Re: Motivational thread!

[alec eiffel]

It is indeed Flylady inspired. My house used to be a real cluttered tip and at the end of 2003 I came across flylady and it changed everything! Took me months to declutter the house and get it tidy - I've always been untidy, my room when I was younger was the worst I haven't had the emails or visited the site for years but certain things are there in my brain and they just get done every day.

[dolly blue]

I've read a bit of flylady but it seems a bit over my head, might have another look

[alec eiffel]

I've read a bit of flylady but it seems a bit over my head, might have another look

Flylady isn't for everyone but I kept it simple and it really worked. I just focused on the basics - using a timer for 15 minute declutter sessions, establishing a routine of the absolute minimum things to do to keep things ticking over and then when they were second nature I started to think about the more detailed cleaning. There is so much temptation to try to do too much too soon and just become overwhelmed. The MSE Flylady thread is terrifying to me with the different levels of cleaning, that would overwhelm me totally. My housework routine is -

Minimums (every day)

air and make bed
swish and swipe bathroom
wash up and put dishes away, wipe the sink and drainer
clean the worksurfaces in the kitchen
deal with bunnies
have a two minute tidy before bed
put dry laundry away before washing any more (laundry used to be my biggest problem)

Everything else is optional. I generally do far more than that each day but these minimums are the things that mean everything is manageable no matter what. Obviously what constitutes a minimum is different to everyone, mine are small as there are no children or anything making things messier!

[dolly blue]

Think it was reading different levels made me more confused.
I do try to keep everything ticking over in the keeping on top of things its when i drift off to decorate,or decluttler the storage cupboards.
I'm ok with the washing and putting away seemed to master that a couple of years ago.
My paperwork needs more effort so I don't feel overwhelmed on entering the office

[alec eiffel]

The flylady system is the most simple thing in the world.

1. Shine your sink. Easy, seems weird but you have to start somewhere! My shiny sink is not the sink, it's making my bed, but I still shine my kitchen sink too!

2. Get dressed to shoes. Again sounds weird but as I just dropped a cast iron trivet on my foot I know this is a good thing!

3. Declutter for 15 minutes a day. Or work in 15 minute segments, take a break for at least 15 minutes every hour to stop you being so overwhelmed. "Your house didn't get this way in one day and it won't get organised in one day either", take baby steps.

4. Follow the 11 commandments -

* shine your sink
* get dressed to shoes
* do your morning and evening routine every day
* don't put things down, put them away
* when decluttering or cleaning don't get out more than you can put away in an hour
* do something for yourself every day
* do one job at a time
* do things as quickly as you can to get the job done, no-one wants you to spend the whole day cleaning!
* Laugh every day!

That's only 9 I can't remember the other two! They're the basics to get started.

Anyway, this morning I have been working in the kitchen. I have done my minimums, rearranged the pantry. I dug my old crafting trolley out of the garage and I'm now using it to hold my food processor, flasks, hand blender and other bits and bobs, it makes use of the far corner that wasn't being used before. Cleaned the drawers, utensil holder, scales, splashback, worksurfaces and doors. Tidied Dan's breadmaking cupboard and rearranged a few other cupboards to fit more stuff in. I've also hoovered the bunny rugs and cleaned the floor lamp. Oh and I've tidied my craft toolbox.

That's all for now, still need to do the rest of the living room floor, dust and hoover upstairs and hang the laundry out.

[marciared]

I tend to find the computer a big distraction.

[dolly blue]

Whoops think I brake the flylady rule of doing more than one job at a time, I like jobbing about

[alec eiffel]

The thing with one job at a time isn't - clean the entire kitchen before you move on to the living room. It's more about not multitasking so don't cook while writing your autobiography while planting bulbs and getting the Christmas decorations out of the loft. It's about focusing on the task in hand rather than thinking you can do 12 things at once and not concentrating on any of them. Doing bits and bobs in different rooms is fine, doing one job at a time is more about not getting sidetracked.

[alec eiffel]

Does anyone have anything they want to achieve before the end of the year? Or is it just a case of keep on trucking?

I have lots of big plans but no big money to fund any of it! We bought a rug for the bedroom this weekend which makes a big difference to the look at the warmth in there. I don't think we're going to spend any more cash on the house other than the boiler service though. We need to reattach a bit of weather strip stuff to the garage so hopefully father will help with that this weekend so it's another small job off the list. This week I'm just getting on with Christmas planning and deep cleaning throughout the house. Nothing exciting, just time consuming.

[MrsH]

Morning homemakers!

Well, we had a busy, yet unmotivated weekend (does that even make sense?!), so got up this morning with a strong resolve. I did begin the decluttering yesterday, filled 2 bags and 1 box for the tip out of the spare bedroom. So at least made a start, and DH tidied downstairs which took him most of the day (it needn't have, he was finding excuses to break off and pop out a lot!).

So, this morning, I didn't allow myself on here first thing, and I cleared the kitchen drainer, dusted, hoovered and mopped right through, and popped on a wash load. I plan to clean the bathroom very shortly, then make lunch. DD being a very good girl so far today, so that has helped Also just popped to make a brew and cleaned the sink while the kettle boiled.

Alec, we have projects that need doing, but is all being put off for the time being, some due to lack of funds and others due to lack of time. All the fencing needs replacing, but no money to do, plus neighbours haven't broached it so shall continue ignoring for now. Garden needs a complete tidy up, but neither DH nor myself are green fingered, considering putting some money aside for Spring and paying someone in the know, before borrowing a pressure washer for all the flags. Windows at back of house all in need of replacement, but again, this is a money issue. Before year end, I would like to have cleared out the understairs cupboard in preparation for toy storage, and of course have come to the end of tackling my nemesis, the spare bedroom! Next year, we may decorate children's rooms.

Happy Monday to all, and hope you had a fab weekend!

[dolly blue]

Yes I have a plan, well I've always a plan but never seem to stick to it
I would like to finish sorting out the box's from my storage cupboard, its down to a few box's now
Only one, yes one banana box will return with useful stuff in that one day will be used or needed.
Need to get OH accounts up to date
Finish faffing about in the dining room, it needs a rug and the curtain linings shortening
Sort out old paperwork that I found in a box that I found
Do something with photos rather than just have them in biscuit tins, any ideas anyone?

[alec eiffel]

Hi mrs H,

I do know what you mean about being busy yet unmotivated!

We really need to sort out our garden too (I predict a new thread), neither Dan nor I know much about it, our parents are all keen gardeners and that is a double edge sword! My parents came over to help cut down the overgrown shrubs (we were left with a pile as tall as the garage) so we now have a ton of space. We're lucky in that whoever planted the shrubs was obviously a great gardener as there's always something in flower. So other than cutting that back we're going to leave it alone.

The double edged sword is that we have some ideas about things we'd like but I know my parents will want to help, I thank them loads for that but it's hard work getting across what I want rather than what they'd want if it were their house So far Dan and I have planted some bulbs - good for us as they take care of themselves. We want to attract as much wildlife as possible and have a pond and an alpine garden. Hopefully we'll be able to take some plants from the parentals gardens to save us some cash but it's one of those isn't it, there's always money you can spend on it.

Good work on the decluttering to you and Dolly.

In terms of photos we are mainly digital now but for actual pictures we have some scrapbooks and some just in albums. It was really boring getting everything out of boxes and into albums but it was worth it as they're just on the bookshelf and I'm far more likely to look at them now than I was when they were just in a box. We've also scanned them into the computer so we have a copy if anything happened to the originals.Sorry, that's no help really!

[Bitsy Beans]

Another one here being busy but getting nowhere fast. I have nearly 8 months worth of accounts to write up I've got craft projects I want to have a crack at, Xmas cards to make and let's not even get started on the gardening and housework.

No I must not start this "not enough time in the day malarky" as it just becomes a self fulfilling prophecy

[alec eiffel]

Sounds like you need a few easy buttons Bitsy. Let some stuff go and take the other stuff a little at a time. I'd sack off the homemade Christmas cards myself to free up a bit of time and reduce the stress. I know people expect them but tough, this is your life, not theirs.

[2boysmum]

I actually seem to have less time now than i did when I was working, when I stopped working I had this idea in my head that once I got the house de-cluttered I would be able to keep the place really tidy and it would only take me an hour or so in the morning and the rest of the day would be mine
3 months later and the place doesn't look any different, I've got lists and lists of things I want to get done before xmas but by the time I get caught up with everything else I don't have time! My biggest problem is procrastination, I sit for ages thinking about what I'm going to do then don't have the time to do it.
I'm going back to writing out my chores for the day in my diary, I did this before and it was a great help. I sit the night before and mark down in my diary everything I'm wanting to get done the next day, when it's done I score it off so I get a good feeling once I see that most things are scored off the list, makes me think I'm actually achieving something, just need to find the diary as I've tidied it away somewhere

[alec eiffel]

LOL. Lists, imo, are the biggest tool of procrastination there is. Worse than the internet because when we've written a list it feels like we've done something when we haven't we've just created another bit of paper that needs to be chucked away! Something that works for me is having a certain amount of things done before I visit the internet - I like to have my minimums plus one other thing done. That way everything is a bonus, I get a little boost of inspiration from reading what everyone is doing here and I get ideas for doing something else.

It took me the best part of a year to declutter then organise my house. I worked on it for a few hours a day every day. I'd leave the computer on and I was part of a group where we'd report back at the top of each hour to say what we'd got rid of or what we'd tidied. For me it was a good mix of still getting to spend time on the computer, chatting but still getting things done and not feeling like I was the only person doing it. Have I said all this before, it seems very familiar...

If you like you can stick your master list up here then we can all be accountable to each other.

[alec eiffel]

Today I have -

aired and made bed, two minute tidy upstairs, swish and swiped bathroom, cleaned tiles in the toilet area, emptied bathroom bin, washed and hung 2 loads of laundry, prepared beans & chickpeas for the freezer, put tea in the slowcooker, washed up and put dishes away, cleaned worksurfaces, emptied litter trays, swept and dusted living area, two minute tidy downstairs, tidied porch cupboard & shoe rack and dusted the second bedroom.

[dolly blue]

I decided that the office needed a make over or more like a shift around, I might then have the urge to do the paperwork, I would of made sense to do the paperwork first and file away but I've been ignoring it for weeks
I'm thinking a nicer looking room might make me want to go in there.
I'm in the middle of moving the desk, filing cabinet and all the other crap, looks like a bomb site had to empty cabinet to move it!
Breaking for lunch but will return later, OH just returned and questioned my intentions, told him not to be nosy and he doesn't go in that room unless he uses the land line

[alec eiffel]

Good luck with that Dolly, hope it does the trick - if nothing else you'll probably get to chuck a few bits away so it's less to deal with.

[dolly blue]

Thanks Alec, well the room looks a lot nicer but the paper work is still on the desk , but the desk is now behind the door
I will attempt the paper work it wont take that long but its just having the urge to do it
Does anyone still have and use a desk top pc? I've got one its not been turned on for yonks, going to put away with the monitor/speakers in my now empty storage cupboard. I suppose it could go but think ds might have some stuff on it, I will see what he says when he's back at Xmas.

[Bitsy Beans]

Sounds like you need a few easy buttons Bitsy. Let some stuff go and take the other stuff a little at a time. I'd sack off the homemade Christmas cards myself to free up a bit of time and reduce the stress. I know people expect them but tough, this is your life, not theirs.

Actually no one expects them but I like making them LOL

I am the worlds worst at procrastination so I think really if I knuckled down and just got on with things I'd achieve more, my daily habit of logging on to check emails, MSE threads I've subscribed to, here ends up taking an hour of my time first thing in the morning

Still if I got it all done what would I have to moan about

[MrsH]

Morning all! Well, I had an off day yesterday, spent lots of time feeling generally down and a teeny bit sorry for myself I weaned off my anti sickness pills, and did so well for around a week, and now I seem to be back in the habit of vomiting first thing in the morning - gutted. So, taking mornings quite slowly at the moment. I still would like to stick to my basic routine as much as possible though. I'm about to attempt some breakfast, and will sit on here while I do that, then, in no particular order:

*Shower and dress, get DD dressed.
*dust.
*hoover and wash floors.
*clean bathroom.
*Clear kitchen drainer and clean sink.
*Take in grocery shopping due 11 - 12.
*Put towels in the wash.

I have delegated the decluttering to DH for now until I have more energy so he will be doing that in chunks on days off, plus he has some hols next month.

Well done on the office shift around Dolly!

Off to try some brekkie while reading the boards

[alec eiffel]

Hiya MrsH,

Sorry to hear you've not been feeling too good. Hope the breakfast goes down and your day goes well.

My living area is a tip. One of the buns is ill so there are towels, hay and all manner of mess all over the place. I've been awake most of the night, we kept getting up to check she was still with us. So we are off to the vet yet again!

O/T I listen to radio 5 in the morning, don't know if anyone is listening but there is the most hilarious guest on at the minute - doesn't like Christmas, doesn't agree with fanclubs (?!?!?!?!), doesn't like children -prefers cats, dogs and donkeys, doesn't think we should have Children In Need etc, just a real nay sayer. The presenter is winding her up a little bit, and while I don't disagree with her point about a few things, it's her deadpan delivery that's cracking me up

Enjoy your day everyone.

[TP]

same here to everyone.

[MrsH]

Hi all, only popped back on because apparently I didn't shut the laptop down properly, honest! Just waiting for kitchen floor to dry. Alec, hope bunny is OK. So far have showered, dressed us both, dusted throughout, hoovered and washed all floors, cleared drainer and cleaned sink (and dining table!) and stripped beds (forgot on my list that it's bed change day!), letting them air off with windows open until this aft. Best go as shopping has turned up early, will check in with you again soon peeps x

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