Step by step - My version of "In the beginning."

I was thinking today and I have been asked(okay maybe only by one online friend but I have been asked) what exactly I do to keep things under control. I follow FlyLady although there are lots of groups that basically send the same message of baby steps and not letting yourself get discouraged. It all starts with a clean, shiny sink. Yup for me it is a simple as that! Watch this video and you'll see what I mean.

For me a clean sink is the key. For me once the sink is clean I am lead to wipe the counters and keep the kitchen tidy. If the kitchen is tidy I get such a nice happy feeling when I walk into it that I want to keep other areas of the house looking good as well. Walking into a messy kitchen makes me feel like going back into the basement and climbing into bed ... anything but dealing with the huge mess.

If you are really rotten at house keeping, like me, take a small step at a time and don't give yourself too hard of a time when you don't get everything done. Don't be too easy on yourself either though that is a surefire way of backsliding right back into a cave in the mountain of housework that will grow up around you. I try to remind myself on a regular basis that it's all worth it. I can do this and when I am done I can stand back and enjoy the way my home looks.

FlyLady says to just do 15 minutes at a time ... pick one fairly small job at a time and do it for 15 minutes. You'll be amazed at how much you can do in just that little 1/4 hour.

I love ruts, habits, routines and rituals. So for me having a list of things I do every single day is very satisfying. So quite a while ago I made up routines that I do everyday. I follow the ones that are given out on FlyLady customized for my house and energy levels. I have spent pretty much no money and have gotten a huge amount of peace from it when I am able to keep it up. I am vowing to myself that this time it's for keeps. I have a Morning, Afternoon and Evening routine that I printed out and put inside clear plastic sleeves(2 in each sleeve) and they are clipped together with a big old heavy alligator type paper clip like this. I keep them hung up in my kitchen and check off completed chores with a dry erase marker and then I erase my checks when I am done and flip the slip to the next list(for morning and afternoon) then I have to unclip the lists and flip them fro evening and my inspirational end of day thoughts.

That's where I started. A clean sink and routines...

Cass :)