Dear Flylady,

I’m a flybaby learning to FIRST rock my routines and go from there. At first I thought – don’t I need to just jump into all the clutter??  But I’ll tell you what, starting with shining my sink every night and then adding swiping my bathroom sink and mirror (not yet swishing every day) and making my bed has led to me not eating in the middle of the night – the kitchen is “closed” and my teeth are brushed- and sleeping better because my before bed routine slowly winds me down and gets me ready for bed. I wake up way more refreshed.  I’ve started rebooting laundry the past few mornings (oh, how I LOVE the smell of clean towels and the feel of fresh linens on a made bed).  I’ve also found myself gaining momentum and traction in other areas – unpacking bags completely when I come in, hanging up and putting away my clothes immediately, washing dishes throughout the day…little things. It’s like the areas of control are growing bit by bit.

I’ve lost 21 lbs this past year (with weight watchers) and learning to fly is a lot like lifestyle change I’ve made to lose the weight – slowly.  Rather than ‘diet’, I’ve instead worked on mastering ONE new behavior at a time before adding another one. I’ve lost weight slowly by learning to live the way I intend to for the rest of my life.  Weight maintenance won’t look very different from what I did to lose the weight over the course of this year.  In the same way, I’m learning to fly – one behavior at a time and I’m learning to lose the clutter and chaos bit by bit.  Maintaining my home won’t be much different from what I’m learning to do now: consistently rocking my routines and doing a little bit more each and every day.  Progress not perfection.

I’m so much gaining confidence!

THANK YOU!!

Flybaby in Chicago