I have been Flying, on and off, for a few years now, but sometimes there is still that little voice in my head that tries to convince me that I am behind and will never be able to catch up.

Well, I was glad that the January habit was Shining our Sinks, as it helped to reinforce a habit that I’ve been reasonably successful at taking on board, along with Swish and Swipe, doing a wash a day, and putting out tomorrow’s clothes tonight.

But that little voice of perfectionism piped up, telling me that I was still behind, even though I was shining my sink.

As I put the rinsed washing-up bowl and dish draining rack away under my sink, it suddenly hit me that a year ago I couldn’t possibly have done something that has now become a habit, because my under-sink cupboard was full of STUFF – especially unused cleaning stuff! For years, Unilever and Procter and Gamble have been among my biggest fans, because every time they brought out a new cleaning product, I would buy it. I would use it a couple of times, then it would sit under the sink and gather dust ever after! Well, during the course of last year, I emptied that cupboard, tossed or gave away the excess cleaning products and organized all the regularly-used products, dusters, cloths, tea towels etc, and was able to free up two whole shelves, one for the washing-up bowl, and one for the draining rack.

After each washing and drying session, away they go, out of sight, and my sink gets shone, and stays shone (well, more or less!)

I finally realized that it’s no good buying cleaning products and thinking that just owning them will get the house clean! It’s like having a drawer full of expensive face creams and not using them, but expecting to delay the wrinkles! Our sister who uses a simple, inexpensive moisturizer twice a day without fail will have more success than we will with our drawer of unused premium face creams and potions!

I have found that I now have an arsenal of a few products that I use regularly, and properly, and my house stays reasonably clean, AND I have gained the space to keep my sink area clear.

For now, the little voice of Perfectionism is silent, and I’m glad I had the realization that the good practices do become habits, and lift us, one BabyStep at a time, out of the CHAOS!

Bless you FlyLady for all the words of wisdom and encouragement – I finally feel that I am beginning to FLY!

Sally,
Cumbria, North West England

FlyLady Rebecca here: Do you have a Shiny Sink Story? Let us know, and send an email with MY SHINY SINK STORY in the subject line to flylady@flylady.net!

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!