Fly Baby Fly
Day 25 - learn how the
routines developed. This is the Fly Lady's own testimonial of how she got her house in order. The gist is that she did one new thing or worked on one goal per month. It also shows how the little things can really snow ball until you have routines on auto pilot and a clean house. It also puts across her message, that it doesn't need to be done overnight, small steps, and small changes will get us there. Not only will it get us there, but it will make a lasting change that a whirlwind afternoon of deep cleaning probably will not accomplish.
I really like the idea of working on a single goal every month in order to make it a routine. I'm only about a week away from finishing the baby steps and then I want to start working on 1 thing each month. Benjamin Franklin used to do something similar on a weekly basis. He had a set of
13 virtues and worked on one virtue each week in 13 week rotations. The idea was that these were the virtues that would make him the most perfect Ben Franklin he could be. He also knew that it was a work in progress his entire life. While the 13 virtues represented perfection, he knew he was not ultimately seeking perfection. When he died he said that he knew he was a better person for having tried.
I'm going to finish out the babysteps. The final weeks in August I will try to add 15 minutes worth of zones - which, after the 1st Kelly mission, I didn't add to my routines. And then we will see where September takes us :)
Day 26 - Look at the bottom of any Fly Lady email. Well, there aren't any emails anymore, but it was a good reminder to go to
Big Tent. At the bottom each of news item it says "You are not behind. I don't want you to catch up. Just jump in where we are." It's a great attitude. It is that kind of "you can do it!" message that I think attracts so many to Fly Lady.
Fly Baby Fly
I have been keeping up with the baby steps still, and here they are:
Day 15 Make your bed. The idea is to make your bed as soon as you get up in the morning. Check! I have been doing this, though not immediately for a little while now. When you have cats, it's pretty much a given that you don't want "litter paws" (as I call them) on the bed sheets. Yuck! So the bed is almost always made. But I did indeed move it to immediately after getting up. Now, if only that would stop me from getting back in it and sleeping another 20 minutes!
Day 16 Read an email from the Fly Lady. Since I don't get the emails, I went over to
Big Tent and read up. I have to admit I have not done this every day, so it was nice to have a reminder day in the baby steps.
Day 17 Pick a bed time, and
stick to it. Okay, this one is hard. I usually do aim for 10:30 so I get close to 8 hours of sleep. But, admittadly this has been pushed back alot to 11 or later. Especially if I am spending time with my boyfriend. At least though I am aiming for 10:30. It means that I really need to start my BBR around 9:30. If I finish early, great, but at least it'll get done.
Fly Baby Fly
I made sure last night to check what today's step was going to be so I didn't inadvertently miss something :)
Day four is Write these things Down. That is in addition to doing what we've already done. The baby steps compound on each other. So this morning I got up again, dressed to shoes (exercise gear) and went running. Showered and got ready for work (had time for liner, mascara and gloss!). I had a quick breakfast because I was also trying put stuff in the slow cooker for dinner, and say good bye to my mother. Yep, she's leaving with her husband for the next 6 months or so. If she was a skier she'd be a snow bird. She was nice enough to clean the litter boxes for me since I was running behind. Normally, I do the slow cooker on the weekends, so I'm hoping today was a glitch in the routine.
Anyway... Day 4.
"Your next thing is to write these things down on a sticky note and post them on your bathroom mirror and above your kitchen sink. This is the beginning of your Control Journal. The little notes help us to remember the habits we are trying to establish."
I tend to ignore my sticky notes after awhile. I have had the same "pick out your clothes for tomorrow" note on my door since February. I don't even see any more. So I'm going to make some fun signs on MS Publisher today.
But first... I'm off to Big Tent.
