I have been Flying, on and off, for a few years now, but sometimes there is still that little voice in my head that tries to convince me that I am behind and will never be able to catch up.

Well, I was glad that the January habit was Shining our Sinks, as it helped to reinforce a habit that I’ve been reasonably successful at taking on board, along with Swish and Swipe, doing a wash a day, and putting out tomorrow’s clothes tonight.

But that little voice of perfectionism piped up, telling me that I was still behind, even though I was shining my sink.

As I put the rinsed washing-up bowl and dish draining rack away under my sink, it suddenly hit me that a year ago I couldn’t possibly have done something that has now become a habit, because my under-sink cupboard was full of STUFF – especially unused cleaning stuff! For years, Unilever and Procter and Gamble have been among my biggest fans, because every time they brought out a new cleaning product, I would buy it. I would use it a couple of times, then it would sit under the sink and gather dust ever after! Well, during the course of last year, I emptied that cupboard, tossed or gave away the excess cleaning products and organized all the regularly-used products, dusters, cloths, tea towels etc, and was able to free up two whole shelves, one for the washing-up bowl, and one for the draining rack.

After each washing and drying session, away they go, out of sight, and my sink gets shone, and stays shone (well, more or less!)

I finally realized that it’s no good buying cleaning products and thinking that just owning them will get the house clean! It’s like having a drawer full of expensive face creams and not using them, but expecting to delay the wrinkles! Our sister who uses a simple, inexpensive moisturizer twice a day without fail will have more success than we will with our drawer of unused premium face creams and potions!

I have found that I now have an arsenal of a few products that I use regularly, and properly, and my house stays reasonably clean, AND I have gained the space to keep my sink area clear.

For now, the little voice of Perfectionism is silent, and I’m glad I had the realization that the good practices do become habits, and lift us, one BabyStep at a time, out of the CHAOS!

Bless you FlyLady for all the words of wisdom and encouragement – I finally feel that I am beginning to FLY!

Sally,
Cumbria, North West England

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FlyLady here: I’m so proud of you! Those voices that you hear in your head keep telling you that you are behind and you have to get it all done now. We are going to quiet those negative voices that are beating you up constantly and replace them with a loving, gentle voice that tells you that you are not behind and you can do this one BabyStep at a time!