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Natty68
Posts: 3,336 Forumite
What is FLYLADY? Well, it's our version of the US flylady idea - but we work on the principle that housework is not fun, it's boring, can be time-consuming, is often thankless but, unfortunately, necessary. It's here on Old Style to provide the support we all need and to make the whole task easier and quicker. We also accept that, sometimes, life just gets on top of us and we can't keep up, maybe because we're time-poor, not in the best of health and/or we have littlies who need us. We are definitely NOT control freaks aiming for perfection and utterly spotless show-homes.
Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread. You're more than welcome to join us in the everlasting battle against dust, grime and gibble. The aim of our thread is to make those onerous tasks less daunting, and to support each other - and to make time for the finer things in life!
Please do remember we have to abide by MSE rules; each post should, ideally, include some mention of flying.
Thank you Valli for last week's thread
Every room comes back around next week so please don’t stress about catching up
These lists are only suggestions and not a must do list; you are more than welcome to post and follow your own lists.
Also adding a declutter mission each day will help to gradually clear the clutter and make flying easier.
A few of the basics before we start the week
Hotspots are areas where if one thing gets put there, loads of other things follow!
Daily routines are anything you need to do on a daily basis like washing, swish and swipe kitchen and bathroom, ironing, making beds, vacuuming high traffic areas, making meals etc.
Night-time routines are all things which make getting ready in the morning easier, preparing clothes for the next day, making lunches, swish & swipes of the kitchen and tidying the living room before you go to bed plus personals like shower/brush teeth etc.
Fling Boogie - stick on some loud music, grab a bin bag and whiz around the house finding items that can go out with the rubbish, recycling, for charity shop, basically anything that will stop it cluttering your home.
Swish and swipe/S&S means have a quick wipe over an area such as a sink or toilet to prevent the build up of dirt. This is usually done on a daily basis
HHE/HHC/HHI Half Hour exercise/challenge/ironing ... run around for 30 minutes to the Benny Hill music frantically cleaning exercising or ironing.. other music may be used if you prefer!
HHE/HHC/HHI Half Hour exercise/challenge/ironing ... run around for 30 minutes to the Benny Hill music frantically cleaning exercising or ironing.. other music may be used if you prefer!
WM ~ Washing machine
TD ~ Tumble dryer
SC ~ Slowcooker
BM ~ Breadmaker
DW ~ Dishwasher
SOAADFA ~ Sit on 'bottom' and do 'nothing'
WUDUPA ~ washed up, dried up, put away
WUALTD ~ washed up and left to dry
KH/XH/FW ~ Ex-husband and other not so polite versions
DH/DD/DS/DW/DP ~ Dear husband/daughter/son/wife/partner/whatever
OH/SO ~ Other half/significant other
NN ~ nice neighbour
Toxic (friend/mother/sister/whoever) ~ person in your life that seems to exist to make your life miserable
AF ~ Aunt Flo 'time of the month'.. nothing to do with flying but it comes up often.
ETA ~ Edited to add
Gibble ~ miscellaneous crap that appears forever homeless
Dot-to-dot ~ pick a small area (not a whole room) like a chair/coffee/table/shelf/worktop or wherever- thats your first 'dot' - totally clear it - clean it - and only put back what should be there - deal with what you have removed (not just move it somewhere else) then if you have time move on and do the same to another 'dot' -the idea is just like a dot to dot puzzle, you aim to join up all the dots and have a tidy room. The trick is to keep each dot tidy until you get them all joined up! All credit to AnW's Mum for this one
RoD ~ Room of Doom, the one room that feels like it is a permanent pit and cannot be used to its potential!
MAD half hour
- Mad is the abbreviation for Make A Difference.
The idea is that you have a Forth bridge (ie never-ending - or just huge) task but that you work on it in half-hour bursts. This way you know you ARE stooping, and that you won't get it finished but you will make a difference - so it might be clearing out - the garage or shed, or clothes sorting, or weeding - you get the picture - but rather than keep going until you've lost the will to live you do half an hour...but, eventually those half hours will get the job done!
Some of our abbreviations: DH- dear husband, OH- other half, KH/CF- affectionate term for ex husband or partner
DS/DD- dear son/daughter, DGC- dear grandchild, WM- washing machine, DW- dishwasher, LR/DR- living/dining room, RoD- room of doom, Mr S/A/T/M/L/Al- supermarkets Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi. You get the picture!
Click here to read Toots wonderful welcome guide
OK here we go!
Monday - New Years Eve,a bit of everything!
Level 1
Remove all the bits and bobs that don't belong here - are you expecting guests and do you have adequate seating?
Rehoming - find a convenient spot and gather up all the new and existing items that need a home. Spend 10 min sorting into piles according to which room they will go to. Maybe pop them in old carrier bags and enlist some help to "deliver" them to the right homes!
Level 2
Dust and deweb all through downstairs
Sweep or vac too
Tidy your tree or xmas decs - are all the chocs eaten? Can you dust around / under?
Level 3
Sort through the fridge - any leftovers that need to be binned?
Wipe down all the kitchen counters and the sink
S&S the downstairs loo / cloak.
Extras
Tuesday - New Year's Day
Just some bits and pieces for those in the mood, if not have the day off ready to start tomorrow. Remember to spend sometime with family/friends if you like that sort of thing.
If you have an (un)willing helper, send them out to the bottle bank or recycling bank (if it's open?)
Do a bit of light pottering, making notes of any little diy jobs for your Toots list
Declutter a drawer or shelf, or encourage someone else to...
Head out for a walk if the weather is suitable, or even just a wander round the garden - any gaps to fill this year?
Have a bit of time doing what you enjoy - be that knitting, stitching, surfing the net etc
Decide on a few healthy meals to introduce to the menu
Put those calenders up for the year.
Update calendar/diary with all those important dates
No laundry - don't wash away any good luck!
Watch a film or something you've recorded
Encourage someone to make you a cuppa!
Want to call anyone to wish them a happy new year?
Make just one resolution - you can't change everything all at once! Or resolve not to make any
Write a list of 5 things you do that make you happy and 5 that make you sad. Ponder on how to do more of the first list and less of the latter.
Wednesday - Kitchen and Dining Room
Level 1
Sort all the washing up / empty the DW? Am I the only one who constantly has something on my drainer?
Wipe down your large appliances
Run the WM / DW on a hot wash and clean the filters
Level 2
DR - wipe over the table - are you finished with Christmas linen?
Any other surfaces to clear / wipe?
Wash a window
Level 3
Back to the kitchen - pick a cupboard- empty it and wipe the shelves. Only put back what you need. Can anything be ditched?
Extras
Thursday - Bathrooms & PC / Study area
Level 1
Do a mini Binbag dance!
Wipe over windowsills and any other counters.
Clean sinks and loos
Level 2
Wash out the bath / shower enclosure
Pay the plugholes some attention
Level 3
Tidy and wipe over your desk - concentrate of any cup marks and finger prints
Back up any photos from christmas - can you delete any fuzzy ones?
Run your virus checker and generally tidy your desktop (as in your PC desktop, not the actual piece of furniture)
Extras
Friday - living room
Level 1
Dust and vac all around
Straighten up cushions/covers/displaced toys etc..
Level 2
Move clutter so you can vacuum under it
Vacuum and wipe (if needed) sofas
Dust any areas below eye level
Find homes for new appliances/books that you may have received for Christmas
Level 3
S&S downstairs loo
S&S kitchen, shine that sink!
Extras
Welcome to the weekly Flylady Thread. You're more than welcome to join us in the everlasting battle against dust, grime and gibble. The aim of our thread is to make those onerous tasks less daunting, and to support each other - and to make time for the finer things in life!
Please do remember we have to abide by MSE rules; each post should, ideally, include some mention of flying.
Thank you Valli for last week's thread
Every room comes back around next week so please don’t stress about catching up
These lists are only suggestions and not a must do list; you are more than welcome to post and follow your own lists.
Also adding a declutter mission each day will help to gradually clear the clutter and make flying easier.
A few of the basics before we start the week
Hotspots are areas where if one thing gets put there, loads of other things follow!
Daily routines are anything you need to do on a daily basis like washing, swish and swipe kitchen and bathroom, ironing, making beds, vacuuming high traffic areas, making meals etc.
Night-time routines are all things which make getting ready in the morning easier, preparing clothes for the next day, making lunches, swish & swipes of the kitchen and tidying the living room before you go to bed plus personals like shower/brush teeth etc.
Fling Boogie - stick on some loud music, grab a bin bag and whiz around the house finding items that can go out with the rubbish, recycling, for charity shop, basically anything that will stop it cluttering your home.
Swish and swipe/S&S means have a quick wipe over an area such as a sink or toilet to prevent the build up of dirt. This is usually done on a daily basis
HHE/HHC/HHI Half Hour exercise/challenge/ironing ... run around for 30 minutes to the Benny Hill music frantically cleaning exercising or ironing.. other music may be used if you prefer!
HHE/HHC/HHI Half Hour exercise/challenge/ironing ... run around for 30 minutes to the Benny Hill music frantically cleaning exercising or ironing.. other music may be used if you prefer!
WM ~ Washing machine
TD ~ Tumble dryer
SC ~ Slowcooker
BM ~ Breadmaker
DW ~ Dishwasher
SOAADFA ~ Sit on 'bottom' and do 'nothing'
WUDUPA ~ washed up, dried up, put away
WUALTD ~ washed up and left to dry
KH/XH/FW ~ Ex-husband and other not so polite versions
DH/DD/DS/DW/DP ~ Dear husband/daughter/son/wife/partner/whatever
OH/SO ~ Other half/significant other
NN ~ nice neighbour
Toxic (friend/mother/sister/whoever) ~ person in your life that seems to exist to make your life miserable
AF ~ Aunt Flo 'time of the month'.. nothing to do with flying but it comes up often.
ETA ~ Edited to add
Gibble ~ miscellaneous crap that appears forever homeless
Dot-to-dot ~ pick a small area (not a whole room) like a chair/coffee/table/shelf/worktop or wherever- thats your first 'dot' - totally clear it - clean it - and only put back what should be there - deal with what you have removed (not just move it somewhere else) then if you have time move on and do the same to another 'dot' -the idea is just like a dot to dot puzzle, you aim to join up all the dots and have a tidy room. The trick is to keep each dot tidy until you get them all joined up! All credit to AnW's Mum for this one
RoD ~ Room of Doom, the one room that feels like it is a permanent pit and cannot be used to its potential!
MAD half hour
- Mad is the abbreviation for Make A Difference.
The idea is that you have a Forth bridge (ie never-ending - or just huge) task but that you work on it in half-hour bursts. This way you know you ARE stooping, and that you won't get it finished but you will make a difference - so it might be clearing out - the garage or shed, or clothes sorting, or weeding - you get the picture - but rather than keep going until you've lost the will to live you do half an hour...but, eventually those half hours will get the job done!
Some of our abbreviations: DH- dear husband, OH- other half, KH/CF- affectionate term for ex husband or partner
DS/DD- dear son/daughter, DGC- dear grandchild, WM- washing machine, DW- dishwasher, LR/DR- living/dining room, RoD- room of doom, Mr S/A/T/M/L/Al- supermarkets Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi. You get the picture!Click here to read Toots wonderful welcome guide
OK here we go!
Monday - New Years Eve,a bit of everything!
Level 1
Remove all the bits and bobs that don't belong here - are you expecting guests and do you have adequate seating?
Rehoming - find a convenient spot and gather up all the new and existing items that need a home. Spend 10 min sorting into piles according to which room they will go to. Maybe pop them in old carrier bags and enlist some help to "deliver" them to the right homes!
Level 2
Dust and deweb all through downstairs
Sweep or vac too
Tidy your tree or xmas decs - are all the chocs eaten? Can you dust around / under?
Level 3
Sort through the fridge - any leftovers that need to be binned?
Wipe down all the kitchen counters and the sink
S&S the downstairs loo / cloak.
Extras
- Sort your laundry...
- Start the ironing! Sort it into 4 piles and do the first one!
- Treat yourself to something light and healthy for lunch - do you have time for HM soup?
Tuesday - New Year's Day
Just some bits and pieces for those in the mood, if not have the day off ready to start tomorrow. Remember to spend sometime with family/friends if you like that sort of thing.
If you have an (un)willing helper, send them out to the bottle bank or recycling bank (if it's open?)
Do a bit of light pottering, making notes of any little diy jobs for your Toots list
Declutter a drawer or shelf, or encourage someone else to...
Head out for a walk if the weather is suitable, or even just a wander round the garden - any gaps to fill this year?
Have a bit of time doing what you enjoy - be that knitting, stitching, surfing the net etc
Decide on a few healthy meals to introduce to the menu
Put those calenders up for the year.
Update calendar/diary with all those important dates
No laundry - don't wash away any good luck!
Watch a film or something you've recorded
Encourage someone to make you a cuppa!
Want to call anyone to wish them a happy new year?
Make just one resolution - you can't change everything all at once! Or resolve not to make any
Write a list of 5 things you do that make you happy and 5 that make you sad. Ponder on how to do more of the first list and less of the latter.
Wednesday - Kitchen and Dining Room
Level 1
Sort all the washing up / empty the DW? Am I the only one who constantly has something on my drainer?
Wipe down your large appliances
Run the WM / DW on a hot wash and clean the filters
Level 2
DR - wipe over the table - are you finished with Christmas linen?
Any other surfaces to clear / wipe?
Wash a window
Level 3
Back to the kitchen - pick a cupboard- empty it and wipe the shelves. Only put back what you need. Can anything be ditched?
Extras
- Any laundry dried today? Put away what doesn't need ironing and sort the rest on to your piles left from yesterday
- HHI
- Check the useby dates on stuff in fridge, double check your fruit bowl – do you need to get rid of anything furry or a funny colour?
Thursday - Bathrooms & PC / Study area
Level 1
Do a mini Binbag dance!
Wipe over windowsills and any other counters.
Clean sinks and loos
Level 2
Wash out the bath / shower enclosure
Pay the plugholes some attention
Level 3
Tidy and wipe over your desk - concentrate of any cup marks and finger prints
Back up any photos from christmas - can you delete any fuzzy ones?
Run your virus checker and generally tidy your desktop (as in your PC desktop, not the actual piece of furniture
)Extras
- Keep sorting laundry - put away what you can and split the rest between your remaining ironing piles.
- HHI
- Enjoy a peaceful cuppa
Friday - living room
Level 1
Dust and vac all around
Straighten up cushions/covers/displaced toys etc..
Level 2
Move clutter so you can vacuum under it
Vacuum and wipe (if needed) sofas
Dust any areas below eye level
Find homes for new appliances/books that you may have received for Christmas
Level 3
S&S downstairs loo
S&S kitchen, shine that sink!
Extras
- Get those christmas 'Thank you's' sent out!
Mortgage Free as of 20.9.17
Declutter challenge 2023, 2024 🏅 🏅⭐️⭐️DH declutter challenge award 🏅⭐️
0
Comments
-
I'm in. Thanks for the thread, NattyDon't put it DOWN; put it AWAY"I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
Janice 1964-2016
Thank you Honey Bear0 -
I'm hoping to be more proactive this year, heck even this week if I can. Although I am back at my "job" now so have limited time when I probably will be trying to cram everything else in..
But I'm enjoying my Christmas present, a new laptop, too much. So I will take any opportunity to use it
Mortgage Free as of 20.9.17Declutter challenge 2023, 2024 🏅 🏅⭐️⭐️
DH declutter challenge award 🏅⭐️0 -
actually moving my 'office' into the dining room might turn out to be a smart move...might be a bit more inclined to keep on top of my admin...Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY"I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily DickinsonJanice 1964-2016
Thank you Honey Bear0 -
Thanks for the list. I am in. This new year I plan to be less lazy and have no takeaways which should help me achieve flying, scrimping and any slinkiness challenges.Spend less now, work less later.0
-
Thank you for the lists Natty and Valli, and thank you to the lovely Christmas Fairy Flylady for my Christmas present. I'm running low on them and have a million uses for it, so it will be pressed into action very soon. It's very, very pretty.
I'm so sorry I ducked out towards the end of the year. Christmas all became far too much, I over-committed myself and then with Kelpie very obviously being on the pathway so to speak, my attention was anywhere by on Flying. I feel better today, largely because I may have found another dog but I won't know for a few days if she's the right one. Either way, I think I'm in this week.Better is good enough.0 -
Hi all
I am in, of sorts. DS at doctors at 9am tomorrow and he is playing a drinking game in the kitchen with two of his mates .. who look like they might be here for the night. That is fine so long as they don't keep me awake!
Some paid stuff tomorrow and have made a list for the supermarket. Have hoovered and mopped floors and sorted some laundry this afternoon. Out for something to eat tomorrow night early then home to see New Year in quietly. Suspect DS will want a lift home, just hope he's not too late!0 -
I'm in - thanks Natty :A
And thanks to all of you for being so supportive of everyone on this thread. You are all amazing :T:T
Today I have had 3 different SW leaflets through my door so I think someone somewhere is trying to tell me something!
No plans tomorrow until I have to go and see Mum late afternoon so no excuses for not getting some flying done.
I think I may start my one-a-day list again too.
Monday - New Years Eve,a bit of everything!
Level 1
Hallway and Stairs
Remove all the bits and bobs that don't belong here
Rehoming - find a convenient spot and gather up all the new and existing items that need a home. Spend 10 min sorting into piles according to which room they will go to.
Level 2
Hallway and Stairs
Dust and deweb
Vacuum
Level 3
Sort through the fridge - any leftovers that need to be binned?
Wipe down all the kitchen counters and the sink"There's only one way of life and that's your own" - Levellers
"I'm feeling like a Monday but someday I'll be Saturday night" - Bon Jovi0 -
If anyone is joining SW I have a voucher for free membership. Which, as I'm already a member, I don't need. Was in my paper. Shout if you want it!Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY"I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily DickinsonJanice 1964-2016
Thank you Honey Bear0 -
I'm in and thanks for lists.
No plans this week other than finish 3 reports and continue decluttering study. Get back to proper exercise . Do some gardening.Remember...a layer of dust protects the wood beneath it.0 -
Thank you for the lists, Natty and Valli. I’m in. I’m hoping that I’ll be more effective after tomorrow when the socialising comes to a close. I’m just a grouch at heart.0
This discussion has been closed.
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