaning routine by the room. Every task is timed to be done in a tv commercial break - it's not that I watch a lot of tv, it's just that it makes each task brief. (I hate the idea of cleaning a room from top to bottom non-stop.)
As my OH travels a lot, I tend to do the cleaning during the week so we can spend the weekends together (ahhhh). But when he is home during the week, he is happy to pitch in doing the odd 3-minute task.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I dont have an iphone but the app sounds good
The ChoreWars site looks really fun, maybe too fun, like i will just get sucked into the computer :D plus dh will roll his eyes ;)
I dont wear shoes in the house either, (Burkenstocks for inside only) so I would have to set up gmail filters for these emails, I dont have any holidays around Xmas time, so more filters, I liked FL when it was a little more simplier.
well I put a hold on the Unclutter book at the library maybe more success with thisPosted 2 years ago # -
i am a flylady dropout too.
the emails and routines were just all too much.
i live in a converted farm machinery shed and cannot relate to all the different rooms and areas.
i LOVE her fifteen minute toss thingie thogh.
set a timer, grab a garbage bag and run around filling that thing.
very effective, very simple and kinda fun.Posted 2 years ago # -
I just started reading FlyLady in January. I'm not following religiously - but then again she stresses that you don't have to, nor do you have to worry about keeping up. If you don't keep up, just jump back in when you can - and start from that day.
I'm not doing the zones - I just set up a daily routine for myself to get most of my general cleaning done so I can have my weekends free. So far, it's working pretty good. I don't try and do detailed cleaning in every room, every week. If I concentrate on doing a more thorough job in one room only, it makes it much simpler and I don't get tired out as fast.My schedule:
Mon - dusting and watering plants, Tues - clean kitchen, Wed - take out trash and recycling (it's a busy day), Thurs - clean floors (vacuum, mop), Fri - clean bathrooms.Posted 2 years ago # -
Love the ChoreWars link! As a RPG nerd, that is just the thing to get me to do the dishes. Although sakeenah is right, maybe I will too be sucked into the internet instead ;o)
On FlyLady, yes, I'm a dropout too. I love her ideas, the fact that it's a system to help you build your own routines (and if you struggle with that, you can just adopt hers), and that they keep telling you to "just jump in where you are". It also helps a lot if you don't know where to start. Despite that, it only really worked for me whenever I consciously told myself that I indeed have to just jump in where I am, that I do not have to read every email sent to me, and that I am allowed to do this in my own pace. If I didn't, I felt guilty and let it slide for a day, a week, a month. I think that's because I don't like (or haven't learned) to let go and just follow a plan, trust the plan, and to see how it works out. I can't thank FlyLady enough though -- through all those emails I learned how to declutter, where to start, how to let things go, that I don't have to be perfectionist about cleaning, and that a good morning and evening routine is a huge factor in making my day less stressful and to keep me focused.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I also did FlyLady but many years back. Ended up buying her calendar which really does have plenty of room, the duster and a timer. As far as the emails, after awhile you just know what she's going to say so I would delete them. And 30 emails a day were cluttering up my in-box!
Because I live alone I usually don't need to clean my bathroom every day or dust every week. I would rather do cleaning on my own schedule because, trust me, I KNOW when something's a mess!
Posted 2 years ago # -
The best thing I found was the source material which Flylady used for her whole system. It is the book "Sidetracked Home Executives". The original book has a simple card system which seems kind of quaint in this email-oriented time but it is just great.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm also a flylady dropout, although I'm still a fan of her products...yes, startsmart, her calendar's the best. I just checked out ChoreWars, which looks like a hoot. I used to be a Sidetracked Home Executives gal, too...wish I still had those cards. I fear I've tried out many many systems and still struggle with chaos. I, too, have trouble staying on task.
I'm a huge fan of the iphone program HomeRoutines (I have no association with it, am just a satisfied user) and reviewed it on my website, Habithacker.com. I also love Regina Leed's series of Zen Organizing books which take you month-by-month through a whole year of purging and organizing.
About habithacker: I started my site as a flylady alternative that would be less earnest, more hip, a little raunchy at times, more fun. I originally designed it simply for myself and some friends, but others started to discover it and join. You're welcome to stop by and subscribe or offer constructive criticism about how I could make it work better for people. There's such a need! No ads, not meant to make any $$, so my reviews are straight-up.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm a flylady dropout too. While I did establish a few good habits and learned the value of using a timer, the flylady method is somewhat dysfunctional, and a little passive-agressive.
Habithacker, I like your website. It's flylady-ish without the nagging ;)
I did Day 1 of Nest. I cleared and cleaned the horizontal surfaces in the kitchen. I'm usually good about this, but the last month or so I've been getting a little lax. It doesn't take long to clean my house, but knowing that has made me somewhat lazy. I'm going to use your website for a kick in the pants.
Posted 2 years ago # -
habithacker, i am LOVING your site....thanks for the link!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm glad you like my site. Let me know anything I can do to make it work better for you. My problem with flylady, similar to JuliaJayne's was with her tone as well as with the gazillions of "testimonial" and her product advertising emails. When she started her online radio stuff and it became too big--country singers, fairy theatres, food, fashion, home design...I got overwhelmed.
FYI: I was planning, by days 60-90, to start incorporating zone type stuff in the Nest section, so the kick in the pants will be rougher as you continue with all 90 days of posts. And really, if you tire of my habithacking, you can replace anything on the website by just using the iphone program HomeRoutines. I like it a lot.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@rosieatwunderbear HomeRoutine is your program?? I LOVE it and loved the last update. Thanks for creating such a great app. There is nothing like it on the store and I use it every single day.
Just in case anyone thinks this is bogus or anything I don't know rosie or her husband but the app is great.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I have my flylady set up to where I just get a daily digest email, not a million individual emails. Although I admit, I don't really fly anymore, but just use a few of the concepts, like the weekly home blessing hour.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Wow, Habithacker looks great! I've just bookmarked it to explore.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'd like a simple rotating index-card app where I can write in all the tasks that need doing, and the frequency - like, change bedding (master br), change bedding (kids rooms), clean bathroom, dust behind appliances, clean ensuite, clean main bathroom, and so on. It would present me with the top three or four cards, and when I've done it, hide it away again until it's next due to be done.
If it's days or weeks overdue, it will still tuck it away for a duration, not set by date like a normal calendar, if that makes sense.
Maybe I need to hire a programmer.
Posted 2 years ago #
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