Once upon a time, I had a cleaning lady who came in every other week and kept my house looking its best. Then came the one-two punch of recession and tuition … and bye-bye cleaning lady! Soon after I had the realization that keeping my house in order was a task that I could either take charge of … or fall victim to.
I turned to the then-nascent Google and searched the web for tips on household organization. The name that kept coming up was “FlyLady” (www.flylady.net). As soon as I went onto the site, I knew this was a system that could work for me. Plus it was free – very important when faced with the twin challenges mentioned above. I won’t go into a long, drawn-out explanation of the FlyLady approach to household management, but I strongly suggest a visit to the website.
Over the subsequent years, I shined my sink, ordered my house into zones, received tons of inspirational emails, and became involved in local FlyLady groups that eventually morphed into enduring friendships. Although I sometimes got sidetracked (“falling off the FlyWagon,” as it is called), once the methods were ingrained, I always came back on board. And we “FlyBabies” always watched each other’s backs.
But over the past year, priorities seem to have shifted. More work, less cleaning. More outside interests, less attention to the house. And gradually I’ve lost track of the system that worked for me all this time. Since we are now in yet another recession and tuition promises to be part of my life for at least the next two years, the cleaning lady option is still not realistic. So in 2012 one of my REVolutions is to rededicate myself to FlyLady.
Taking down the Christmas decorations gives me a good place to start because I can do it room by room (or “zone by zone” in FlyLady parlance), tidying up each area as I go along. So on this, the third day of the year, I’ll be focusing on the third of my REVolutions.
Time to shine the sink!
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