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FlyLady's FlyToon

From the Archives: 5 Minute FLY Bys

Are you being pulled apart in 5 different directions at the same time, and nothing seems to get done? FlyLady has started something new - a FIVE MINUTE FLYby! To get us rolling, our members have helped us compile a list of things we can do in just five minutes.

Word of warning LOL, this list will take longer than 5 minutes to go through, so here is a challenge: Set your timer for 15 minutes and start reading the list. When the timer goes off, go do one of the 5 minute FLY-bys. Enjoy! - FlyCrew

"Are you ready to FLY 5 minutes at a time?" - FlyLady

From our Members...Finding 5 minutes in the first place!

How do you find those 5 minute blocks of time? These members have some great ideas!

  1. I use a swiffer "cloth" and wipe down my computer and desk while I am waiting for my flylady reminders to download.

  2. My personal FLYing technique is called the Hot Tea rule. There are tons of things I can accomplish while waiting for my water to come to a boil, then my tea to brew. I'm not sure this takes exactly five minutes, but it's less than ten. I get some of my morning and evening routines done this way, since I drink a lot of hot tea this time of year.

  3. I love the idea of the "5-Minute FLY-bys"! For years I have kept a list taped to the wall above the phone of things that could be done during a phone call.

  4. I know I can do these things in 5 minutes... I know because I did them on Sunday... and boy did it feel good!! It really is amazing what you can do in 5 minutes... thanks FlyLady, for pointing me in the right direction!

  5. I have used this many times, and it seems to be a catchy thing! I set off to do 5 minutes in one room, then I can actually feel the adrenalin (that motivation stuff we so often can't seem to find), it starts to flow! Also, I find that just 5 minutes of "focused" time can accomplish more than an hours' worth of "chicken with your head cut off" time.

  6. When I am in the kitchen waiting on the microwave, or whatever, I wipe down something.

  7. Sometimes when I get my email message to do a 5 minute room rescue, I actually do a 5 minute house rescue. I set my timer for 5 minutes and walk through and clean up any obvious mess! It works great to keep my whole house shining!

  8. In addition to upping my water intake (thanks, Flylady!), I am also trying to kick the caffeine habit. Since I work from my home, I give myself about 3 herbal tea breaks each morning. I've found that it takes about 5 or so minutes to boil the water and steep the tea. So, instead of standing around doing nothing while I prepare my tea break, I am using those minutes to advantage. For example, while the water's boiling, I'll put away any dishes in the dish drainer, or wipe off my kitchen counters, or throw in a load of laundry. Yesterday, during the first tea break, I swept my kitchen floor. While I was waiting for my second cup to be ready, I quick-mopped the floor. Waiting for the third cup to be ready, I rinsed out the mop head, put away the broom, dumped the mop water, and quick-shined the kitchen sink.

  9. While I am running the water for my dd's bathes I wipe down the sinks & mirrors in the bathroom. I keep cleaning stuff in that bathroom so I don't have to go get it from another room.

  10. Waiting anywhere...write a shopping or errand list...pray

  11. I put my cup of water for tea in the microwave as soon as I'm up-set for 2:22, 2 minutes, 22 seconds. The water has to boil to make good tea. In that 2:22, I unwrap the tea bag, head for the bathroom, use the toilet, wash my hands & face, and run a brush through my hair. I'm back in the kitchen just as the microwave timer goes off with tea bag in hand.:)

  12. When watching TV, every time a commercial comes on (or when I have to run to the bathroom) I pick up anything laying out of place on my way and put it away. I get back before my program comes on again. (It isn't cheating, do combine work with pleasure!)

  13. For my 5 minute flyby I do what I call sweeps. As quickly as I can I walk from one end of my house to the other (living room, kitchen, computer/dining room) and do a sweep of 3 things. First I grab a plastic bag and sweep thru for trash. Then I sweep thru for dirty laundy. Lastly I sweep thru for dirty dishes that haven't made thier way to the sink. If I have enough time I quickly sweep all the toys out of the computer room and kitchen and toss them back into the living room. It isn't perfect but just enough to let me breath. I usually incorporate this into my morning afternoon and evening routines, but I will throw one in here and there if things are getting out of hand, or if I am feeling discouraged or stressed.

  14. Do you have any idea how much you can get done while talking on a cordless telephone? Lots of stuff! You can put a load of laundry in washer, or take out a load and put it in the dryer. You can get your mail and go through it or shine your sink. I have a quilting business in my home and if I have to do any ripping out while the quilt is on my machine, I can do this while talking on the phone also. I have a headset telephone and I can use two hands to do anything that doesn't take a lot of thought. And let's face it, housework doesn't take much thought. It's the same things over and over and over and over..................I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't just SIT and talk on the phone. I am always doing something!!! I can make one heck of a meal while talking on the phone also!

  15. Because we don't have a fenced in yard, I have to accompany my dog on her "business trips." So I pick weeds while I wait for her to be a good girl! This works great, since I'm pregnant and can't imagine spending an afternoon picking all the weeds at once.

  16. At night I hit my hot spots...during the commercials! I also do most of my nighttime routine during commercials.

  17. The longer I fly, the more I've been doing 5-minute fly-bys automatically! Thanks flylady!

Just for You

  1. Take 5 minutes and open the outside door and take a deep breath, notice what a beautiful day it is and be thankful!

  2. Drink a glass of water.

  3. Stop and breath!

  4. Look over my day's routine and to do list and reorganize my thinking.

  5. Schedule your next days workouts and errands

  6. Read flylady emails

  7. Brush my teeth after meals – this isn’t on flylady, but my son (6) reminds me of its importance in the prevention of cavities!

  8. Floss. I never get time to do this because my little ones are always pulling at me.

  9. Remove nailpolish or apply nailpolish.

  10. Do 10 crunches.

  11. Stand up and streeeetch tall, then bend over and reach for the floor (1 minute acutally!).

  12. Do one part of an exercise routine - 25 situps, or 25 jumping jacks or leg lifts.

  13. Rub lotion on your elbows and heels.

  14. My favorite one....light a candle! (goes along with putting on music for me)

  15. Sit down, put your feet up and a cool cloth over your eyes and rest.

  16. Write 3 things you've accomplished today.

  17. Journal for 5 minutes.

In the Front Entrance and General Throughout the Home

  1. Sweep the front steps.

  2. water the patio plants

  3. I use a broom to sweep off the outside of front door and surrounding wall and ceiling, sweep the outside entry and walkway. Then water plants on front stoop, the pot between the two garage doors and the plants on the patio. Living in south Florida, I try to water on Tuesdays and Fridays but I only sweep like that about once a week. It helps my house say "welcome" when people come to the front door or to greet me when I get home. I also keep a seasonal wreath on the door.

  4. Clean the glass on our front door. (It has 18 separate "pains" where lots of little fingerprints magically appear.)

  5. Pick up shoes, ties, etc, and put in box at bottom of stairs (where things to go up sit while waiting to be carried up on next trip).

  6. Straighten shoes in closet.

  7. Hang up the jackets cluttering the kitchen and living room chairs.

  8. Spend Five minutes cleaning those kiddie fingerprints off the stairway wall.

  9. Dust the railing around the top of the hallway stairwell, getting in between the bottom of each rail and rung.

  10. Clorox wipes all door knobs in hallway especially after little one eat.

  11. Clean off the landing of the stairs that can quickly become a "hot spot".

  12. In five minutes I can walk through my house and gather all the things that are in rooms they don't belong in and put them in the right rooms. I don't always get them put away in that 5 minutes but I can get them all put away in another 5 minutes in each room!

  13. Pick up my earrings that are all over the house (depending on where I've taken them off) and put them back in my jewelry box where they belong, and where I can find them!

  14. Gather up the kids toys and things that have been left out. (I sweep through the house with a laundry basket and then put the basket next to their bedrooms for them to put away)

  15. Carry contents "Stairs Box" up or down (as appropriate) and distribute to correct rooms/spots.

  16. Empty all the trash baskets in the house.

  17. Shake out small rugs.

  18. Change the A/C-furnace filter.

  19. Change the batteries in your smoke alarm or CO detector, or your Palm.

  20. If you smoke--which I don't--clean out the ashtrays.

In the Kitchen

  1. I turn the blinds so the sun pours in my kitchen.

  2. Clean the inside of the kitchen window.

  3. Unload dishwasher

  4. Wipe down kitchen counters and the cutting board.

  5. wipe down the stove top.

  6. I can wipe down the outside of my kitchen cabinets in 5 minutes too!

  7. A good way to finish off the "sink shining" is to slice up old lemons or oranges and put them down the garbage disposal. This helps rid of old fruit that you haven't gotten around to throwing away AND makes the garbage disposal smell fresh.

  8. Scrub and rinse the coffee maker (or any other appliance).

  9. remember to put the coffee carafe in the dishwasher (I feel better with a clean carafe)

  10. Scour the inside of a coffee-stained mug

  11. One 5-minute fly-by that I have added to my evening routine is to set up the coffee pots for the morning. (Yes, we have two coffee pots. DH drinks regular and I drink decaf. :-) I do this when I am cooking dinner or just have a few minutes in the kitchen. Really saves time in the mornings to just start the coffee without having to go through all the steps.

  12. Wash that sticky set of salt and pepper shakers that always sit on the table or stove.

  13. Clean microwave (boil a cup of water first, let sit a few minutes, then wipe out)

  14. get rid of 3 "yucks" in fridge.

  15. Clean a shelf in the refrigerator.

  16. I open the meat/cheese drawer in my fridge and toss what I know is old, then wipe down the drawer.

  17. Wipe off the fridge.

  18. Fill icecube trays

  19. Move the microwave or other counter-top appliances and wipe up all the crumbs.

  20. Wipe the kitchen chairs and wipe off all those sticky, crusty kid-spots.

  21. Wipe all the cobwebs, etc. from the underside of a table (you'd be surprised what's under there!)

  22. Clean your kitchen table off, push in the chairs and put new placemats/tablecloths on.

  23. Sweep the kitchen floor

  24. Spot-mop the kitchen floor

  25. Cleaning the kitchen floor was something that I hated to do, because I thought of it as an hour-long project. But it really isn't! It is just amazing how much you can accomplish in five minutes, isn't it?

  26. Sort recyclables.

  27. Take "big" trash items to the dumpster/recycle (dishwasher soap bottles, empty 24-packs of soda, cardboard boxes that big mail items came in).

  28. Empty the kitchen trash and put in a new bag. (I was terrible about putting this off until it was a piled up pyramid and twice as hard to take care of by that point)

  29. When I pull out my kitchen trash can liner, I spray & wipe off my trash can.

  30. Take out the trash

  31. Grab kitchen garbage and bag of recycleables on my way out the door to drop off in outside cans.

  32. When my children were little I got tired of them opening and closing the icebox to get drinks of cold water. It was lowering the temperature and I was worried the food was not staying cold enough. My husband bought a large container like you take on picnics, probably a 1.5 gallon (6 liter) size. I fill it with ice and fresh filtered water so it is available at the touch of a button any time of the day or night. One of my 5 minute FLYBys is to pour in the ice cubes to keep the water cool, then I refill my ice trays fast using a large sports drink bottle with a squirt top lid. But I was squirting the water everywhere until I learned just how much water will come out and how hard to squeeze. LOL When we go to a soccer game or on a trip, I just grab the cold water container and a few disposable paper or styrafoam cups and head out on the road.

  33. Take your vitamins and give the kids theirs.

What's for Supper?

  1. Cut up fruit or veggies to snack on all day.

  2. Glance at our monthly menu calendar (I make up our menus for an entire month) to see what's coming up for dinner in the next week and make a list of the things that I forgot to purchase during my last shopping trip or things we have run out of. (I hate going shopping sometimes so I do it once every 2 weeks or once a month is even better.)

  3. Get a good start on a grocery list (can finish while drinking the tea)

  4. Gather ingredients for dinner.

  5. I can set the table in the five minutes that my 3 kids are playing happily after nap/snack/movie time but before I have to really focus on dinner. Caveat: hungry two year old thinks it is time to eat, RIGHT NOW!!

  6. Make a green salad.

  7. put ingredients in bread maker (and start it)

  8. My throw together 5 minute dinner -- in a casserole dish combine
    • a bag of frozen broccoli
    • a can of broccoli cheese soup
    • tuna or whatever meat you have leftover from last night
    • Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

  9. Start a roast cooking in the crockpot. I have a wonderfully simple recipe. One roast, one package of dry Beefy Onion soup mix and enough water to come to the top of the roast. Takes all of 5 min. to do this and it's wonderful for supper.

  10. put 1/3 c. oil, 1/3 c. water, and 1 egg in a bowl, mix 40 strokes w/ Ghiradelli's Chocolate Chip Brownie mix and toss in a greased square pan to bake for 40 minutes for a nice treat for the DH! This was a big step for me because I believe EVERYthing has to be homemade from scratch etc. etc. but this is a fabulous mix that makes moist, chocolate-y brownies and, you know, sometimes may love really DOES come in a box ;)

  11. Make Jello.

  12. Set the table in an attractive manner for dinner--placemats, napkins, candles.

  13. My dining room table is already cleared off (or I do that!)....so I take my table cloth out to the back door and shake any crumbs off of it. Then I put it back on the table nice and neat. (I use a linen table cloth and change it once a week or sooner if someone spills on it)

  14. check the picnic basket* (at this time of year, find it!) I keep a thermal bag half full of cups, plates, plastic utensils it make preparing picnic foods short and sweet, the basket is table service ready, don't forget a disposable tablecloth.

  15. Wash out the crock pot.

  16. Make my husband's lunch for the next day.

In the Bathroom

  1. I like to do my bathroom in tiny spurts when it needs attention. I will on a particular day tell myself that every time I go into the bathroom, I have to do one thing. First, I usually do the sink, the next time the counter, another time take down all the old towels and put up a fresh one....I usually eyeball the room to determine what the next attack will be one stop ahead. By the end of the day the bathroom is pretty spiffy especially if I am drinking lots of water!

  2. Well, this week I cleaned my bathroom in 5 minute flybys. Monday nite I cleaned the sink and the mirrors. Tues morning I cleaned the tub - spray on and wipe off. This morning I swiffed the floor. This afternoon I will swish the toilet. And voila - done.

  3. Go through a bathroom cabinet and chunk out-dated medicines, old make-up, lotions, etc.

  4. One of my five minute flybys is taking a Clorox wipe (lemon scented!) and I quickly go from bathroom sink to bathroom sink and wipe them down and then I wipe down all the toilet seats. It takes just a few minutes everyday and my bathrooms always look clean!

  5. Shine the bathroom faucet and wipe down the back of the toilet bowl where little boys tend to shoot instead of in the bowl.

  6. Clean a toilet.

  7. Wipe down the shower.

  8. Grab some paper towels (I have a holder attached to the inside of a cupboard door in the bathroom) and wipe the bathroom sink, dab the mirror, and wipe the back of the toilet (it attracts dust and lint)--all with the same paper towel.

  9. My favorite 5 minute FLY-By is to clean all of the mirrors in the house. When they sparkle, I feel better.

  10. After my evening bath I take about 2 minutes to swipe the bathtub with an extra CLEAN toilet brush I have just for that purpose. My tub is now so shiny I want to hang a sign over it....DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE BATHTUB....LOOKING AT THE BATHTUB WITHOUT PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR CAN PERMENANTLY DAMAGE YOUR VISION!! Okay, thats not true but it is that shiny!

  11. Put out a clean fresh hand towel to go with my clean sink!

In the Master Bedroom

  1. And I also strip down the bed, wash the sheets, and make the bed up again. This is a great task that can be broken into easy 5 minute steps. I've also discovered that by washing the sheets and replacing them right away, I don't have to go through the task of folding sheets ever again!

  2. Make a bed (or two even)

  3. I love flying with you all. I love my home, since cleaning it. I never had permission before to do it even if all the nooks and crannies were not spotless, so consequently I wouldn't do it very often......Perfectionist personnified. Anyway, my 5 minute hint is: It prob'ly takes less than 5 minutes......When I make my bed (king size), I just do one side at a time: straighten the bottom sheet, pull the other sheet and blanket and comforter up over the pillow and all. Then I go to the other side and do the same. Come back to other side and put the 3 toss pillows in the center over the comforter. The pillows are peach colored and the comforter is off white. Looks great and neat.

  4. Light candles in bedroom--don't forget to blow out when you go to bed at a decent hour! (Don't leave candles unattended!)

In the Living Room, Family Room, and/or Den

  1. Arrange the sofa cushions.

  2. Check under the sofa. I cannot believe what gets in there in just a couple of days!

  3. Straighten books (I have a "to be read" pile -- books from the library or books that I'm studying a bit at a time through online classes. So I put stray books there and straighten them so they don't fall on me!).

  4. I go through the pile of newspapers/magazines and at least pull out the sections, or whole magazines, that I know I'm not going to read. This lightens the pile AND straightens it out a bit.

  5. Check my magazine stack. I really do mean to read them but the first time I did this I found 3 yr old magazines that I had never read! (And my mom keeps recommending these good books to read LOL)

  6. Pick up all newspapers and put in recyling box, and put all magazines in one pile.

  7. Straighten the video tapes (I try to keep them in alphabetical order, my kids don’t!)

  8. pick up the shoes littering the living room floor.

  9. water all my plants.

  10. Clip dead leaves from plants (check for presents from your kitties)

  11. My newest quick habit is dusting my piano.

  12. Dust the top of picture frames

  13. sweep out fireplace

In the Laundry Room

  1. Sort my laundry if it's not in the right baskets (dh and kids aren't perfect, LOL)

  2. I either toss a load of laundry into the washer, switch a load from the washer to the dryer, or fold the clothes that are dry and in the dryer. Each of these takes roughly 5 minutes (not as long for switching them from the washer into the dryer, but if you have another load to start, it's about 5 minutes), even if you have to scrounge up enough laundry to have a full load. (But if you implement those hampers like FLYLady says to...you get my drift!)

  3. Start a load of laundry

  4. While I am putting clothes in the washer, grab a rag, wet it in the water filling the washer, and wipe down the washer and dryer.

  5. I take a dirty towel from the laundry and quickly swipe the top of the washer and dryer--the cat eats up there and leaves footprints and cat food behind, but now, thanks to FLYing, it always looks great anyway!

  6. Clean the lint trap from your dryer.

  7. Fold and put away a load of laundry

  8. Added to the throwing the laundry on the couch-- 5 minutes folds and puts away most of them!

  9. Fold a load of towels or baby clothes.

  10. I actually timed myself one day to see how long it took me to fold an extra large load of dried clothes from the drier. Since I have the children empty their baskets at night before bed, I take the baskets back downstairs after hugs and kisses ready to be refilled the next day. I can fold a drier of clothes in 5 minutes, go tend to the puppy and kids, come back 5 minutes later and change the clothes over from the washer to the drier and add more clothes to the washer! In just 15 minutes I’m on my way to doing 2 loads of clothes! :0) *doing the happy dance*

  11. take drycleaning basket out to car so it's ready for drop off

  12. Sew on a button

  13. Clean your vacuum cleaner (yep, that's right; we tend to forget about how filthy our cleaners can get).

In the Office

  1. My 5 minute Mail Fly-By:
    • I try to never keep my junk mail hanging around. As soon as the mail comes I sort through each piece.
    • *Those credit card offers and other obvious junk mail -- in the trash immediately.
    • *Catalogs - most go directly in the trash.
    • *Bills - well, I'd like to chuck them, but they go in a pile of mail to be opened, then put in the Bill Basket.
    • *Envelopes full of coupons - I quickly go through them and immediately toss the ones I'll never use.
    • My mail pile is whittled down considerably when I toss stuff immediately, and it only takes 5 minutes!


  2. Open and sort the mail (bills go with the bill-paying stuff, junk gets tossed, hubby's magazines go to his computer room).

  3. chunk the junk mail

  4. Work on the bills (even if it's just sorting them or getting them all out of the envelopes)

  5. Pay a bill. In 5 minutes, you can even put it in the mailbox!

  6. Declutter the bulletin board.

  7. Write a thank you note.

  8. write an encouragement (note card) for a friend.

  9. Call mom and thank her for "keeping the house managed" when you were a kid.

  10. A thank you note to ANYONE for ANYTHING you appreciate, a nice note to a friend, a love note to DH--or email :). How often can you only spend 5 minutes on someone and know you'll get a smile out of it? By the way, thank you FlyCrew for all you do! I like all of the stuff you make available for us on the site--it's good to know we're all on the same team. Very comforting. (Note from FlyCrew - I had to post this one LOL - and You are Welcome! I love doing this!)

  11. plug in cell phone to charge

  12. Look up a phone number.

  13. Make a phone call (to make an appointment, get info., etc.).

  14. return a phone call

  15. Clean out and straighten one drawer of my desk or the computer desk, making sure to put everything where it belongs.

  16. Clean computer screen

  17. Home business. Sitting at my desk waiting on the phone while the music plays, I turn up the speaker on tne phone and;
    • ...dust my desk with a special cloth I keep handy.
    • ...tidy/declutter one desk drawer
    • ...sharpen pencils
    • ...clean out my purse
    • ...refill the printer with paper
    • ...scan and purge a few magazines (keep the pile handy)
    • ...do some simple stretches


  18. Sync my palm pilot. I couldn't live without it but I am always entering in different info and forgetting to sync it with my home computer, once the batteries ran out and I don't know what I lost.

Five Minutes With and In Between Your Babies

  1. Hug my babies!

  2. I'm so glad you sent out the FLY-bys memo! It's exactly what I've been having to do, since I've become a new mom. I found your website when my baby was 3 months (he's 4.5 months now) and was frustrated that I couldn't even get ONE 15 minute block of time. So I just started doing everything in 5 minute increments! I'd get my son up, feed him, then I could put him on a blanket beside my dresser and put my clothes on. He'd fuss after about 5 minutes. Then I'd play with him or take a walk, then 5 minutes to put on makeup (I'm fast). More baby play or nursing, then 5 minutes to unload the dishwasher. You get the picture. What it did for me was to motivate me and see results. What it did for my baby was to learn to have some independent time to explore his toys or to sleep on his own. Yea! Now we are up to 20-min increments, where he will sit in his jumper and watch me get dressed to shoes AND put on my makeup and hair before he gets fussy. Or he will play in his exersaucer and watch me bake a cake or other activity. It's been great for all of us. I can't say that my house is in "House Beautiful" condition yet, but DH did tell me the other day how proud he was of me for keeping the kitchen so clean! (And in our house, HE is the cook most of the time and the kitchen is his haven, so me keeping it neat enough for him to notice is a big compliment for me!) Thanks!

  3. Brush your daughter's tangely hair

  4. A 5 minute evening Toddler Toy pickup

  5. Spot clean kitchen floor (especially around highchair)

  6. Hunt down sippie cups. I am amazed at how quickly our ample stack of sippie cups dwindle down to nothing.

  7. Straighten the books in my son's room.

  8. I set the timer for 5 minutes and have my 2 boys go on a sock hunt. I don't know how many other people have socks all over the house. I am thinking of dyeing them for easter, forget the eggs!

  9. I have each room in the house written down on an index card. I put them in a bowl and the kids draw one out at a time. We set the timer for 5 minutes and all 4 of us (kids ages 12,8,2) go to the room together to clean it up. It may be picking up toys, dusting, windexing, whatever needs to be done.

  10. I'm new to FLYing... was explaining some of the concepts to my daughter today - the 15 minute jobs - and she remarked, "Oh. Kind of like a 5-minute sweep?" That's what we've called 5-minute FLY-bys in our house. Every so often, when the toys and shoes and books and craft supplies and newspapers and games are all over the living room and dining room, we would declare it was time for a "5-Minute Sweep" -- 5 minutes to sweep through the room, gather up your stuff and return it to its proper place. Kids are great at getting into this - it's only 5 minutes and they can "race the clock" to see how much they can get done in 5 minutes.

  11. Do a shoe round-up - get them from where they don't belong and put them where they do belong

  12. Make a “Great Job” award for a little one.

  13. Check children's Chore Chart and gently remind them, with a SMILE

  14. Change the baby's diaper.

For the Pets

  1. Wash pet dishes.

  2. I pick up the cat's dishes from the floor - the ones we put the canned food on - wash & dry them and leave them on a paper towel on the kitchen counter for the kids to conveniently find in the morning...so when I yell downstairs while I'm getting ready for work - "Are the cats fed yet??", it's much less of a "chore" for one of them to do. If I'm feeling REALLY organized I'll even put a can of food and a spoon by the dishes. Besides, it's so much nicer not waking up to dishes with dried cat food on them....

  3. Clean out the cat box (really can be done in 5 minutes...especially if you do it every day)

  4. Shake out area rug by cat litter box and grab the dust buster to vacuum up around it.

  5. Use the lint brush over the sofas to "de-cat."

  6. Pet the cat (relax for 5 minutes).

  7. Refill bird feeders. (this one may not count as Anti-CHAOS, but watching the birds from my kitchen gives me so much pleasure, I count it as FLYing)

  8. Clean a window of doggy nose prints.

  9. Brush one of the dogs with a slicker brush.

  10. Play with dog. Play with cat. Play with parrot.

  11. Pick up dog toys and put them in a basket

In the Car

  1. I leave five minutes early to pick my kids up from school. This is when I declutter and clean the van. I keep a (non-tip) trash can and liners in my van along with Windex and paper towels. I also bought a little vac that plugs in the cig lighter for quick pick ups. I used to get annoyed "waiting" for kids or DH, now I look forward to that time because I use it to spiff up the van. Looks better than ever. When I get the email on Friday to clean the car I can delete it because I have it done. It is a good feeling to get rid of "CHAOS" in the van too. (Can't Help Anyone Out Syndrome) Since I started flying I'd be proud to give anyone a ride in a moments notice. Once your car is clean GO WEST! There is nothing like the feeling of going west in a clean car. You gotta try it.

  2. De-clutter the car/truck (grab the umbrella used earlier this week, the pile of CDs you're done with, the gas receipt that's been flapping around in the breeze) and take the stuff in with you when you get home.

  3. It takes just 5 minutes to clean out my van or my purse!

  4. Get together some non perishables for the local (or church) food pantry and put it in the car so you don't forget it.

  5. Vaccuum the car.

  6. Waiting in the car I;
    • ...clean out purse
    • ...dust the inside of the car. (cloth stays in car)
    • ...declutter car..two bags kept in car, one for trash, one for take to house.
    • ...practice relaxing

Pamper Time for You and Your Family!

  1. Grab the kids and dh-- hug them tight and say "I think I'm the Luckiest woman in the whole world!!" Then have a tickle fight for the other 4 minutes!

  2. Hug my guys and drink a glass of water.

  3. Call hubby at work and Tell him you love him.

  4. Leave a happy voicemail on DH's machine at work when you know he won't be there to catch it in person; a nice surprise.

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