Dear FlyLady,
So often I read testimonials where people say “I’m not really flying, just fluttering along.” I’ve thought similar things myself.
I even stopped getting the emails for a while because they had become ‘just one more thing I was failing at and I couldn’t handle the guilt.
I started getting the mails again a couple months ago and adding a couple of habits at a time, some of them more consistently than others. I have the routines posted on my refrigerator, and I do my best to follow them.
Recently I had an epiphany (an AHA moment, if you like) about this: with each and every little Fly-thing I do, I am FLYing! It’s not about having a perfect home, it’s about Finally Loving MYself!!
It doesn’t matter if I don’t get every detail, every routine perfect. It doesn’t matter if I do a load of laundry every day but get backed up three loads and fold them all at once (15 minutes at a time, of course). What matters is that I am not beating myself up for the state of my house (“You are not behind, just jump in where you are!”).
What matters is that when I do my routines, each and every part of them makes my life easier and run more smoothly.
In the morning, I do one load of laundry, which keeps my clothes clean and prevents me from being overwhelmed by mount washmore. When I put the dishes away I make it easy to cleanup after my meals that day. When I check my calendar and dress to the shoes I am not only arming myself for what I know is in store for me today, I am also better able to deal with surprises.
My before-bed routine helps me pick up after myself and makes my life tomorrow easier because I can get up and hit the ground running. (I have no idea why it takes two minutes to check my calendar and pick my clothes out the night before, where it takes 20 the next morning.)
The declutter missions have a profound and lasting effect on my life, because they make my house easier to clean and put my mind more at ease. The focus of each day makes my life easier too, whether it is meal planning, anti-procrastination, or the weekly home blessing.
Every little thing you teach us to do is like a hug we can give ourselves, but even better because our ‘hugs’ hug us back and make us feel proud of ourselves! Each routine or decluttering, in and of itself is FLYING!
So, for a FlyBaby who has struggled her whole life with loving herself, this is a tremendous blessing, and I Thank You from the tippy top of my FLYing Heart!
A FlyBaby
Rebecca here: This month we are focusing on the before bed routine.
Part of this routine is gathering up everything you need for the following day and putting it in one place. This place is your launch pad. You will be able to grab and go!
Where is your place? Do you have a bag? A water bottle or your office in a bag?
Have you built your control journal? Has your perfectionism stopped you from even trying? I totally understand. This is why we made one for you.
Do you have a story or tips that will help other FlyBabies with this habit?
Have you gotten your calendar ordered? Get it today! Our calendar has large squares that are big enough to hold your busy family’s schedule and milestones.
