Dear Friends,

The Christmas is fast approaching. We have lots of things to do to get ready! I feel that the most important job we can do right this minute is get rid of the clutter to make room for the new items that are coming into your home.

The kitchen is the heart of our home and when the kitchen is clean the whole house feels better. Before we know it Christmas will be here. Don’t allow yourself to panic. We can help you get the rest of the house ready too, but you have to promise to not try to do too much at one time. We pride ourselves in being able to multi-task. We get so many projects going and we never finish them. Have you been living in the projects? You don’t have to put yourself though this.

We came up with crisis cleaning to help us. This is a simple way to stay focused and not burn out while getting your main areas of your home ready for your guests. The most essential part of the Crisis Cleaning System is the 15 minutes that is required each hour to SIT DOWN AND REST! drink your water and plan! The hardest part of crisis cleaning is keeping it in good order until your guest arrive. NOW LISTEN VERY CLOSELY! I do not want you to wait till the day before your guests arrive to crisis clean. The secret to being a good hostess is to pace yourself and be well rested. DO YOU HEAR ME???

I will let you in on my light bulb moment. It happened in 1999! I had spent from January to November getting my baby step routines established. Our home was staying nice, but I still had hot spots and some clutter. At the first of November, I decided that we would host Thanksgiving Dinner for Robert’s Family. He had never done it for his family. My family was going to be out of town. Since I had routines, I decided I could pull this off. I started to plan and scheme. I interviewed my Born Organized Clerk as to how she kept her home clean. She told me, “Marla, it is very simple! You just pick up after yourself!”

WOW! What a revelation! If I got something out, I should put it away when I finished. This was not rocket science. It was simple! I just had to practice it. So the first week in November, I cleaned my home very well, got rid of all the clutter and started to work on a plan for the holidays. After the house was in good shape, granted it wasn’t like it used to be with clutter piled to the ceiling. Let’s just say I spring-cleaned in the fall! LOL Now I don’t have to do this, because of my zones. So after that first week of focusing on my home and getting that problem out of the way, I could relax and plan the party. With my Born Organized friend’s advice, I could practice picking up after myself and putting things away. Also I could practice doing one thing at a time. Yes! You heard me right.

Many times we leave things half done and piled all over the house because of our sidetracked nature. We start one thing and get pulled away to start something else. Leaving our projects everywhere. You could follow our day, just by going from one project to the next. During the next 3 weeks, I was able to catch myself doing just this and stop in mid-sidetrackedness and say! Marla! All you have to do is put this away before you start this other project. Much to my surprise: IT WORKED!!! Our home stayed clean and clutter free, because I was actually putting things away and finishing what I was working on. Even if I didn’t finish, I was getting to a stopping point and putting it away neatly. This took a conscious effort on my part, but once I noticed what I had been doing, something just clicked with me. It can with you too!

So I have a homework assignment for you! This is one of my 11 Commandments.

# 6. Don’t try to do two projects at once. ONE JOB AT A TIME. Don’t pull out more than you can put back in 1 hour.

We are so bad about doing this to ourselves. Self-Sabotage is our greatest enemy. SHEs tend to think we can multi-task! This is why we find ourselves turning around in circles, not knowing what to do next or where to turn! This has got to stop. We can help you! Don’t tell me you work better under pressure! This is a lie that we have told ourselves for years, because of our procrastination. We work better when we are well rested and our minds and function without running 90 miles per hour. I want you to take care of yourself.

Are you ready to FLY through the holidays? I love you all so much I even made you a Crisis Cleaning Podcast! Put this into your iPod or play it on your computer while you work. You will notice I put breaks in there as well. If you continually pick up after yourselves but still need a little help before Thanksgiving or Christmas this is the thing!

Crisis Cleaning Podcast

FlyLady

We have everything you need to keep your home shining! Sometimes we need a little motivation. Our efficient tools give us a jump start! They make a tough job fun. If you make it fun; it will get done!

FlyLady here; Holiday Cruising Mission start this week. Go download your free Holiday Control Journal.