Dear Friends,

Now for my Morning Musing! Saturday has always been Family Fun Day! I am giving you an assignment! Go outside and play with your children just like you were one of them! Playing is not a sedentary activity! Watch your children play they really know how to get in to it! If you don’t have a child, then borrow one from a family member or take your dog out to play! Go to the park, fly a kite, play tag, pitch a ball, or play hide and seek! Children are filled with energy and so are your pets! That energy can be contagious if you are laughing and having fun with the babies!

If only we could act more like children! We got the cutest testimonial yesterday and this will bring back lots of memories for us all!

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Dear FlyLady and All:

My favorite thing is to do is color! I’m 45 years old and I like to color! I have some markers, but the colors were pretty limited, so today . . . I bought myself some new crayons! I haven’t had a new box of crayons in 20 years, at least! I went to the store looking for the traditional box of 64, but couldn’t find it. Instead, I found a box of 96!!! Oh! the good fortune!! Oh, the smell! Oh, the good feeling from that simple thing!!!! This is silly, I know, but I love to take pleasure in the simple things.

Thanks for all you do!

NC FlyBaby

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When was the last time you sat down to just color, draw, play music, sing, paint or whatever your talent is! I have heard from lots of you that as your home got in order you were able to start your passion again. I am so proud of you!

When our homes are cluttered and CHAOS reigns supreme, we don’t have time to do the things that fulfill us! So that gets put on the back burner and the flame begins to die! That little flame is the passion that is inside of you! How sad that we have hidden our little light under a bushel basket all because we don’t think we have time!

So what is your talent? I never knew what mine was until I got my home in order! I always knew I could do anything I set my mind to do, but I never knew my talent was in writing and motivating! It was only 4 months after I started my routines that I began writing! It even shocked me! At that time I was still caught up in my perfectionism and wanted it to be just perfect before I would let anyone see it. It is much more fun now! I write to my hearts content and give it to the world every day! It may have mistakes, but no one is perfect and I feel great about the message. If you can’t see past the mistakes then you are still stuck in your perfectionism! Please don’t unsubscribe! You need those flawed messages more than anyone! Eventually something will click inside of you and you will not get caught up in the editing of my words but you will take them to heart and use them to help you!

Clutter does not bless our homes! It is a villain that comes to rob us of our passion, love, money and time! Let go of your clutter and find yourself with more time than you ever dreamed possible. It is hard work organizing clutter that is why I say that you cannot organize clutter; you can only get rid of it! That goes for the clutter in your brain too!

This villain comes into your home and holds you hostage forever; unless you get wise to his evil intentions and toss him out on his ear! Clutter slips in unexpected and slowly adds more clutter to your home! It robs you of your energy! Oh let’s do a little test! Just clean off the coffee table in your living room. Go spend 5 minutes doing it. Now make it completely clear; no what-nots; just a clear space! Feather dust the table or wipe it down. It has been a while since you have seen that surface! Now stand back and look at it! How does that make you feel? Next start putting stuff back on it till it begins to feel uncomfortable! I wager that after about 3 items you stop yourself, because is doesn’t look good, but the truth is how it makes you feel inside is why you really stop!

We become immune to our clutter! Yesterday one of our member’s husbands had the nerve to tattle on his wife for her hot spots! He wanted me to address the issue of picking up after ourselves. Well I was not too happy with this husband and asked him if he were perfect! I have always had this problem. I get something out and it becomes a project that I am going to come back to later! Then it just stays there! We are SHEs and this is part of us. We are learning to do better! It takes practice not nagging to help us change!

Today I am going to look around my house for those projects that haven’t been finished! Then put a few things away. But it is not because some whiney husband complained to me! It is because I choose to!

Relearning how to play is going to bring more peace and joy in your life.

Are you ready to FLY with me?

{{{HUGS}}} to you all!

FlyLady

Dear FlyLady,

I really appreciate all of the FlyLady advice on setting up routines so I can get my everyday tasks done (the tasks that have to be done everyday or every week or every month).

My question is – do you have advice on how to get the one-off tasks done? My To-Do list is way too long, and it’s full of tasks that only need to be done once. Tasks like putting photos in frames, research car batteries, fill out financial forms, etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Lisa in IN

Dear Lisa,

We all have these things that need to be done. Putting them off creates stress in our lives. When you look at your list, most of the things only take a few minutes. This is why we set up Anti-Procrastination Day. This is the day we can get some of those things checked off our list.

Any day can be Anti-Procrastination Day if you will set your timer and go for getting 3 of them done in an hour. Set your timer for 15 minutes and just pick one thing on your list. Let’s choose that Car Battery one: You will need the make and model of your car. Then pick up the phone and call your local Advance Auto Parts store or one that you have local. They are always helpful. This will take you 5 minutes. After you have done three of them; celebrate!

Another way to get these things done is put 5 of them each on a little sheet of paper. At a specific time each day; just pull one out and do it. Or maybe at the top of the hour pull one. Doing one each day you will eventually get them done.

Last year we had a testimonial from one member who did one thing on her Procrastination To Do List; each day during the lenten season. She did forty days of Anti-Procrastination. I love this idea! To sacrifice something you love and to add a new habit.

Now you can’t frame those pictures if you don’t have the frames in your home. So instead of breaking the bank by going to purchases lots of new frames, think about recycling some that you already have by putting new pictures in them. Also are the pictures even printed out yet. There are lots of steps to framing a picture and we can let our perfectionism stop us before we ever start.

Pick just one picture you want to frame and not 50! You can focus on the one and get it done.

The reason you are having trouble getting things checked off your Procrastination To Do List is because it is too big. Break the list down into groups of 5. Put them on your calendar! One each day. We can easily do one a day.

Put the full list in your Control Journal and check them off as you do them. Just don’t get overwhelmed by the full list. Eventually with your consistency of doing one a day; you will get them all done! Celebrate each accomplishment!

You can do this! If you make it fun it will get done!

FlyLady