Dear FlyLady,

My daughter discovered you about 10 years ago and encouraged me to look up your website and try the routines. From the first, I loved loading the dishwasher every night and emptying it every morning. That way, there was never a need to leave dirty dishes in the sink during the day. Love it!

Next, I made sure to make the bed every morning. I was never tempted to go back to bed, but during an earlier house remodel while my stress level was super high, I’d stopped making my bed. That seemed to be a warning to my husband that I was stressed to the max. (Honestly, he never cared whether the bed was made or not.)

Then I started to declutter. We did not have as much as some do as there are only two of us. Still… there was too much. I learned to bring something new into the house and get rid of the older version of it. Buy a new top? An old one must come out of the closet and go to a donation center or, more likely, the trash.

Before decluttering, I would bring some item home and it would sit on the counter because there was no room for it in a drawer or cabinet. That is no longer a problem and the kitchen counters stay cleared, at least most of the time.

I started when I was a full time payroll-SHE so I adapted the routines to do one Blessing every day: MON-dust downstairs; TUE-vacuum; WED-sweep or mop; THUR-car/purse; FRI-dust upstairs; SAT-scrub sinks; polish a mirror; SUN-sweep or mop. The Zones and Missions help too. I adapt some of them to fit our house. For example, the bed goes all the way to the floor, so nothing ever gets under there. If the Mission is to look for “stuff” under the bed, I’ll do something else more thoroughly in the bedroom that day.

Since starting with FlyLady, I’ve moved twice. There is no such thing as an easy move, but they were less stressful because I could just start in with the routines again and unload boxes. Recently, we bought a winter home in the south and I had seen an article about steps to follow during/after a move. I read it and printed it to take with me. I followed the steps–it was very helpful.

Finally, when I’ve been away, either at a week-long conference or a vacation, it is so easy to just pick up where I left off. If I return on a Tuesday, I know it is Vacuum Day. There is no longer a feeling of “OMG, where do I start?!”

Thank you , FlyLady, for your help and support over the years. You have made my life easier. I love the feather duster and the purple rags!

Dianne