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Post by SAR01 on Feb 5, 2018 16:03:24 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
Do you ever feel like you must be losing your mind? Someone says to you, "I told you that last week!" or "Don't you remember?" We can get defensive about comments like this. I know I have. This morning as I was "sleeping in" it hit me what the problem is.
It is sensory overload and our database has failed to file the information in the proper place. Can you tell that I am learning to speak geek? Let's think about this overload for a second. When I am sitting at home in my chair with my computer on my lap, three dogs, a television on with a ticker tape scrolling across the bottom or music playing, a house phone, a cell phone, my assistant Michele, my ipod, text messaging and instant messaging, emails coming in, the doorbell ringing, and my sweet darling somewhere in the house. It is a miracle that I can do anything much less remember something that is tossed into this chaotic mix.
We are so smug at believing that the ability to multitask is a virtue. All it really does is divide our attention, take us longer to accomplish anything and make us feel frazzled. Only thing that it does is make us look busy. Just because we look as if we are doing something doesn't mean we are accomplishing anything. This is called busy work. It's no wonder why we can't remember anything. We are not losing our minds! We are multitasking!
My sweet darling laughs and tells me that I must have movie amnesia. This morning I have figured out why I don't remember movies that we watch at home. It is because the movie never has my undivided attention! I watch with my computer on my lap! In the evening I don't usually make business calls but my instant messenger is always up and I am checking emails. This is just the physical things I am doing with my hands. My mind is a million other places; processing ideas for essays and what is going to happen tomorrow.
So how do we stop this sensory overload? We have to pull the plugs! Let's practice turning off and tuning in. This is not going to be easy. I know myself too well but I also know the satisfaction that comes from being able to accomplish something. This is how I wrote my first book, Sink Reflections. I had made myself a strict routine for the morning.
I know my mornings are my most productive time as long as I am not pulled in several directions at once. My routine started with getting dressed to lace up shoes, making my bed, swishing and swiping the bathroom, emptying the dishwasher, feather dusting, a quick dust mop of the floors, and then eating my breakfast with a strong cup of coffee. This is my normal morning routine.
My goal was to write ten pages or three hours whichever came first. To accomplish this goal I had some rules for myself. I am using this same routine while writing my 4th book.
1. Do regular morning routine. Don't allow my house to fall apart while I write. 2. Turn on my computer only after breakfast and water bottles by my side. 3. I could not turn on my email program or a browser; only my Word Program. 4. I could not turn on my slack program or facebook. 5. This one is the most important! I could not answer the phone; I turned it off.
I started my day at 7:30am by 8:00am I was ready to start writing and by 11:00am I was finished with ten pages or I had worked for three hours. In two weeks I had a manuscript. Do you see what you can accomplish when you turn off the distractions and tune into your brain power!
We are very smart people. We don't have to feel frazzled and pulled in many directions. As I have been writing this essay I have had to stop myself several times from turning on the television, radio or my iPod. We can focus! When we practice unplugging and tuning in to the power that we have in our brains the sky is the limit!
Are you ready to FLY! I am going to follow my own instruction and start on my next book. I can't wait for you to see what is NEXT!
FlyLady
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Post by goldengirl on Feb 5, 2018 21:36:17 GMT -5
Exactly!
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 6, 2018 13:56:02 GMT -5
sure wish I could get rid of all those red stars.. but I think you would lose permissions.
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 7, 2018 11:56:11 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
Did you know that when you are FLYing you are saving money? I want to discuss some of these money saving habits we can help you establish.
Decluttering 15 minutes a day! How can this save you money; I know you are thinking this? The act of decluttering makes you more particular about what you buy and bring into your home. This amazing thing happens because you begin to love yourself and the way your home looks. You have to really need something to buy it! Shopping becomes something you do because you don't need a diversion from being at home feeling guilty about your clutter and all the stuff you buy because it is on sale. If you did not spend $20 a week on more clutter then you would have saved $1040 a year.
Picking out your clothes as part of your before bed routine! This simple action will give you more time in the morning so you can fix your breakfast and a cup of coffee before you head off to work. No more stopping for expensive drive thru breakfasts and designer coffees. You have to pleasure of a peaceful morning with your life under control along with your finances. If you spend $5 a day on a drive thru breakfast and a coffee then you could have saved $1300 in a year.
Planning your menus for next week and preparing a grocery list before you go shopping can help too. This keeps you from going to the grocery store multiple times each week. This alone can save you $50 a week. There is hardly anyway to keep from spending less than that each time you go to the store. If you are cooking then you are saving more money by not getting takeout from restaurants. That could alone could save you another $25 a week. This amounts to $3900 for a year.
Wearing good shoes for your feet help in lots of ways! Good shoes gives you more energy and keeps you from breaking toes and cutting your precious feet. More energy helps you to exercise more and take better care of yourself; this saves on doctor bills. One co-pay for an office visit could save you $20 a month. A broken foot could set you back $1500 for an emergency room visit. Shoes save you more than you would ever think about. $1740 is amazing when a good pair of shoes could runs around $50. What an investment! This doesn't even count the money you save because of the energy you have to keep your home in order.
Next let's look at how much you save by paying your bills on time and not running up your credit cards. One late charge a month or an over draft fee is could run into $100 dollars a month. If there is one there are usually many. You are having to rob Peter to pay Paul. Stay on top of your bills and paying things on time is a major way to save money while FLYing! $1200 is a small amount to save when we examine what we really spend in those fees and interest rates. I haven't even figured the cost of the fuel for all those extra trips to the grocery store, to pay a bill before the power gets turned off, doctor visits and fast food trips.
So you see with these five simple habits you can save lots of money! FLYing makes good financial sense!!. We have been stealing from ourselves for a very long time with our perfectionism.
XL Mop Pack Image
Are you ready to FLY and save money too?
FlyLady
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 8, 2018 13:57:04 GMT -5
Dear Friends, I can tell you exactly why I put together a Control Journal! I was tired of building "To Do" Lists! Every day I would put the same thing on the list and every day I would check things off. Was I lazy! NO I call it resourceful. We love to make lists. It doesn't take long until those lists become boring. Maybe I was just bored with the same thing and I needed a little creativity to make it fun again. Now listen closely! My Control Journal took shape over several months. I did not build it on my fateful New Years Day that I decided to get organized. It was on that day in 1999 that I made the biggest list of all and promptly decided that it was mean to expect me to do it all in the beginning. That is when I came to the conclusion that it would be much kinder to just practice one habit at a time. That is exactly what I did! I kept my sink clean and shiny for the whole month of January. It was my only requirement and because I didn't pile on with that huge list I could just do what I wanted. I was FLYing from the start because I was loving myself enough not to push too hard. Everything I did was fun because I was not under the gun of my perfectionism. As my habits were established I began to think of them as steps. I put them together into logical flow to start my day. One, two, three! One, two, three! One, two, three! Waltzing on the FLY! Basic Steps to my Daily Waltz 1. Get up 2. Make bed 3. Go to the bathroom 1. Weigh 2. Check calendar 3. Shower 1. Get Dressed 2. Fix Hair and face 3. Swish and Swipe 1. Take vitamins 2. Turn on computer 3. Put on shoes, 1. Check Laundry 2. Fix coffee 3. Dust Mop the floors 1. Empty dishwasher 2. What's for Dinner 3. Eat breakfast. 1. Fill water bottles 2. Start my music 3. Sit down to work Do you see how it all flows or shall I say FLYs by! One, Two, Three! It's a waltz. This takes me about 20 minutes from start to finish because I have done my before bed routine and I am not trying to function in clutter. My Control Journal became a place to hold my routines. I still had to be reminded when I was in the bathroom what the steps were. I am still sidetracked and I will always be a sidetrackable! This is why I love Post-It Notes. I don't beat myself up because I need them. I have a morning one and a before bed one in my bathroom. This is where I start my day and end my day. I even keep my calendar in my bathroom. I use it to chart my weight and put appointments in red to remind me. I also list my menu planning on it. This is because I have been cooking more. Your Control Journal is just a place to keep your routines. It also helps others to see exactly what has to be done in a home. When you keep your routines in a sheet protector, you don't have to rewrite them every day or print them out. Use your Control Journal as your Check List for Take Off! XLMOPSale Are you ready to FLY with your Control Journal as your Personal Flight Plan! FlyLady
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 11, 2018 12:36:28 GMT -5
We Are In: Zone 3: The Main Bathroom and Another Room Let's declutter this month! Do you have your new calendar? It is hard to keep up with a busy schedule when there is no place to write your appointments. How is your child going to learn how to use a calendar when it is hidden in your phone? Zone 3: Mission #1 Monday
Dear Friends,
This week we will be in zone 3, the Main Bathroom and another room. For today let's stay in the Bathroom only. The mission today is to wash the shower door or shower curtain. If your shower curtain is plastic and you can afford to replace it, put that on your list to pick up Thursday. If you can not afford just clean it the best you can with some cleaner and a rag.
Flylady Rebecca
Zone 3: Mission #2 Tuesday
Dear Friends,
Today we are going to make time for the office! I want you to pick a pile and set your timer for 15 minutes to go through it. Don't pick up more than you can get through in 15 minutes. I do not want you to overwhelm yourself. Rely on your timer for this mission.
FlyLady Rebecca
Zone 3: Mission #3 Wednesday
Dear Friends,
Since tomorrow is errand day, I want you to get under your bathroom sink to see what you need on the list. Check mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and toothpaste. Do you have any empty bottles, or items you do not love? Toss them out!
FlyLady Rebecca
Zone 3: Mission #4 Thursday
Dear Friends,
Today is double duty with the main bathroom and laundry room. Take the rugs from your bathroom and wash them. Before you start the rugs in the wash wipe down the top and front of your washer and dryer. Then throw the rags in with the rugs from the bathroom! If you do not have any rugs in the bathroom, take this time to reboot your laundry. Don't forget to wipe down the washer and dryer though!
FlyLady Rebecca
Zone 3: Mission #5 Friday
Dear Friends,
Today is gong to be an easy one! Today I want you to empty the garbage in the bathroom, laundry room, extra bedroom, kids rooms, and the office. I usually get one kitchen trash bag and empty all of them in it so I only have 1 bag to take out!
FlyLady Rebecca
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 12, 2018 12:22:50 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
Did you know that most sidetracked people are calendar challenged? It took me years and thousands of dollars to finally develop a system that worked for me. With every new system I tried to get my home organized, I would buy a planner in hopes that it would somehow miraculously fix me. Guess what, it doesn't happen!
Many calendars are developed by naturally born organized people. These folks automatically know how to use one. If they came with directions, we wouldn't use the instructions anyway. Our system is a bit different. We teach you routines that actually tell you to open up your calendar and check your appointments. This seems strange for born organized people. They have never needed to be reminded to check their calendar. In fact they think something is wrong with us, because we need this kind of prompting. Let me tell you one little thing. We are every bit as smart as the next person; we just have a little different way learning.
These things that come naturally to born organized people, we have to practice and develop into habits. It took me 30 years to learn how to use a calendar. As I started adding one habit at a time to my daily routines, the calendar became an integral part of my planning for the next day.
In order to know what clothes to lay out for the next day, I had to know what was on my schedule for tomorrow. So I would look at my calendar that I kept right beside my Control Journal and check my appointments. Then the next morning I would recheck it, after all I had slept and there is no telling what I had forgotten during the night. So I would write it down in order not to have to remember and keep juggling bits of information in my brain. This in itself relieves stress, especially if you only write these things in one place.
This is why we recommend using one calendar not three of them or twenty different slips of paper stashed in your purse, posted on the refrigerator or piled on a so-called desk that is a superfund hotspot! We don't even care what kind of calendar you use, just that you practice using one. I had wasted a lot of money on planners/calendars. This is why we developed a calendar for FlyBabies.
We want to teach you how to use your calendar, but keep in mind it is a tool and a tool will do you no good if you don't learn how to use it properly. Checking your calendar is part of your morning and before bed routine.
Each week we check our schedules with our family members to determine our menus for the next week and prepare our grocery list. You can also use it on your desk day to plan for bill paying and sending birthday cards. Your calendar will become your life if you will use it in conjunction with your control journal to act as your memory so you don't have to try and juggle all the information in your head.
These skills don't happen overnight. They take time to develop and implement. You can do this. Let me tell you, if I can do this after 30 years of being calendar challenged, you can too.
I want for you what I have and it is a peace that comes from not missing an appointment, paying my bills on time and knowing that I haven't forgotten some important date. You can have this too. Follow our directions and you will find yourself FLYing before you know it. Baby steps will get you there. I promise.
Are you ready to FLY with your Calendar guiding you every step of the way?
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 13, 2018 15:39:23 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
This week we are in our main bathrooms! Do you have a bathroom that does not make you smile? We are going to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative (clutter). We can help you make the most of those out of style colors. Even Robin Egg blue looks good when it is clean!
Let's start by getting rid of the clutter! Let's do a 27 Fling Boogie in your bathroom. Here are some items to start flinging out of this room. Get out your Declutter Kit. Give away, Put away and Throw away.
1. Worn out towels and wash cloths 2. Half empty bottles of shampoo and conditioner 3. Too much stuff around the edge of the tub or shower 4. Remove trash, dirty clothes and dirty cups 5. Out of Date make up 6. Out of Date medication 7. Too many cleaning products under your sink 8. Too many hair products and tools 9. Moldy shower curtains 10. Fuzzy rugs and toilet covers
Get this out of your bathroom so you can have some fun hyper-focusing on making your bathroom shine. Get your Purple Rags, Rubba Swisha, Rubba Scrubba and ...
1. Scrub your tub 2. Shine your sink and wipe down counters 3. Scrub the toilet and the base of the toilet 4. Scrub your shower doors or wash your shower curtain if it is not nasty 5. Shine your mirrors 6. Wipe down canisters for cotton balls and waste basket 7. Wipe picture frames 8. Wipe the shower rod or top of doors. 9. Wipe down baseboards and face plates and light fixtures 10. Mop the Floor
Next we are going to take your clean bathroom and play!
1. Put your shower curtain back up 2. Get some of those good towels out of the linen closet and put them up to use 3. Think about bringing a different rug in from another room 4. Grab one your baskets and put some fresh magazines in it or wash cloths or some samples for guests 5. Hang up your hand drying towel. Some members use our days of the week dishtowels. 6. Change out your pictures for some family pictures 7. Do you have some curtains that you can hang and pull back. 8. Put a clean cup in your bathroom 9. Stand back and take a look at your masterpiece! 10. Now close your eyes and take a deep breath of your sweet smelling pamper room 11. Take a picture and send it to me! by replying to this email!
See how easy this is if you will accentuate the positive and eliminate the clutter. You are going to love your brand new Bathroom. Now keep it clean and shining by Swishing and Swiping every day. It only take a minute to shine it when you have your Swish and Swipe tools in your bathroom.
FlyLady
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 15, 2018 11:48:12 GMT -5
Dear Friends, In 2012 Whitney Houston passed away. I have spent today listening to her music; one song says so much to me; The Greatest Love of All! We will always love her voice and how we feel when we hear her sing. There is a line in this song that touches my ; Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all. Finally Loving Yourself is this gift! How do you learn to love yourself? What is Love anyway? To us it may be something that we have never had. Several years ago when I was in an abusive relationship; all I wanted was to feel loved. It didn't matter if I was loved; I just wanted to feel like I was. What I finally came to realize was I was never going to feel this way by his actions. I needed to find other ways to feel loved. I started to meditate and in order to stay focused on my breathing I would repeat with each breath in "I LOVE" and the breath out "MYSELF"! Even though I didn't believe it yet; I still did it! I would meditate 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. This became a way for me to slow my brain down; after a while the words that I said to myself began to manifest themselves into actions. When something would not feel right; I would ask myself if doing that was loving myself. Now I have taken those simple words and turned them into my mission statement for my life. To find joy in everything I do. This is one of the greatest gifts I ever gave myself. It keeps me from perpetuating the abuse by showing me that I am loved. Love is an action word. It is the result of some little deed that makes us feel good or special. I want you to take a few minutes right now and write down a list of things that you can do for yourself to put into action the word love. Most of mine have become part of my daily routine. 1. Getting dressed to shoes, hair and face 2. Loving Movement 3. Drinking my water 4. Eating Breakfast 5. Eating snacks 6. Taking my vitamins 7. Taking a bubble bath 8. Removing my makeup at night 9. Laying out my clothes 10. Listening to beautiful music in my home and car 11. Going to bed at a decent hour. These things sound familiar don't they? Isn't it strange that something so simple can be the basis for our FlyLady way of loving ourselves. If I can teach you to do this then believe it or not your home will come together and you will be FLYing! Pampering is not a chore that can be procrastinated. When you don't take care of yourself it is one of the first signs that you could be depressed. If you don't take care of you; who will? You do have time and when you hear yourself say, "I don't have time!" then I want you stop right there and do just 5 minutes. You are going to feel better and before you know it you will be FLYing. Hey we may have to fake it till we make it but isn't that what practice really is! It will become a habit that will continue to bless you and your family. After all! If Momma ain't happy; ain't nobody happy! Take 5 minutes and write down your list of things you can do for yourself. Then I want you to cut them up and put them in a jar and each day I want you to pull one out and surprise yourself with a good deed. Learning to love yourself is the greatest gift of all! FlyLady
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 16, 2018 13:50:33 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
Paper clutter invades every area of our lives. One of the last places we conquer is the paper clutter in our cars. Sometimes it is so bad that we are too ashamed to let anyone ride with us.
Most of the clutter in our car is from things that we don't think we have time to deal with. You know the trash from the drive-thru, receipts from gas stations, and lots of school papers. As with everything we need a routine.
It all starts with being in a hurry. Imagine that! We rush our lives away. We run late, get in the car and can't wait to get to where we are going. Then we are in another big hurry to get out of the car. That is when we leave everything in there. That is why our cars smell bad.
We try to cover up the smell with deodorizers, but nothing smells better than a clean car. When was the last time you cleaned out your car and gave it a good washing. It was probably before you had to go on a long car ride with your family. How long did it take you?
How can we keep our cars clean?
1. Friday is our day to clean out our cars.
2. Every time you fill up with gas. I like to fill up when I hit a half of tank of gas. I am always vigilant while I am pumping gas. I keep my keys in my hand and my car is locked.
3. After the gas is pumped; I take a minute to grab any trash and throw it away.
4. I take my time and use my purple rag and a rubba sweepa to clean my windshield and mirrors. I drive a truck and it is hard to reach the middle of my windshield.
5. I also keep a rubba scrubba to sweep off my floor mats.
6. Put a Post-It Note on your dashboard to remind you to throw away the trash and clean your car.
7. With your car clean; you can run though the car wash. I did that today when I filled up. You can also do a quick wash at home with your dust mitt and a water hose.
8. Keep a trash bag in your car. Then you don't have any excuse to not keep your trash corralled.
9. When you get home; completely empty out your car. Everyone grabs something to take into the house.
10. Take your time getting out of the car. I always attach my keys to my purse and gather up my things.
11. It is OK to make a second trip to the car.
So you see keeping your car clean is easy when you slow down and take your time. When Friday rolls around it is your day to focus on your car. This will keep you safe!
Are you ready to FLY with a Clear Car Smile on your Face?
FlyLady
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 19, 2018 13:16:10 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
Whether we like it or not we are in the computer world. As we have found out the hard way when something goes wrong with our operating system, the data we put in does not come out with the result we expected.
Let's stop trying to figure out what caused the problem and let's concentrate on the facts. It takes time to replace an operating system. Right now we have to understand its idiosyncrasies and work around them.
The first little quirk that is in our operating system is if we put too much information in, it tends to shut down and stop working. In order to work around this, all we have to do is load one thing at a time. Doesn't that sound familiar? We get overwhelmed and nothing gets done! When we focus on one habit or one thing we can trick the operating system into getting something done.
This got me to thinking using reverse psychology on myself. Whenever I have a strong urge to do something, let's say eating chocolate cake. There is half of a chocolate cake in the kitchen. So instead of going into the kitchen to gobble down a plate full of cake, I decided to sidetrack myself.
My water bottle is full so I take a great big drink and head to the opposite end of the house to do something else for just three minutes. With a load of laundry in hand, I take it to the basement. Before I know it, that uncontrollable urge has been forgotten. This is the part of my operating system that I understand and have learned to use to my advantage. Gotta love those little quirks!
Sometimes our operating system can get us in big trouble. I am talking about our mouth and how fast we can fire off an email, instant message, text, Tweet or Facebook post. When we feel we have been wronged in some way, we are determined to defend ourselves and others. We feel like the protectors of all. This calls for some more sidetrackery! I love making up new words to describe our operating systems.
This is the hardest urge of all to fight and we can do it. When you feel that overwhelming response spilling out of your fingertips, grab a pen and paper and not your computer. Bite your tongue and go write. This is what we need when we are about to explode. Then you can vent without all the drama! I also keep hearing a cute song in my head by Carrie Newcomer, "Don't Push Send!" This stops me from hurting feelings and being rude.
Practicing doing just the opposite of what we really want to do can help us to change our operating system. This takes time and a lot of FLY Washing. We can do it. We have the ability to sidetrack ourselves just long enough to stop our quirky operating system from making our lives more chaotic.
When you hear yourself say I don't have time; set your timer for two minutes and do what you are making excuses not to do. Over the next forty day commit to reading one email a day. Set your timer and just do two minutes. You will be surprised at what can sink in.
Are you ready to download your new operating system? Finally Loving Yourself comes in babysteps that can give you the results you really want!
FlyLady
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 19, 2018 13:18:25 GMT -5
Zone 4: The Master Bedroom, Bathroom, and Closet FlyLady Cleaning System Purple Rag Bogo image Zone 4: Mission #1 Monday
Dear Friends,
This week we are in Zone 4: The master Bedroom, Bathroom, and Closet. The mission for today is to Clean off the top of your dresser. Throw away any trash, and put away random items that have been put there in a stash and dash. Make sure to dust after you have finished! If the top of your dresser is a major job, set your timer and tackle this 15 minutes at a time.
FlyLady Rebecca
Zone 4: Mission #2 Tuesday
Dear Friends,
We are going to move into the Master Closet today! Spend 15 Minutes decluttering the top shelf of your closet. I am sure you will find things up there you have forgotten all about. If you can't get to the top of your closet, take that 15 minutes and declutter what is keeping you from that shelf.
FlyLady Rebecca
Zone 4: Mission #3 Wednesday
Dear Friends,
I am sure you could guess we are going to the Master Bathroom! The mission today is to go through your makeup. Get rid of anything that is too old and not used. Old makeup can give you infections, especially eye liner, mascara, and eye shadow.
Flylady Rebecca
Zone 4: Mission #4 Thursday
Dear Friends,
Today let's clean off the bed side tables. Get all the tissues, trash, books, and cups off of these and put them where they belong. I have spilled many glasses of water because I did not take my cup to the kitchen in the morning! You will love the feeling when you go to bed this evening, and wake up without all that clutter in your face!
FlyLady Rebecca Zone 4: Mission #5 Friday
Dear Friends,
Today is window washing day! Clean all the windows in your Master Bedroom and if you have one in your bathroom clean that one too. Make sure to wipe the window sill and the frame.
FlyLady Rebecca
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 20, 2018 12:41:47 GMT -5
Dear Friend,
Getting the clutter out of your kitchens is going to help you when it comes to cooking. A good way to declutter your freezer is to cook what is in there. Take a week out of each month and plan your menus around what is in your freezer. This is going to save you money. I cooked out of my freezer, pantry, and refrigerator for the whole month of November. Getting something in the slow cooker is going to free you up to declutter.
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 20, 2018 22:22:05 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
In honor of the people we know who are moving soon; Let's play a game to help us declutter. We are going to pretend to move! Yes move from one house to another. This happens all the time and we get emails begging for this information. There is a section on our website and a whole chapter in my book Sink Reflections.
Moving Tips are on our Website.
So you are moving!!! Don't let it scare you to death. It is just like any other project that we undertake and we won't need an undertaker when we are finished either. Decluttering can make your home feel like a new home! You can do this! One BabyStep at a time!
I have one rule to follow! If you don't love it; get rid of it. It can't come with you! You can't afford to move it, especially if you are paying by the pound. This is exactly how you have to think about things with a big cross country move.
I am going to be pretty tough here. All that really matters is that you have your family with you. Everything else you have in your home is just STUFF and can be replaced if need be. The thought of starting over is too much to consider sometimes, but right now in the world many people are doing just that with the clothes on their back: Fire, flood, divorce, death, or financial problems. You name it, this happens all the time. You have even done it. I have done it three times in my life. Guess what! It didn't kill me either! I had a choice, many people are not that blessed.
It is much easier to declutter when you are not forced into it by extenuating circumstances. This is why I have tried to teach you to do it in babysteps, so you don't even realize it is happening. Who on earth misses a grocery bag of clutter, when it leaves your home one bag a day! Imagine 365 of those bags tied up and piled in your living room floor. That is a lot of stuff. Now think about every time you come home from the store with more bags of stuff. No wonder we don't have a place for everything. The old stuff is taking over your home and the new stuff has no home. STUFF is everywhere!
When we have nothing, we want more stuff. We think that stuff will make us feel better. All stuff really does is give us a false sense of security. So we go out and spend more money to buy the stuff to fill up the hole that eats away at our soul. The more stuff we have the safer we feel. We fill our homes with more gadgets to make our life easier, when in the long run they take up space and don't really work that well. After a while of filling that hole with stuff; it begins to weigh you down. It keeps you from enjoying your home and your family. It keeps you from being light on your feet and before you know it, you are sinking into the pits of despair. The stuff you had really wanted is causing your health, family and home to pay the toll. Then we rent storage units to put all of the stuff that is over flowing from our homes. That costs us more money that we have to steal from our family: just to hold our stuff.
Just think back to a time when you were starting over. It has taken years to accumulate all the things that you have. I want you to look very closely at this stuff. How has it come into your lives? I'll bet that most of it has been given to you: Hand-me-downs, inherited from your parents. Then the rest has come from garage sales. How many of the items in your home have a special meaning? Do they tell a story that brings a smile to your face or does it make you feel bad when you look at it.
Our "poor me" attitude has caused us to be surrounded by so much STUFF! Do you know what the term STUFF stands for: Something That Undermines Family Fun! Think about the money that it takes to take care of your STUFF: store it, clean it, organize it, and move it. STUFF is clutter to me and clutter cannot be organized. Do you hear me! All you can do is get rid of it; One little bag at a time or one dumpster at a time. I don't care how you do it; it just has to be done to make room for you and your family and the love that you have for one another.
All any of us need in our lives are food, clothing, shelter and love! The comforts of home! Not a storage place for STUFF. Over the last several years, we have slowly decluttered our home. It is an on-going process! I mean this. When we bring home a new item, an old one has to go. Now we only have items in our home that bring a smile to our face. Most of our belongings we have accumulated in the first couple years of our marriage; One item at a time. I was still in my "ole poor me" mode and we would buy pallet lots of stuff at estate auctions and come home and try to make a place for it all. It has taken me the many years to slowly get rid of other people's stuff from our home. Now we only have those special items that make us smile. Since I have quit buying just anything to fill a hole, I have found that I have more time and money for the necessitates of life; that is love!
Now back to the reason for this essay! Let's pretend we are moving. This means taking a long hard look at our stuff and deciding if we truly love it, use it regularly, or just think we need it. Now don't get all upset. Heirlooms are special, but if you keep them just "because" and you don't really love them, then they are taking the place of something that could really bring a smile to your face. I have heard of a sad story of a wealthy family that upon the death of the grandmother and during the funeral, one of the daughters had the horse hair sofas(all six of them) removed from the estate.
They were supposed to be very special. As a result those sofas could never be gotten rid of by the only child of this greedy person. Those sofas were just clutter that could not be used and ended up in one room filled with more stuff. Upon his death, the stuff was all auctioned off. How sad to be saddled with someone else's prizes and never really have anything of your own.
I want for you what I have; Peace and this peace came from letting go of bad memories and everything that did not bring a smile to my face. Let go and live a life that is filled with love!
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Post by SAR01 on Feb 21, 2018 13:58:15 GMT -5
Dear Friends,
It is so much easier to clean in a room without clutter. Don't get overwhelmed by all the clutter; 15 minutes a day over what you do in your routines. I know you don't think this is going to work, but I promise that those 15 minutes of concentrated decluttering every day will make a difference in your home and your attitude. It is the consistency of eating the elephant one bite at a time that will slowly make the whole elephant disappear.
I have a story to tell you about my Sweet Darling. He is the king of the one bite rule. Several years ago he had a British Sports car; an MG. In fact the car was always being worked on. After a minor car accident the MG was totaled. So he bought a second car the same model for parts. He is pretty good at fixing anything. It took both cars to keep just one running. He was left with only the stripped down parts car.
Over an entire summer, he systematically cut that car(with a hack saw) into dinner plate sized parts and sent it to the landfill one plate at a time. It was his goal to do something to dismantle this car each day. At the end of the summer he was finished. It was almost therapy for my sweetie: the car had betrayed him. That car was a pain and he got rid of it one bite at a time. Beware of the anger of a patient man.
The reason I mentioned this story, is because in our impatience to see our homes clean, we over-do. Then we get overwhelmed and we QUIT. I want you to do a little every day and not crash and burn: BabySteps, 15 minutes of decluttering and consistency will be the keys to your clean home and your peace.
If you are not being consistent with your routines, even small ones, then you are not going to have your goal of a clean and peaceful home. This hit and miss attitude is what got your home in a mess to start with. You clean like a banshee for two days because of guests, and then when they leave, you let things go to pot because you are worn to a frazzle.
This has got to stop; I want you to enjoy your home, your family and your guests. You can't do this if you are exhausted. I want your pledge to stop, "crisis cleaning". That you will commit to doing your routines DAILY, and that you will spend 15 minutes decluttering each day.
I am not the drill sergeant that many of you think I am. I don't spend all day cleaning. Even when I was decluttering I only did 15 minutes a day. I used the 27 Fling Boogie to declutter our home. It was almost as if I didn't clean at all. After three months of decluttering every day and doing my routines, our home became a paradise, instead of the pig sty that is was. Every morning and walk into a clean and shining home and it is still a big shock and a GO ME moment for me. I would walk into my clean kitchen and just smile. Some of you know what I am talking about. It is a pleasure to not be greeted by mystery water and yesterday's dirty dishes and feel like you are behind before you even make your coffee.
I want you to smile when you walk into your kitchen each morning. Visualize your clean and peaceful home. Let go of your perfectionism and impatience and take babysteps. You can do this; if you will just eat this elephant one bite at a time.
FlyLady
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