Your Flight Plan for Wednesday

[FlyLady]

May 28, 2025

Being Prepared Keeps Fear Away Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.  Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory! We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mops and Rubba Tools! You are a CEO! Dear Friends, I had a God Breeze today and it sparked me re-sending this wonderful testimonial from several years ago. Dear FlyLady, Wanted to let you know about the wonderful B & B my husband and I stayed at this Memorial Day weekend. The small but simply furnished kitchen was well stocked with delicious healthy snacks and meals. Homemade waffles with blackberries were served from a beautiful clean kitchen. The living areas and bedrooms were furnished with fresh plumped pillows, lovely matching sheets and down comforter and scented candles everywhere. The bathroom - ah ... bubble bath, lotions and fresh white towels. The library was stocked with books, magazines and videos. Best of all, my husband and I spent time together with no interruptions, chores or traffic. Okay - you guessed it ... thanks to you - this is my home. Thank you, thank you. FlyLady here again: This testimonial had me wanting to know where this B & B was located. I have tears in my eyes. Shouldn't all of our homes treat us like guests? This season let's concentrate on making our homes huggable places that we never want to leave and that we are always glad to come home to. Maybe we can even pretend to go on vacation for a few days. With the price of gasoline, many of us are opting to stay a little closer to home for holidays. Let's enjoy our home just like it was a vacation hid-a-way. This could be great fun. FlyLady Dear Friends, Now for the God Breeze! What if we ran our homes like 5 Star Hotels? The funny part is we already do a lot of it! Pam and Peggy have made us Home Executives of our hotels, granted we tend to get Sidetracked occasionally, but that is getting better! So let's look at our homes in comparison to a hotel! We have bedrooms and bathrooms. We provide a place for our people to sleep comfortably and get ready for their day. We have a laundry service.https://www.flylady.net/d/control-journals/The dining room is always open. The concierge is ready to plan any excursion. The limousine service is at their beckon call. The lounge has nice reading material and comfortable places to relax. The spa is available for pampering time. So as you can plainly see our hotels already offer the best! You are the Chief Executive of this hotel; it is your responsibility to keep it running! But how do you do this? Every business has to know where their money is being spent and to keep track of their (ugly word here)Budget. Do you know what a budget really is? It is a projection of what you have coming in and how much you think it will take to operate your hotel. That doesn't mean you spend everything that comes in either. When we continually do this we eventually go bankrupt. You can only rob Peter to pay Paul just so many times. At this point our hotels are struggling to stay afloat in a sea of problems. As we fix one problem another one rears its ugly head. We are working on the cleaning problems. We have established routines for getting things done on a daily basis. The kitchen is coming together too. Menus are posted and purchasing lists are ready for the buyer. But this is only part of keep our hotel running. When we have financial problems the stress hurts everyone involved with the operation. We have to learn to find a balance in our hotel and look objectively at how much we have coming in and how much is going out. Some people would automatically say we need to charge more for a room in our hotel! WRONG! Higher rates mean you could run off customers. More is not always the key to having enough to operate. One year as a county commissioner, we were facing trying times with our budget. We had to get creative in order to save jobs and not raise taxes. Our income was being cut by forces outside of our control. What we did have control over, we did not want to abuse by raising our rates. When we look at our homes from this prospective this would be like going to your boss and demanding a raise and getting it! Now that is not going to happen. We have to learn to run our little hotel operation with what we have. In other words live within our means. In order to address these issues we had to start with a zero based budget. Now I don't quite understand this, but I think it means start with nothing. Each department head wrote down what they needed to run their department; from paperclips to payroll! In other words we started fresh! I love it; we do this every morning when we get up! Just because we spent it last year doesn't mean we can spend it this year or this month or today. Money is like spilled milk. Once it is gone it is gone; all we really have control over is what we have now and what we plan to do with it. Last week someone asked me what my greatest asset was! Without hesitation I replied me! Do you want to know why? It is because of my "can do" attitude that keeps me learning and doing. You want to know something else! You have that attitude too! Knowledge is the answer! Why do you think you keep looking for those answers! Why do you think you found us? You were searching for answers to problems. You know deep down inside that the knowledge is out there, but having the knowledge and using it are two different things. We are going to teach you how to use what you know. Our whole lives we have been told! You are woman and you can do any and everything! The problem with this type of brainwashing is it made us go after what we wanted(we wanted it all), but it didn't teach us how to keep what we have and prioritize what is important to us. This is what I want help you with. We are smart savvy people! Our greatest asset is ourselves. When you take care of you in even the simplest ways you are taking care of your hotel! I know you equate this with being selfish! But it is not! In order to keep your hotel running smoothly and efficiently you have to be happy and healthy! We fall into all types of people, some of us are better at certain things. I like to call them savants SHEs! There are lots of our member that don't have mountains of laundry or dishes piled high, but their clutter is over taking their homes and they can't let go. There are some that are good with their finances while others that can't find their bills. We have members that can literally run a 5 Star Hotel but have trouble finding things, just not at the office! At the office our members look totally put together! They just Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. Their dirty little secret about their home has been kept from their friends and co-workers and I'll bet their financial dirty little secret has been hidden from their loved ones. Do you want to know why? FEAR! FEAR OF REJECTION! Could that be why we spend ourselves into countless credit card debt; Living beyond our means? Fear of not being worthy because of a flaw. Fear of not looking like we are worth something. Fear of what other people think! Fear of not living up to our ideals of what life really is? Do you see the stinking thinking in all of these attitudes? Are you trying to keeping up with the neighbors. The FEAR of not knowing is worse than actually knowing. When you know your enemy you can work out a battle plan! Now back to your assets! You have them and we are going to utilize them. Even our SHEness is an asset! Think about this! We love to plan and scheme and scheme and plan; oh and let's not forget our love of making lists, but we are not really good at implementing these plans. We are going to do all of this one babystep at a time. Here is what you are going to need! Pencil, paper and your control journal! Now isn't this fitting: A control journal for gaining control over our spending habits. Put the paper in your control journal and with our financial FLY Bys we will begin to look realistically at what we spend, what we have, and what we need, where we are and where we go with this knowledge! I will not overwhelm you! We will take babysteps! Your finances did not get messy over night and your debt is not going to get cleared up in a day! Are you ready let knowledge give you the power to FLY? FlyLady We have lots of FREE Control Journals to help you. The FACE Control Journal is to help you with your finances. Ask FlyLady Help! We Have Been Sick Dear FlyLady, Our home has been hit with a nasty stomach bug. I can't find your essay about this. Can you help me? Suffering through Flu Season Dear Suffering, I have searched our archives for my essay. I also found a great tip from a FlyBaby! Dear FlyLady & crew, Thank you again for the tips on how to "Fly with Illness" and make it more like a "trip to the beach!" Having that bucket ready to go (and possibly more importantly- as it was bathroom zone week, encouraging me to dust off that shelf so I remembered where the bucket was!) made last night much less insane than it would have been. Plus, as there was no sour laundry in the washer, all I had to do was dump in the soiled sheets and stuffed animals and set it going. The Rubba Scrubba also came in particularly handy cleaning the rug and a stuffed animal that was in the line of fire, but not machine washable. I didn't have to touch anything nasty, and then could rinse off the R.S. with hot, hot water! I'm thinking I may get a Rubba Scrubba just for my emergency "beach bucket" lol. Thanks again! Lee in NH FlyLady here; When you think about a stomach bug as a day at the beach it can help you be prepared for this emergency. I think we could take it to a new level. Get your Popsicle cups or some paper cups and freeze some Pedialite or Gatorade. Put them in a freezer bag. Keep in mind to use light colored drinks so you are not grossed out by what comes up. Right now all the beach supplies are in the stores. Get your bucket, air mattress, shovels, towels and pretty cups and straws. Check out your supplies for this bad weekend. None of us want to run to the drugstore for supplies. Here is my essay about A Day at the Beach Are you prepared for those nasty stomach viruses that can sometimes invade your home? You know the ones where you are up all night holding your baby's head. Not to mention cleaning up the beds, steam cleaning the carpet and doing laundry in the wee hours of the morning. Multiply this by every member in your home; it is not a day at the beach. I want to help you turn a rough night into just a bad dream instead of a nightmare. When the bug attacks your family it is usually in the middle of the night and you can't run to the pharmacy; you need to have the necessary supplies at your finger tips. Keep in mind that you can get dehydrated very quickly if this starts happening in your home. So what do you need to have on hand? Grab one of your old beach bags and gather up the items that your family is going to need. Ask your doctor. When my son was little, sports drink was just about the only thing that would replace electrolytes. Now there is Pedialite and popsicles for the children and many other kinds of sport drinks. There are some over the counter medicines that will help to stop the throwing up and queeziness: we used Emotrol. So ask your doctor what is best for your family and keep it on hand. So what do you do? After the initial explosion, it is time to clean up. The longer it stays on the bed and in the carpet the worse this is going to be; a small handheld carpet steamer is going to make your life easier. While are cleaning up you still have to make a place for your babies to rest: a little air mattress that blows up quick can be put in the bathroom or close by for those emergency situations. Poor babies! By the way, nothing says I love you like a clean toilet at this time. Also a handy garbage can for those times that you can't get there! You may even want to give them a little incentive for hitting the bucket. Children may not feel well but if they think they are going to get some money for each good hit then you could put a smile on their face. At time when the whole family is in distress, it may be good to have a sheet in your control journal that outlines what to do, just in case you are the one who is sick and your spouse is in charge. Barking out orders when you feel bad doesn't come across well. So if it is written down and you have everything on hand, there is no panic. What food do you keep on hand? My pediatrician always told us to only feed the baby clear soups and diluted juices. This means no noodles. One food that my granny used to fix for us was a very simple potato soup. Take a potato and grate it in a saucepan, add water to cover over it a little and a bit of salt and cook it is done; only a few short minutes. Remember don't feed your family grape juice or red cranberry juice; that makes an even bigger mess to clean up. There are white versions of both of these. Dry toast, crackers and plenty of TLC and you will be back to normal in a few hours. Put some of these things in your beach bag. Use your internet to read up and print out the signs for dehydration. Keep this in your Control Journal. The one sign I know is about the skin on top of your hand. If you pinch it, it will stay pinched up. Keep your doctors phone number in your Control Journal too. As their little throat gets raw, try to get them to drink some water that is cool; maybe one ice cube in it, just before they throw up. The cool water actually feels good to the back of the throat, especially if they have nothing else in their tummy but hot stomach acid. This works for morning sickness too. I am not a doctor or a nurse, but we all have to play these roles when this hit our family. Talk to your doctor about medications, set up an emergency sheet for your Control Journal that tells anyone what to do and then just stay calm and watch for signs of dehydration. Don't forget your doctor's phone numbers on this sheet and wash your hand often. When the stomach flu rages in your home, those old towels become a valuable asset. As you upgrade your regular towels, keep a few of the old ones for times like this. An old beach towel makes a great cover for that air mattress and another one will make a blanket to cover up with. It is never fun when you are dealing with the whole family in sick mode, but you can get through it, with a little thinking about this right now. The sand bucket can catch those accidents when your baby can't make it to the bathroom. Then you can use the little sand shovel to scoop up the misfires. What a day at the beach! FlyLady Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line. May's Habit: Get Up and Move #28 Undivided Attention While Moving in May Dear FlyLady, Thank you SO much for encouraging us to move -- even if just for a few extra minutes a day. I am a single mom of three (DD 14 and DSs 12 {twins}) and my kids LOVE to talk (especially my boys). After dinner one of the boys was trying to talk to me and I was here and there trying to get stuff done. Then I thought, "why don't we go for a walk?" That way he could talk to me and have my undivided attention and I could get some movement in so I could post my minutes to get the clues to where we are going. We went for a twenty minute walk and he talked and talked the whole time. It was sweet. Thanks again! FLYing in San Diego Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. May's Habit: Get Up and Move It's May, and that means it's time to get moving! Each May we practice the habit of getting our bodies used to a few minutes of daily loving movement. This could be walking, running, gardening, dancing, etc. Whatever you do, make it fun and it will get done! A little moving will energize you and you will feel better! – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions "Have you been procrastinating? It's time to let go of your perfectionism to get things done!" ~FlyLady Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady This week we are in Zone 5: Your Living Room! Zone 5 is the living room, family room, or den. But, only focus on one this week. After a few months, you will have them decluttered them all and the detailed cleaning will be a breeze. Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in this room. It did not get dirty in a week and it will not get clean in a week, but you will be making head-way. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it. Wednesday is Always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady Zone 5 Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends: Let's have a detailed vacuuming session. This means to vacuum the room, making sure to get up against the baseboards and to get under the furniture. Please be careful that you don't hurt yourself trying to move furniture. If it is too difficult to get under the couch or chairs, then just try to get as close to the base of the furniture as you can. FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday   Hi Kids, Today we are going to go into the bathroom that you use and help by picking up towels and dirty clothes on the floor and placing them in the hamper or taking them to the laundry room. This is a good thing to do to help your parents out. This will only take two minutes. Set your timer and ready set go! We have a Student Control Journal for you, it's FREE. Five Star Review The FlyLady is Such a Good Motivator! I Don't Cringe When People Pull Up Unannounced. I am Happy! I highly recommended this book for any type family or single person no matter what age you or your children are. I was a fly baby for a short time years ago and recently, I found you on fb about 6 months ago. I ordered the book and have really enjoyed the revival in my heart and my house. AMAZON I used to cringe in agony when I would see people pull up in the driveway now I don’t. Just like Marla says the husband has started organizing and getting rid of his stuff too. The teenage boys are a work in progress. I loved the tips on , the delicate cycle, storing sheets under the bed( I’ll Have more room in my linen closet and that’s major when you are limited on closet space like us) . The FlyLady is such a good motivator! I have found my self quoting her and singing the songs. Earlier I was cleaning and was upset about something having water spots and Marla popped in my head and said “that’s your protectionism “ and I moved on.! I so wish I would have stuck with The Flylady years ago when the kids where younger but, so glad to have her now.  Your Checklist for Daily Reminders Getting Dressed to Lace Up Shoes, Fixing your Hair and Face Swishing and Swiping Your Bathroom Blesses You Most Is Your Bed Made? Every Room has a Shiny Sink Checking Your Calendar; relieves stress Reboot Your Laundry; A load a day keep Mount Washmore Away Think about what's for dinner this relieves lots of guilt Drink your water, take your supplements, and meds Empty Your Dirty Dish Disposal Unit Check Your Morning Routine to see if you missed anything Have you had any lunch Reboot Your Laundry Declutter for 15 minutes Did you drink your water? Have you exercised today? Start Your Before Bed Routine after dinner Check Your Calendar for Tomorrow Lay Out Your Clothes for Tomorrow Place things needed for Tomorrow on your launch pad. Spend Two Minutes Clearing off a Hot Spot Shine Your Sink Wash face/Brush Teeth Go to Bed at a Decent Hour  The FlyShop is Closing! Last Call to Save! FlyShop You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up;  I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.? Coming Alive in 2025! Habits strung into Routines help us Thrive!

FlyLady | 455 Railroad Ave. Dock 9 | Brevard, NC 28712 US Unsubscribe | Constant Contact Data Notice

[FlyLady]

June 4, 2025

Is Perfectionism Keeping You Stuck

Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.  Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory!

We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse!

Justin has been Slashing Prices!

The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mops and Rubba Tools!

Give Yourself a Little Slack Dear Friends, There is a thought that keeps coming up today! I think the God Breezes are blowing. It is one of giving a little slack to those around us. I looked it up in the dictionary and it means to be more relaxed, less tense. Wow! I think we all need a dose of slack. The slack we usually bestow is toward the people around us. I think it is time to give ourselves a little slack. We don't have to be perfect! That means you don't have to beat yourself up every time you don't live up to your own expectations. If the truth be known; those expectations are not really yours anyway! They were put on you at a very young age by people who thought they were teaching you the right way! There is no right way! There are lots of ways to do things! As a result your little child's creativity was stomped on. You were told "My way or the highway!" Well what does that mean to a little kid anyway? This is a scary thought of rejection and abandonment. So we do what we are told! It is time that we gave ourselves just a little slack! We deserved unconditional love when we were growing up. We didn't have to prove ourselves to be worthy of love. If you didn't get it then or even if you did and you lost that loving feeling after getting married; you can get it back. It starts with Finally Loving Yourself! FLYing is all about being kind and giving yourself just a little slack. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to beat yourself up when you make a mistake! I want for you what I have; Peace. That peace came into my life because I started loving myself. At first I began with the words that I said over and over to myself in meditation. I would focus on my breathing and breathe in "I Love" and breathe out "Myself". I know that sounds too simple but it was an action that I could take to eliminate my negative thinking. Then I started making sure I had eaten and had drunk enough water. I would get dressed to lace up shoes and fix my hair and face each day. These are simple gifts that I give myself every day. Each habit I established was all about being kind to me. I deserved to be loved day in and day out. I was the only one that could do this for me. If I looked for this love in someone else it would not have been unconditional on my part. I would have thought that I needed to do something to be worthy. It was only after I eliminated the negative thinking that I could experience my own unconditional love and appreciate someone who loved me as much as I love myself. Loving yourself is not selfish. It is your God given right! If you don't love yourself; you can't love others. Give yourself a little slack! FlyLady Ask FlyLady When Do We Clean Out Our Refrigerator? Dear FlyLady, I have an area I need help in and haven't found it anywhere on your website: The Refrigerator! Refrigerator clutter can be evil. I'll bet I'm not the only one. I'll bet the advanced ones are at the swish and swipe level, but I need advice more on the archaeological approach...Can you give us a page on the upbeat to give us courage to venture in? Flybaby in the Kitchen Dear Scared FlyBaby and the rest of you, It is time to clear out those leftovers. I bagged everything up in Zip Lock Bags and I will be putting the veggies in the freezer for a pot of soup next week. Don't be afraid; it really isn't that bad when you get started. As with most things we procrastinate about; we blow the job out of proportion in our minds. If the truth be told; most jobs only take a few minutes. As you know, Wednesday is always anti-procrastination day. What better day to tackle a dreaded job! Besides we need to take stock of what leftovers need to be used and what we needs to be purchased. This will give us room to put away our groceries. Things will never get as bad as it is right now; when you use Anti-Procrastination Day. Now for those of you who have been putting this off. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Start with a sink full of hot soapy water. Utilized a big Ziplock bag for the science projects. This way you can freeze them for trash day and they will not stink up your trash can. We live in the woods, so I can take one dish at a time and toss the contents over the back fence. I am careful not to toss onions in case our dogs out of of the fence. Then I wash the dish in the sink. If need be I put the rinsed dish in the dishwasher to sanitize it. As you are doing this notice what you are having to throw away. My Granny always said any food that you put int the trash is like throwing dollar bills in the garbage. Our goal is to plan for leftovers and use them. When we are in Zone 2, that is the time for us to do a little detailed cleaning of our refrigerator; wipe down a shelf or clear off the refrigerator magnets. I guess we really do have a swish and swipe for our refrigerators. Every day when you start supper; check to see what needs to be used up from your refrigerator. This will keep things from spoiling. Are you planning your menus? This will help you to stay on top of what needs to be cooked. You can save a lot of money by menu planning from the contents of your freezer. With the busy summer just around the corner this could help you with a little extra money. If you have never menu planned; keep a diary of what you eat every night on your calendar. You can utilize your calendar to plan your menus for the next month. We have succeeded at eating at home this whole month except for Robert's birthday when we went to dinner with friends.

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

June's Habit: Drink Your Water #4 My First Drink of Water Dear FlyLady, Who says we have to drink COLD water? My first drink of the day is half boiling half cold (so it's not too hot) I put a bit of lemon juice in it if I have some to make it tastier. I drink it while I'm waiting for my tea to brew. It's meant to be very good for waking up your digestive system. Fluttering in Cape Town.  Regards Victoria

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line.

June's Habit: Drink Your Water Welcome to the month of June and to a brand new habit. This month, we are going to work on Drinking Water. With the hot summer months upon us, now is a great time to start the habit of hydrating and re-hydrating. Check out all the great info below to help get you motivated and moving. This is one simple way to love yourself. Take the time to drink your water. If you don't, who will take care of you? – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions "Have you been putting off cleaning your refrigerator? Fill your sink with hot soapy water and get started!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 1: Your Front Porch, Entrance, and Dining Room! This week our Zone is very important to our homes. The entrance to our homes make the first impression on our guests, our family and ourselves. When we walk into a clean and tidy home our whole attitude will be uplifted. This puts a smile of pride on our faces. We have gone so long, looking at such a terrible mess, that we have been ashamed to answer the door. I want you to get rid of guilt that accompanies clutter and CHAOS. To do this you have to get off your franny and start to declutter this area. Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in these rooms. They did not get dirty in a week and they will not get clean in a week, but you will be making headway. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it.

Wednesday is Always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 1: Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends, We are headed into the dining room today, it is anti-procrastination day! Your mission for today is to spend 15 minutes decluttering your dining room. It does not matter what you get rid of, just get rid of anything that does not belong in the dining room. Once again start with a trash bag and toss, toss, toss! If you still have time, then grab things that need to be put away and do that. Set your timer and don't overwhelm yourself. This is all about babysteps.  FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday   Hi Kids! Today it is time to dust! Go ask a parent for a feather duster or whatever they like you to use to dust with and dust your dresser, nightstands and desks. Dusting is a lot like petting a cat or dog. You just pet the furniture with a feather duster or dust rag. Move from side to side and from front to back. I am so proud of all of you for taking such good care of your rooms!

[FlyLady]

June 11, 2025

Perfectionism is Holding You Captive

Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.  Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory! We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has been Slashing Prices! The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mops and Rubba Tools!

Two Minutes Just for You Dear Friends, The mid-night editor is working over time. I can hear you now! I don't have time to pamper myself! Those words, I don't have time are your first clue that the stress level is starting to build. When you hear those words come out of your mouth or scroll pass that mental TV screen in your brain; I want you to stop whatever you are doing and realize that those words are a form of perfectionism. Set a timer for 2 minutes and do something for yourself. There you go again with that perfectionism! "What can I do in two minutes to pamper myself! That isn't enough time to do anything!" OH YES IT IS! I am going to give you a little list to get you feeling special! 1. File your fingernails 2. Drink a glass of water 3. Eat a healthy snack 4. Freshen your make up and smile at yourself in the mirror 5. Make a cup of tea or my favorite Cafe Mocha 6. Pick up a magazine and read or look at the pictures 7. Listen to your favorite Music 8. Close your eyes and breathe slowly and deep 9. Open up your personal journal and write 10. Make a list of things you are thankful for 11. Pet your cat or dog It is the act of stopping the negative perfectionist thinking that helps to defuse the stress! The icing on the cake is the pampering action that takes care of you! This simple little action is going to help relieve your stress. Less stress means you are happier! All that any of us have ever wanted is just to feel loved! You find us because you are searching for a way to get your home in order. You never dreamed that Finally Loving Yourself is the key that opens the lock that has kept you hidden away from the simple joys of life. Are you ready to FLY? FlyLady Ask FlyLady It's Anti-Procrastination Day Dear Friends, Today is Anti-Procrastination Day! What have you been putting off? How many times a day do you allow your perfectionism to paralyze you! You know exactly what I am talking about. You hear that nasty little voice in your head all the time. I don't have time right now. YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR WHAT? To do it RIGHT! To do it like your momma did! We are not good judges of time! In our heads we think emptying the dishwasher will take hours when it only takes 3 minutes! Our perfectionism/procrastination also hurts us in other ways. We keep putting off going to the doctor because we don't have time! We don't place an order for something we know will help us and then all of a sudden it is gone and we start to beat ourselves up over our procrastination again. I live by the Do it Now Principle! When something needs to be done and if it is not done then you will feel bad; this is when I do it! Think about putting a fresh roll of toilet paper in the bathroom. We only think of it when we are in there. Guess who usually gets left with an empty roll. YOU! Your procrastination has hurt you again. Our minds are going 90 miles an hour. We can think of more things to do in 5 minutes than we can do in a lifetime. Let's channel some of that power into action by Doing It Now. When you find yourself using this principle more often you are going to surprise yourself! This is not getting sidetracked! It is staying focused and accomplishing something so we don't have to beat ourselves up later! Have you been putting something off? One day soon we will run out of our calendars and there you will be begging for one and beating yourself up because of your procrastination. You do have time; if you will just do what needs to be done and don't put it off another day! Just think, this will put an end to those nasty voices in your head! There are many of you that are procrastinating about shining your sink! This is the habit that changed my life! Please give it a try! It won't take that long! I know you think I am crazy when your house is a mess and you have a to do list longer than your arm and I am telling you to shine your sink. Apply the Do It Now principle and see how good you will feel! Send me an email and tell me what you accomplished today in honor of Anti-Procrastination Day! It can something small or big, it does not matter! Don't let perfectionism get in the way of Do It Now! FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

June's Habit: Drink Your Water

#11 Share with the Ones You Love Dear FlyLady, I just had to share my experience with the importance of drinking water: My story is from a couple of years ago; my then-92-year-old grandfather was in good health and fairly independent - still mobile, still driving, and even mowing his lawn! Pretty suddenly, he started to act confused, almost as if he had a mild dementia. Because it came on suddenly, everyone, including his doctor, suspected a minor stroke. He was admitted to the hospital to be checked over, since minor strokes often predict major ones. At the hospital, they discovered he was dehydrated, and they gave him an IV. Guess what? The "mild dementia" went away! He hadn't had a stroke at all! He had had a bad sore throat the previous week, and he hadn't been drinking much because it hurt. The dehydration was his only problem! So, staying hydrated is so important that it can affect your mental health! And I wanted to let any Flybabies with elderly family and friends know about this, too. Since the elderly are less likely to "work up a thirst," and also are less likely to me mobile enough to easily get themselves a drink, I would suspect they are at a greater risk of dehydration. I would hate to think anyone is thought to have dementia when they really just need a glass of water! Thanks for emphasizing the importance of staying hydrated by making it the habit of the month! A FlyBaby FlyLady here: Our habit for June is drinking water......our goal is to stay hydrated!!!! Another reason the elderly often don't drink enough water is that it can be difficult for them to get up and down when going to the bathroom. If you have an elderly friend or relative, please check on them and make sure they are drinking enough water. Take a look at their bathrooms and see if it is time to add grab rails so they have an easier time getting up and down on the toilet. This can be a sensitive issue...but it is one that needs to be addressed. Don't let something happen to someone you love because they didn't drink enough water...especially if they are living in an area of the world where it is hot!

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. June's Habit: Drink Your Water Welcome to the month of June and to a brand new habit. This month, we are going to work on Drinking Water. With the hot summer months upon us, now is a great time to start the habit of hydrating and re-hydrating. Check out all the great info below to help get you motivated and moving. This is one simple way to love yourself. Take the time to drink your water. If you don't, who will take care of you? – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Clearing out the science projects from your refrigerator frees you to cook without guilt!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 2: Your Kitchen; the Heart of your Home. Focus on one little part — reclaim your kitchen sink. Empty everything out of your sink, shine it up, fill it with hot soapy water, and start washing dishes, one at a time. Do a 27-Fling "Trash" Boogie. Trash is clutter. When the bag is full, take it outside, right away, to the trash bin. Clear out your mail hotspot. Get rid of the old magazines, catalogs, and advertisements. Clear the clutter off your counters one at a time. Clear the clutter off your kitchen table. Take a peek at your pantry. Don't pull everything out and start reorganizing; just take a look, see what you need, and start a grocery list. If your kitchen is clean but still cluttered: start decluttering. Check out our daily missions. FlyLady usually sends out one during the week which concentrates on decluttering one small area of your kitchen. Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day!

Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 2: Mission #3 Wednesday   Dear Friends, Today is Anti-Procrastination Day and we are still in the kitchen,Your mission for today is to grab a trash bag and clean out your refrigerator. You are to toss ANYTHING that will not get eaten any time soon.  This means that new salad dressing you decided to try but really don't like. It is time to let it go. Just as the rule applies to the rest of the house. If you don't love or use it, lose it! Get rid of the fruit that is a few days beyond when it was really edible, get rid of the veggies that are turning into a science project. Check the dates on the cheeses that are potential science project. You will be able to really make a better grocery list when your fridge is cleaned out of all the items you don't like and or don't use! FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,   Today we are going to go into our rooms and pick up any clothes we have laying around on the floor, our desks, dressers or chairs. If they are clean - put them away, if they are dirty put them in the dirty clothes basket or hamper. If there are too many to take care of all of them in 15 minutes, you can do this tomorrow too as a bonus challenge!

[FlyLady]

June 18, 2025

Plan and Play Day

Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.  Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory! We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has been Slashing Prices! The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mops and Rubba Tools!

Mr. Clean Where are You! Dear Friends, Today I woke up at the crack of dawn with this topic in my head. The midnight editor strikes again. So here we go. Look out this one is going to be tough. As FlyBabies we have a tendency to obsess about everything, and I mean everything. We can take the simple act of cleaning our bathrooms or bedrooms and spend all day in there getting it just perfect. You all know exactly what I mean. Once we have gotten it presentable it is time to redecorate. So we run to the store and buy new stuff, or worse yet, spend 5 hours on our hands and knees with a tooth brush cleaning the grout in the tile. I am not even going to address the need to repaint when a little soap and water would have sufficed. If a little will work, fine then, a lot will do better. This is our personality. The trouble is sometimes we cannot see what we are going to do to ourselves because of this overwhelming urge to do it right. It is almost like we are trying to fill a need to be accepted, approved, or loved. We all need strokes, but we cannot expect the world to give them to us. When we are in the middle of our manic phase, every thing else in our lives is left to fend for itself. So, when you emerge from that so-called perfect bathroom or bedroom, the rest of the house is in shambles. Be sure as you stand up from your prone position to get a glimpse of yourself in the bathroom mirror. It is not a pretty sight. You look like something the cat has drugged in. I would say that drugged is the right word here. Drugged as in over dosed on your perfectionism. When are we going to learn about our little triggers and stop ourselves from obsessing or hyper-focusing? We also do this with people in our lives. We think that if only we could get so-and-so to love me more, I would be alright. Well if this person does not love you now and their actions do everything but slap you in the face, chances are they are never going to love you the way you deserve to be loved. So what are you going to do about this? Sit around and feel sorry for yourself. That doesn't accomplish anything but a pity party that no one wants to attend but you. Whining is the most unattractive thing that you can do to yourself. It makes you feel defeated and passes the blame for your inaction onto others. You know exactly what I am talking about. Those martyred attitudes we have had hammered into our heads from our mothers and grandmothers since the day we were born. For years now I have been telling you that you don't have to clean like your mother did. That we can do it our way and 15 minutes at a time. It doesn't have to be perfect because no one is going to make you go back in there and redo it. I promise. This is your home and you get to clean however you choose. With that being said, we don't have to act like our mothers either. This goes for the whiny martyred attitude and blaming that we have all been guilty of most of our lives. Before we knew what we were doing we may have had a little excuse for our behavior, but now it is unacceptable because you are no long ignorant of this personality flaw. Yes you heard me right. Whining, martyrdom and blaming others is a personality flaw that we can correct. It is not about being a perfect person either. It is just to change a few habits that will make your life easier and get you off of your pity pot. After all, has any of this whining, martyrdom, and blaming ever changed anything? So why keep doing something that has never worked and only succeeds to pull you down further into your deep hole of depression. Did you know that you cannot change anyone's behavior but your own? Try as you might all you can do is set the example in love, and this is love for yourself. Not anyone else at all. So if you pick up the stuff that is out of place in the living room that belongs to your teenage sons and put it in their rooms, you are not doing it for them! You are doing it for you, because you deserve to have a living room that is presentable to you and no one else. If their stuff bothers you, then move it. Don't sit around all day feeling sorry for yourself that no one helps around here. You have two arms and 15 minutes. Everyone has 15 minutes. It won't even take that long. You could spend all day fussing or 2 minutes doing. Which one is better for you: The less stress or a raging battle with yelling and ugly words? Now here is the other side of this coin. This is your home, too. Setting the example in love for yourself is going to rub off on them. They will eventually see that they deserve to live in a home that is a present to them as well. Now, you may have to have a talk over dinner about what you are trying to do. You may even have to apologize for not doing your part in the past, but you can raise some eyebrows with your attitude adjustment. If you are cleaning the house for others then you have missed my point altogether. No one is going to love you more than you love yourself. You cannot clean your home enough to make someone love you. It doesn't work that way. Besides, even if you are single you deserve to have a hugable home to greet you each time you walk in the door. So what are you waiting for? Your knight in shining armor to charge through your door and fix everything? Well sister, he died a long time ago. Oh by the way, Mr. Clean is not going to pop in either. If you want to see a change it has to start with you and only you because you are the only person that you can change. Your attitude will set your altitude. You can either be wallowing in your pity pot or soaring high as we FLY to new levels of loving ourselves each and every single day! Now go get dressed to your lace-up shoes and fix your hair and face. It is bad enough to act like your mother, but to walk in the bathroom and scare yourself by looking like her is kind of hard to take in the morning. Even if your mom was gorgeous, you know exactly what I am talking about. Are you ready to Finally Love Yourself by letting go of your whiny martyred and blaming attitudes? FlyLady Ask FlyLady When Do I Do My Long To Do List? Dear FlyLady, I really appreciate all of the FlyLady advice on setting up routines so I can get my everyday tasks done (the tasks that have to be done everyday or every week or every month). My question is - do you have advice on how to get the one-off tasks done? My To-Do list is way too long, and it's full of tasks that only need to be done once. Tasks like putting photos in frames, research car batteries, fill out financial forms, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Lisa in IN Dear Lisa, We all have these things that need to be done. Putting them off creates stress in our lives. When you look at your list, most of the things only take a few minutes. This is why we set up Anti-Procrastination Day. This is the day we can get some of those things checked off our list. Any day can be Anti-Procrastination Day if you will set your timer and go for getting 3 of them done in an hour. Set your timer for 15 minutes and just pick one thing on your list. Let's choose that Car Battery one: You will need the make and model of your car. Then pick up the phone and call your local Advance Auto Parts store or one that you have local. They are always helpful. This will take you 5 minutes. After you have done three of them; celebrate! Another way to get these things done is put 5 of them each on a little sheet of paper. At a specific time each day; just pull one out and do it. Or maybe at the top of the hour pull one. Doing one each day you will eventually get them done. Last year we had a testimonial from one member who did one thing on her Procrastination To Do List; each day during the lenten season. She did forty days of Anti-Procrastination. I love this idea! To sacrifice something you love and to add a new habit. Now you can't frame those pictures if you don't have the frames in your home. So instead of breaking the bank by going to purchases lots of new frames, think about recycling some that you already have by putting new pictures in them. Also are the pictures even printed out yet. There are lots of steps to framing a picture and we can let our perfectionism stop us before we ever start. Pick just one picture you want to frame and not 50! You can focus on the one and get it done. The reason you are having trouble getting things checked off your Procrastination To Do List is because it is too big. Break the list down into groups of 5. Put them on your calendar! One each day. We can easily do one a day. Put the full list in your Control Journal and check them off as you do them. Just don't get overwhelmed by the full list. Eventually with your consistency of doing one a day; you will get them all done! Celebrate each accomplishment! You can do this! If you make it fun it will get done! FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

June's Habit: Drink Your Water

#18 My Personal Favorite Dear FlyLady, I like to add some flavor to my water, like cut cucumbers, kiwi fruit, lemon, lime, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, or whatever you want to add, individually or you can combine them. My personal favorite is cucumber/lime, very refreshing on a hot day!! Then when you are finished w your water there's a little treat at bottom. My sister calls it spa water! Flybaby Brandi from Oklahoma

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. June's Habit: Drink Your Water Welcome to the month of June and to a brand new habit. This month, we are going to work on Drinking Water. With the hot summer months upon us, now is a great time to start the habit of hydrating and re-hydrating. Check out all the great info below to help get you motivated and moving. This is one simple way to love yourself. Take the time to drink your water. If you don't, who will take care of you? – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Your perfectionism is keeping you stuck! Let it go to get things done!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 3: Your Main Bathroom and Another Room. This week we are focusing on the main bathroom and one extra room. The extra room may be a second, or third bathroom, a guest bedroom, a child's bedroom, the office, or maybe the laundry room. Just pick one extra room and focus on it this week. The bathroom: Do you live in fear that someone will actually see your bathroom? It is too easy to close our eyes to the mess that is hiding right behind the bathroom door. This week, we are going to open that door to the bathroom, and BabyStep, by BabyStep, we are going to conquer the CHAOS that is the main bathroom! Your bathroom should give you sense of relaxation and joy when you enter. This is a place for you to pamper and take care of yourself. Treat the room with love and respect and it will bless you with comfort and peace. Remove the obvious clutter, take out the dirty laundry, and empty the garbage can. If your bathroom is clean but still cluttered: Start decluttering (makeup, old towels, old medicine, hair supplies, shampoos, etc.). Check out our daily missions. FlyLady usually sends out one during the week which concentrates on decluttering one small area of your bathroom.

Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 3: Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends: Bathroom Mission: Today you are to wash your bathroom rugs, shower curtains and accessories. This will take longer than 15 minutes and for those of you that are working outside the home you may have to schedule this. In total, to take the rugs to the machine and bring them back to the bathroom is less than 15 minutes but the wait time for the washing machine and dryer will take up some time. If you have not rebooted your laundry this is a good time to do that! For the guest bedroom, Get your feather duster and get the cobwebs out of the corners. I have a bad habit to not step foot in our guest bedroom for a few days, and when I do it is only for a second. I am sure this is a cringe worthy mission, however it has to be done. You CAN do this, YOU have the power to be brave.

FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,

Today it is time to dust! Go ask a parent for a feather duster or whatever they like you to use to dust with and dust your dresser, nightstands and desks. Dusting is a lot like petting a cat or dog. You just pet the furniture with a feather duster or dust rag. Move from side to side and from front to back. I am so proud of all of you for taking such good care of your rooms!

[FlyLady]

June 25, 2025

Why Do You Rebel?

Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.  Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory!

We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has been Slashing Prices! The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mops and Rubba Tools!

Adrenaline Junkie Dear Friends, All we have ever known is crash and burn mode when it comes to just about everything we attempt to do! We are the queens of hyper-focus. We pride ourselves that we are better in stressful situations where the clock is ticking! This is just so sad that we have to be under the gun to get anything done! We do not have to live this way anymore. You have been addicted to your own adrenaline. It is your drug of choice. You don't know how to pace yourself because you have always been under pressure to get things accomplished. You think it takes marathon cleaning to get the house in order. You tell yourself that 15 minutes is not enough time to keep my house in order. You say this while you are looking around at every flat surface in your home piled up. I remember as a 6 year old child, it was my job to clean the bathroom. Mother would not tell me to do it till it was so bad that she was screaming at the top of her lungs. I would go in there and do my best to get it clean. After hours of scrubbing I would emerge exhausted to get a small amount of praise from her, coupled with what I didn't do right. I clung to those few and far between compliments. That was the only way I knew to clean. As an adult, I would wait till the bathroom was so bad that I could not stand it anymore. Then I would spend hours cleaning. The only difference now as a "grown up" there was no one to burst my little bubble or to brag on what a good job I had done. All my first husband did was to complain about everything. It didn't matter that I had spent hours cleaning HIS house. When you have to spend hours cleaning there is no wonder we don't want to clean a bathroom the next day. I finally figured out that these two people were never going to be happy with anything I ever did but that I was getting something out of their negativity too. I had permission to be the martyr. Just look how I have slaved over this bathroom to get it clean for you! This was a rude awaking for me. I don't have to play the martyr game. I don't have to wait till my bathroom is so dirty that it grosses me out. I can clean something every time I am in there. My bathroom stays clean with a daily swish and swipe. I don't need to fuel my actions with adrenaline of any kind. I can do this for me because I deserve to have a bathroom fit for a queen because I am the queen of my own home. I have used the bathroom as an example but we use this crash and burn mentality in everything from cleaning to volunteer work and fun stuff like writing and scrapbooking. We take it to the extreme by hyper-focusing then we don't do it again for months. We think we have to run a marathon to get things done when all we really need to do is be consistent. Today I got a testimonial from someone who wanted to write her autobiography for her grand children. She had decided that 15 minutes was not enough time for her to even get ready to write much less go through her journals and photographs to get inspiration. She thought that 15 hours was just the right amount of time to get her started. This saddened me because you can't run a marathon every day. Writing a book has to become a priority. You have to make room for it in your routines. The most important part is the plan. When I wrote Sink Reflections I did it in two weeks. My plan was to get dressed to lace up shoes, do my morning routine, plan something for dinner, turn off my phone, my browser and my email and write for 3 hours or 10 pages whichever came first. I turned over answering emails to others (which was very hard for me) and I did what I set out to do. After three hours, I would stop because writing takes a lot out of you. That didn't stop me from thinking about what I wanted to write. I needed to be kind to me though this whole process. This is really what FLYing is all about. I had taken Robert's suggestion of writing my last chapter first. He said when I knew where it was to end, it would give me a place to head for. He told me to think about what I wanted to leave YOU the reader with when you put down the book. Next I brainstormed bullet points that eventually became chapters. I had to look at each bullet point as a babystep to building the book that I knew had to be written. I didn't even have an outline. My high school English teacher Mrs. Hays would have frowned on that. Through the process I did not hyper-focused, I took the slow and steady route and the consistency paid off. Robert calls it project mode. Do a little every day and eventually you will complete what you set out to do! Today I wrote this essay while I was on the treadmill. I was basically putting one foot in front of another walking and writing to my sleep music. I refuse to beat myself up because I didn't exercise the "right" way. I did more than I have been doing. I don't think there are any marathons in my future but there may be another book written while on the treadmill. I know you don't see how this is possible but I have been doing it for years. It is the only way I will walk on that thing. I may get Demos to make a video of me writing and walking. Next month we are practicing our habit of Swish and Swipe. Drink your water and every time you need to "go potty" clean something in your bathroom. The Queen in you is going to smile each time she sits on her throne. FlyLady Ask FlyLady How to Not Feel Punished Dear FlyLady and Crew, I love your encouragement and wisdom (also your tools); so I figured you'd have an answer to the dilemma I find myself in. I dislike doing housework and I hate, hate, hate washing dishes by hand (which I have to do because I don't have a dishwasher). I've been doing the babysteps, routines and setting my timer but I still can't shake the feeling of negativity that hangs over my head when I do these simple jobs. Then it hit me! My aha moment! Housework of any kind feels like punishment because that's how my parents punished me and my sisters growing up. If we misbehaved, we'd have to "clean" and the more we disobeyed, the more "chores" (I hate that word) we'd be given that day. And here's the kicker and the reason hand-washing dishes is my least-favorite job (I'd rather clean the bathroom then wash-up a counter-full of dirty dishes)--"kitchen duty", aka dishes, was the most common punishment doled-out (usually right after supper). If you got away from the table without the "dishes" punishment from Dad, you were free and subconsciously a "good girl". This sounds hokey, but after discussing this with my younger sister, she agrees that she struggles with the same negativity. Therefore, I was wondering if you have any advice on how to turn the negativity of housework into a positive of Finally Loving Yourself? Right now, I have to say (out loud) to myself, "This isn't a punishment. I'm doing this because I want to." as I bless my house and family. It's still hard. Thank you for listening and helping me. Hopefully I'm not the only one in this situation and your words of wisdom and support with help others too. Illinois Flybaby not wanting to feel punished anymore Dear Illinois FlyBaby, My heart goes out to you! You are not the first Flybaby who found herself in tears while doing the dishes. I think it is a shame when a parent uses housecleaning for punishment. They are setting their children up for a lifetime sadness when it comes to having a home that blesses them. You deserve to have a home that hugs you! We have to find a way to love that little child who was mistreated. So let's come up with some fun ideas to turn chores into games. I am so proud of you for figuring this out. Knowing is half the battle! Now that you know you can redirect those negative feelings. 1. Put on some fun music! Uplifting and inspirational. 2. Put a collage of family pictures above your sink so that you see your loved ones when you are washing the dishes. With every dish you wash say a little pray for each member of your family. 3. Listen to an audio book while you wash the dishes. One that you can't wait to listen to. And only listen to it while you do the dishes. This will help you drowned out those negative voice that are berating you. 4. You already know this! This is your home! You are not being punished. You are loving your life and home by having a home that is a present to you! 5. You can also say this over and over as if it were your mantra; I LOVE MYSELF! I LOVE MYSELF! I LOVE MYSELF! I LOVE MYSELF!I LOVE MYSELF! I LOVE MYSELF! I AM FLYING! 6. The next thing I want you to try is this: FLYLADY SAID, "I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!" SHE REALLY DOES LOVE ME! I can do this one babystep at a time! She is proud of me! Yippee! 7. I want you to know that you are loved! I want you to find peace in your life. Peace starts with replacing those negative words and actions with loving ones! 8. Set your timer for seven minutes and see how many dishes you can do in seven minutes. 9. Any time you start to feel bad when you are washing dishes; I want you to force yourself to SMILE! Fake it till you make it! Before you know it you will be smiling all by yourself. 10. As you start to cook, fill your sink with hot soapy water. As you dirty up a dish put it in the hot water and wash them up as you go. There will be fewer dishes and pots and pans to clean up. 11. Here is my favorite thing to think about when I do the dishes. I am giving myself a manicure. Your nails are clean and when you finish you can put lotion on your hands or paint your nails. 12. If you need to hear my voice. Go to our Youtube page or Facebook. So you see you can change your thinking if you will practice some of these techniques for loving yourself. These actions will speak louder than those negative voice. I'll love you till you can do it all by yourself! I know you can do this! FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

June's Habit: Drink Your Water

#25 Now I Can Get It Dear FlyLady, Your June habit of keeping hydrated has become much easier for me lately. Our OLD refrigerator (it was put in when the house was built in 1972) finally began to give up the ghost around Christmas, and I told my husband that when we got a new one, I wanted one with the water and ice dispenser in the door. That is what we got. I love ice cold water. Now I can get it with the quick push of a button instead of having to fill my glass with lukewarm water from the faucet and then hope that the kids left enough ice cubes in the tray to cool it down. I find myself drinking many extra glasses a day and when I am at work or away from home with no access to my water, I now miss it a lot. I stepped on the scale the other day and see that I have lost about 3 pounds and I attribute it to drinking my water like I am supposed to. Kathy from Minnesota

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. June's Habit: Drink Your Water Welcome to the month of June and to a brand new habit. This month, we are going to work on Drinking Water. With the hot summer months upon us, now is a great time to start the habit of hydrating and re-hydrating. Check out all the great info below to help get you motivated and moving. This is one simple way to love yourself. Take the time to drink your water. If you don't, who will take care of you? – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Don't allow your perfectionism to become a bad habit that keeps you stuck in procrastination!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 4: Your Master Bedroom, Bathroom, and Close. This week we are working on Zone 4: The Master Bedroom. It also includes any bathroom you may have off the master bedroom, and whatever lurks in the bedroom closet. This will be an ongoing process. You may or may not get the entire room cleaned this week. That is not the objective. Any thing you do in this room now will be an improvement over the way it was last week. Next month you will focus on it again. Your bedroom should be the cleanest room in your home. Many of you still use yours as a garbage/clutter disposal for the rest of the house. If your bedroom is clean and clutter free, then it becomes an inviting haven for building your relationship with your spouse. The best gift you can give your children is a strong marriage. This is true whether your children are 2 or 40 years old. Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in the master bedroom. It did not get dirty in a week and it will not get clean in a week, but you will be making head-way. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it.

Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 4 Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends, So far we have cleaned under the bed and on top of the bed, today we are going to take care of the left side of the bed. Now, this means whatever you have on the left side of you bed you are to fling and put away. If you have been using your night stand or floor as temporary storage for things that do not belong there, your mission for today is to clear this off and put it away! You are not allowed to put what you have flung today under the bed or on top of the bed that was cleared off earlier this week!

[FlyLady]

July 2 2025

Get Ready for July's Swish and Swipe Habit Plan so You Can Play Hello to all my Flybabies and followers; Thanks you so much for all the support y’all have given me through the years! We are incredibly thankful for all that have purchased any of our great FlyLady Home Tools during our Warehouse Clearance Sale and time of transition. We are excited to announce that we have a surprise for you all! We are going to be launching are new 2026 FlyLady Calendars today. This has been a tough year for us and we did not know if this was going to be possible, but through much time in thought and prayer we decided to go ahead and proceed with a 2026 Calendar. This year will be different because once we sell out of our existing inventory of FlyLady Home Tools our FlyLady Calendars will be the only Product we will sell. That being said, we will not be able to offer any discounts this year. The Calendars are LIVE in our FlyShop Thank you so much! I Love You All! FlyLady

Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory!

We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has been Slashing Prices! The FlyShop is Closing

FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mop Heads and Rubba Tools!

Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.

Declare Your Independence Dear Friends, In the United States of America we celebrate the anniversary of our Independence Day each 4th of July. The other night a young news reporter said that this was the day we won the war for independence. I thought Robert and I were going to scream our heads off at the TV. We just looked at each other in shock. We were taught in school that July 4th 1776 was the day the 13 colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. The Boston Tea Party was in December 1773; this was the beginning of our quest for this independence. The battles raged on various fronts all across the 13 Free and Independent States until late 1782. I woke up this morning to this essay brewing in my head. We all have our own independence days. We don't just wake up one morning and we are free of the stress that is holding us in bondage. We have to declare at least to ourselves that we don't want to live this way another day and set out on our journey to find the peace that we so deserve. In our perfectionism we just want it to wave our magic wand and have our houses in order, but that is not the real world. We have to go through the struggles to feel the value in what we are doing. This is why it is so important for us to be a part of the independence process! We have to be the one taking charge of our homes. Let's face it; if someone came in and got rid of all of our clutter we would still be living in CHAOS within just a few days! This is because we had not established the simple habits to keep the clutter from coming back. It takes time and practice to establish these simple habits and string them into routines. The smallest habits help us to win this battle on a daily basis! Just last night I was talking to a good friend. He was telling me how much having a before bed routine had changed his life. He said that he could no longer go to bed without putting his clothes out for the next day and straightening up his hot spots. I explained to him that I felt that the Before Bed Routine was the most important one of the day! He agreed with me because if he only does his Before Bed Routine his life runs smoothly. Our routines free us from the bondage of CHAOS! Your Independence Day was the day you decided to join us in our quest for Peace! Every day we have a choice! We can get up and do our routines or we can allow CHAOS to continue to reign in our lives! Every day is a new day! We can jump in right where we are and take the babysteps of our daily habits to celebrate the victory of each day! Now I am in tears. My sweet darling told me a little proverb. For the want of a nail a horseshoe was lost. For the want of a horseshoe, a horse was lost. For the want of a horse, a horseman was lost. For the want of a horseman the battle was lost and thus the country was lost. I looked it up and it is a nursery rhyme and it was also quoted by Benjamin Franklin. How appropriate that we come full circle in our thoughts. Since Ben also signed the Declaration of Independence. "For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for the want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care about a horseshoe nail." Benjamin Franklin So you see even the simplest of habits can make a difference in the way your day progresses. Every habit is a nail to hold your routines together to form the foundation for peace in your life! You can do this! You have to start someplace! Go shine your sink! That can be your Declaration of Independence! FlyLady Ask FlyLady A Recipe for a Stress Free Celebration Dear Friends, All of us are required from time to time to host a party: Birthday, Graduation, Showers, Weddings, Anniversary, 4th of July cookout, Thanksgiving or any other holiday dinner. Unless you have declared your home off limits to your family and friends: that way no one even bothers to ask you. Then there are times that your family just descends upon you without even giving you a chance to say no. Are you tired of hiding from your family behind your locked front door? Wouldn't you just love to be able to volunteer your home without the pain and suffering that goes along with getting ready for a party? Well we can help you with this. It is quite simple. What is the first thing you think of when you realize that the party is going to be at your home? OH MY! How will I ever get our home clean enough to have guests! Your next thought could be how can we afford to feed 30 people or what in the world am I going to cook. OK it is time to stop your mind from racing and sit down and put your feet up while you take 15 minutes to gather your thoughts and put a plan into action. Ingredients for a stress free celebration. Plan Clean Shop Cook Decorate Take care of you! Follow these directions for your Easy Party! Nothing is ever going to get done if you run screaming through your home without a focus. Get dressed all the way to shoes and fix your hair and face right now if you have not done this yet today. Now grab a piece of paper or set up a section in your control journal for this. This is something that you can keep in your control journal for the next time you have a party. We have had people take our holiday cruising missions and adapt them for any special occasion. We are just going to go over the basics here. The first thing you do is write down the day that the event will happen and figure how many days/weeks you have to prepare. This will determine just how fast you need to get your franny in gear. Let say for example that you have two week; this is what we have in the US to get ready for our 4th of July celebration. Under the section CLEAN: Put what rooms need the most attention. Are you having overnight guests that need the bed that is somewhere in the middle of that junk room you call a guest bedroom. Do you have hot spots raging all through the house? How is your entrance and your front porch? How about your back yard or deck? How is your bathroom and guest bathroom; Towels and bed linens, napkins and tablecloths? Note the link to Crisis Cleaning 101 on our website. Crisis Cleaning Video Print this out for your control journal so you will have it. Use the Crisis Cleaning to tackle the worst part of your home. Do not skip the last 15minutes of each hour. It is most important that you take care of you or you will not be a very calm hostess. Remember we are just planning now. Don't jump up and start cleaning yet. There will be time. We can do anything for 15 minutes. Next let's start a shopping list. But first you need to decide how much you can spend without it hurting your budget. Don't forget that it is OK to have a pot luck to keep expenses down and allow everyone to feel like they are a part of the celebration. We put together a great 4th of July Cookout Menu for you. We have included the FlyCrews favorite recipes. Make your menus and Grocery list; If you have overnight guests you will need to plan for breakfasts, lunch and snacks. Put these items on your list too. When you are planning your menus; include dishes that you can make ahead and keep in the refrigerator so you are not stuck in the kitchen when your guests are arriving. A little planning now makes for a calm hostess. Most everything can be put together a day or two before and kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Don't forget about using your crock pot to keep your home from getting too hot during the summer heat spells. Don't forget your favoritebeverages! Bags of ice, homemade ice cream, ice cream salt, ice chests or tubs to hold the drinks. OH and the charcoal or propane if you need it. Decorations: Do you need paper plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths or flowers for your porch, deck or centerpieces? How about party favors for the children; Citronella candles to keep the bugs away or torches. Envision your party and what do you see? Write it down. Do you need more lawn chairs or tables? Ask people to bring their own if you need to. Taking Care of you: What are you wearing? Do you need a haircut? Anything else you can think of! Make an appointment now. Now that you have a plan and we are all good at making plans; it is time to implement these plans. Here is the key to making this all work. Get the house out of the way first, so you are not cleaning 5 minutes before your guests arrive. I want you resting with your feet up when that doorbell rings. This will relieve most of your worries. Use Crisis Cleaning to get the worst of it. You will be amazed at what you can get done in 15 minute segments if you will just get up and do it instead of playing the martyr role. Then maintain it with your small babystep routines. You are going to feel awful if you run around screaming at your whole family to help you the night before. If you get it picked up and then practice picking up after yourself(we are the worst) all day long it will not get back in the shape it was in. It is much easier to maintain then it is to Crisis Clean with 12 hours to go. Do not put off cleaning till the last minute. Do you understand this??? Next Go Shopping, buy all you can early so you will not have to run to the grocery the day of the celebration. Then the week of the celebration pick up the fresh produce that you will need. Three days ahead start your food preparations. Corn can be wrapped in foil for grilling, Veggies can be cut for salads, salads can be made, baked beans can be put together ready to pop in the oven or crockpot. Hamburgers can be made and frozen. Desserts can be made ahead too. I have one rule for cooking ahead of time. Only prepare one dish at a time and have a sink full of hot soapy water ready for clean up. After you have finished preparing the dish; clean up after yourself and take a break and check things off your list. Also start with a clean kitchen. It is never fun to cook in a dirty kitchen. The day of the party all you will have left to do is pretty up yourself, decorate the house with the items you already have and get stuff out! Don't forget to ask for help from your family and your guests. If you are not running around with your head cut off then you will be able to give kind orders. Remember you are the hostess with the most-est because you are FLYing!!! Strut your stuff baby and show them just how easy it is to have a party without all the stress. Now it is time to have fun! One last warning. Don't forget the rolls. It has become a family tradition for one of us to always forget the rolls. Laugh and enjoy yourself. You deserve it because you are so good!! Sit Back and Enjoy the Fireworks! FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

July's Habit: Swish and Swipe #2 It Does the Trick Dear FlyLady, This week I came up with a great tool for Swishing and Swiping (and I didn't even know it was this month's Habit! I flutter in and out...). You know when you can't get any more soap out of the shampoo bottle or liquid soap pump? But you can clearly see there's still stuff left in there? Well, now I take those "empty" bottles, fill them with water, shake 'em up and leave them on a shelf or in a cabinet next to toilet. When it's time to Swish and Swipe, just a quick squirt or pump of this solution does the trick perfectly. Not only does it save buying any special, or possibly, toxic cleaner ("Soap is soap!"); but when these bottles' second lives are over, they are already rinsed out and ready for the recycling bin. Win-win-win! Thanks for continuing to keep us aloft amidst the clutter that threatens to keep us grounded. ADD Baby Meg Fairfield, CT

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line.

July's Habit: Swish and Swipe Welcome to July! We are at the start of a brand new month and that means it's time for a brand new habit. This month, we'll be working on the Swish and Swipe of the bathroom. With this one simple habit, our bathrooms can stay company ready at any time. Check out the great info below to get started. The simple habits we establish can help us to never see dirt again. ~FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions "A Simple Swish and Swipe keeps our bathroom shining and smelling nice!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This rest of this week we are in Zone 1: Our front porch, dining room, and entrance.

This week our Zone is very important to our homes. The entrance to our homes make the first impression on our guests, our family and ourselves. When we walk into a clean and tidy home our whole attitude will be uplifted. This puts a smile of pride on our faces. We have gone so long, looking at such a terrible mess, that we have been ashamed to answer the door. I want you to get rid of guilt that accompanies clutter and CHAOS. To do this you have to get off your franny and start to declutter this area.

Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in these rooms. They did not get dirty in a week and they will not get clean in a week, but you will be making headway. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it. Wednesday is Always Anti-Procrastination Day!

Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 1 Mission #2 Wednesday

Dear Friends, We are headed into the dining room today, it is anti-procrastination day! Your mission for today is to spend 15 minutes decluttering your dining room. It does not matter what you get rid of, just get rid of anything that does not belong in the dining room. Once again start with a trash bag and toss, toss, toss! If you still have time, then grab things that need to be put away and do that. Set your timer and don't overwhelm yourself. This is all about babysteps.

FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,

We are going to go into our rooms or the area in the house where we keep our crayons, markers, coloring books and craft supplies. School is getting ready to start and we need to see what is needed. Set a timer for 15 minutes and go through this items. Toss out the items that you no longer use, love, need or want. If you have things that you no longer want but are good enough to bless someone else with put those items in a separate bag and give to a grown up. Throw away the dried up markers, small broken crayons - anything that is no longer usable that is taking up space. Remember, less stuff to clean and put away means more time to play!

[FlyLady]

July 9, 2025

July's Swish and Swipe Habit How FlyLady Works Thank You for Your Love and Support A New 8 minute Video from Me

Hello to all my Flybabies and followers; Thanks you so much for all the support y’all have given me through the years! We are incredibly thankful for all that have purchased any of our great FlyLady Home Tools during our Warehouse Clearance Sale and time of transition. We are excited to announce that we have a surprise for you all! We are going to be launching are new 2026 FlyLady Calendars today. This has been a tough year for us and we did not know if this was going to be possible, but through much time in thought and prayer we decided to go ahead and proceed with a 2026 Calendar. This year will be different because once we sell out of our existing inventory of FlyLady Home Tools our FlyLady Calendars will be the only Product we will sell. That being said, we will not be able to offer any discounts this year. The Calendars are LIVE in our FlyShop Thank you so much! I Love You All! FlyLady

Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory! We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has been Slashing Prices! The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mop Heads and Rubba Tools! Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.

Too Many Projects Dear Friends, This week we were in Zone 2: The kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of our home and when the kitchen is clean the whole house feels better. Before we know it summer will be over and school will be starting. Don't allow yourself to panic. We can help you get the rest of the house ready too, but you have to promise to not try to do too much at one time. We pride ourselves in being able to multi-task. We get so many projects going and we never finish them. Have you been living in the projects? You don't have to put yourself though this. We came up with crisis cleaning to help us. This is a simple way to stay focused and not burn out while getting your main areas of your home ready for your guests. The most essential part of the Crisis Cleaning System is the 15 minutes that is required each hour to SIT DOWN AND REST! drink your water and plan! The hardest part of crisis cleaning is keeping it in good order until your guest arrive. NOW LISTEN VERY CLOSELY! I do not want you to wait till the day before your guests arrive to crisis clean. The secret to being a good hostess is to pace yourself and be well rested. DO YOU HEAR ME??? I will let you in on my light bulb moment. It happened in 1999! I had spent from January to November getting my baby step routines established. Our home was staying nice, but I still had hot spots and some clutter. At the first of November, I decided that we would host Thanksgiving Dinner for Robert's Family. He had never done it for his family. My family was going to be out of town. Since I had routines, I decided I could pull this off. I started to plan and scheme. I interviewed my Born Organized friend as to how she kept her home clean. She told me, "Marla, it is very simple! You just pick up after yourself!" WOW! What a revelation! If I got something out, I should put it away when I finished. This was not rocket science. It was simple! I just had to practice it. So the first week in November, I cleaned my home very well, got rid of all the clutter and started to work on a plan for the holidays. After the house was in good shape, granted it wasn't like it used to be with clutter piled to the ceiling. Let's just say I spring-cleaned in the fall! LOL Now I don't have to do this, because of my zones. So after that first week of focusing on my home and getting that problem out of the way, I could relax and plan the party. With my Born Organized friend's advice, I could practice picking up after myself and putting things away. Also I could practice doing one thing at a time. Yes! You heard me right. Many times we leave things half done and piled all over the house because of our sidetracked nature. We start one thing and get pulled away to start something else. Leaving our projects everywhere. You could follow our day, just by going from one project to the next. During the next 3 weeks, I was able to catch myself doing just this and stop in mid-sidetrackedness and say! Marla! All you have to do is put this away before you start this other project. Much to my surprise: IT WORKED!!! Our home stayed clean and clutter free, because I was actually putting things away and finishing what I was working on. Even if I didn't finish, I was getting to a stopping point and putting it away neatly. This took a conscious effort on my part, but once I noticed what I had been doing, something just clicked with me. It can with you too! So I have a homework assignment for you! This is one of my 11 Commandments. # 6. Don't try to do two projects at once. ONE JOB AT A TIME. Don't pull out more than you can put back in 1 hour. We are so bad about doing this to ourselves. Self-Sabotage is our greatest enemy. SHEs tend to think we can multi-task! This is why we find ourselves turning around in circles, not knowing what to do next or where to turn! This has got to stop. We can help you! Don't tell me you work better under pressure! This is a lie that we have told ourselves for years, because of our procrastination. We work better when we are well rested and our minds and function without running 90 miles per hour. I want you to take care of yourself.

Are you ready to FLY? FlyLady

Each month we practice a new habit. July's Habit is Swish and Swipe. We have a tool package just for Swish and Vase Pack at a great price you are going to love. These simple habits can change our lives. If you have been with us for several years then theses habits may be second nature. You can use the habit of the month to reinforce your good habits and add a new one. Here is the list of our basic habits. January - Shining your Sink February - Decluttering for 15 minutes a day March - Getting Dressed to the Shoes April - Making your Bed May - Moving June - Drinking Water July - Swish and Swipe August - Laundry September - Before Bed Routine October - Paper Clutter November - Menu Planning December - Pampering Ask FlyLady Please Explain the Zones Dear FlyLady, I went on the website because I am still confused by the zone cleaning: How do the zones rotate? What do you do? How does the detailed cleaning list fit in (I printed that). It is ambiguous to me - I see the individual e-mails come out but can't quite put them together into a whole picture. Thank you for your help, Liane Dear Liane, You don't have to see the top of the staircase to take the first step. I promise it all fits together. Please keep in mind that February and March of this year the month started on a Saturday. This does not happen often. So we had one day for Zone 1 and you got a special mission. Many of you have had questions about the zones. I hope I can clear this up. We are breaking our homes into 5 zones, but we are using my zones so that we will all be on the same page. After you graduate, you can break your house into what ever zones you choose. Right now we are all together. Let's look at a calendar, in most months the days fall over parts of 5 weeks, sometimes 4 and other times 6. Look at a whole years worth of months. My zones start on Sunday. Here is how the zones are laid out: Zone 1 occurs during the first week of the month. Some months have only has a few days in this first week, but in July we had a whole week to concentrate on our entrance, front porch, and dining room. All I ask is that you spend 15 minutes a day working on your zone for that week. If you still have lots of clutter, work on clearing this clutter, 15 minutes at a time first. Then you can do your detailed cleaning later after the clutter is gone. Let's face it, you have not cleaned cobwebs or dust bunnies in several months or maybe years, so don't get overwhelmed here. I don't want you to burn out. 15 minutes a day, consistency is the key here. That is all. Zone 2 is the kitchen. Most of our kitchens need a full week of cleaning, (only 15 minutes a day). This is usually the first full week in each month. Zone 3 it the main bathroom and one other room in the house. (kid room, extra room, office, craft room, utility room.) Don't do two really bad rooms at once. This is usually the 2nd full week of the month. Only do 15 minutes at a time or a day. Take it easy. The consistency will get you to your goal 15 minutes at a time. Zone 4 is the master bedroom. This is usually the 3rd full week of the month, 4th week if you count the parts of week 1. We clean our closets, bathrooms and bedroom. But if there is serious clutter, this has to go first. 15 minute at a time. Your master bedroom, is the room that is most important in your life. This is where you rest, clutter keeps you from resting well. Get rid of this clutter and find your oasis. Zone 5 is your living room. This zone is on the 5th week of the month. Usually it only has a few days. Then the month ends and the next month starts. Zone 1 and Zone 5 usually happen in the same week. I hope this has straightened out zones for the time being. Look at the calendar and write them down if you have too. This is how I had to do it, to get it into my head. Don't forget, all I ask is 15 minutes a day. Set a timer and just do a little every day. You will see a difference in a week's time. In a month, you will start to notice a trend in your home. You can do this. It didn't get dirty in a day and it is not going to get clean overnight. It is going to take a few months of decluttering, and then detail cleaning, to make your home the place of peace you want. Many of you are trying to do zone cleaning while you are doing your Weekly Home Blessing Hour. Don't do this. In fact, it is more important that you concentrate on your morning and before bed routines before you do your Weekly Home Blessing Hour. Here is how it all fits together. Get your routines established one habit at a time. Then, add new habits as your old ones become second nature. Then, throw in the 15 minutes a day decluttering. As your home becomes clear, the Weekly Home Blessings are a piece of cake. There will not be stuff to vacuum around and dust. My whole house looks great all the time, with just my morning and before bed routines. Even if you do nothing else, your home will come together. Quit trying to see the big picture, and focus on your BabySteps. You don't have to do it all at once: BABYSTEPS. Let go of your perfectionism and watch your home shine! FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

July's Habit: Swish and Swipe

#9 I Like this Habit Best Dear FlyLady, Of all the things I have added to my morning routine, swishing and swiping may be the one I like best! The bathrooms, especially our master bath, really bugged me. I have large, perfectly plain white tiles on the floor, and every little grain of dirt or stray hair SHOWS! I kept telling my DH we needed to redo that bath (Powder blue sink and toilet, circa 1969...yuk!) but I wanted a new floor too. Well, I started to swish and swipe, and first I had to admit that even the hard water marks on the powder blue are MUCH less visible after a daily swish and swipe. But, since our bathroom is tiny, with less than 5 ft by 5 ft. of floor, I started swishing and swiping the floor too. After I do the sink and toilet, I take a spray bottle, which currently has household cleanser in it, and spray the floor in front of the toilet--two squirts! Then I take a damp microfiber pad and swipe the whole floor with my foot! This takes about 90 seconds, most of which involves reaching the floor behind the toilet. That used to be the worst place in my house, but no more. I move the bath mat out onto the bedroom floor before I start, and when I finish I toss the microfiber pad onto the shower floor and turn the shower on. It gets rinsed clean while I shower, and then I use the suds that I rinse off myself to wash the shower floor, and swipe the frame of my glass shower doors. I have one of those three piece acrylic showers with a seam about 24 inches off the floor, and another one down the center of the back wall. The seams always seemed to have that orange stuff starting to grow, especially in the summer. Now, as part of my swiping, I take a microfiber cloth and just rub the seams as I wipe down the shower when I am done showering. Maybe a 30 second detail, but it has not looked orange in months! When the master bedroom/bath week rolls around, I use real bathroom cleaner (once a month) to make sure I am killing mold and mildew, but my master bath looks spotless every single day now, and it takes less than 5 minutes, even with swiping the floor. And I am fine with the white tile now--in fact, I like how clean it looks. DH is happy not to have a new floor on his "honey do" list. I use the hall bath to do my hair and brush my teeth, and I swish that toilet before I start brushing, and the sink and mirror when I am done with my teeth. I had company last week, and my BIG additional effort with that hall bath (which is what guests use) was to turn the shower on and rinse the tub/shower because it was dusty! One of my weekly wash loads now is to wash all the bath rugs/mats, so they are always in pretty good shape too.I have two more half baths, one of which is part of my laundry room. My daily load of laundry includes a swish and swipe there. The half bath near my entry usually gets done when I do the recycling, since I wash my hands when I come back inside . I used to wish I could afford weekly house cleaning services, because of ALL THESE BATHROOMS! The price for that service around here is about $150 a week, for a house the size of mine. I figure I spend about 15 minutes a day to keep all four bathrooms company clean, and since I don't do it all at once, it seems like no time at all. I no longer want someone else to clean my house. It seems like a terrible waste of money when I can get the same results by a little FLYing every day. Thanks for saving me money and making me happy with what I already have! A FLYbaby in upstate New York

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. July's Habit: Swish and Swipe Welcome to July! We are at the start of a brand new month and that means it's time for a brand new habit. This month, we'll be working on the Swish and Swipe of the bathroom. With this one simple habit, our bathrooms can stay company ready at any time. Check out the great info below to get started. The simple habits we establish can help us to never see dirt again. ~FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Take babysteps to build your habits into routines and you will find the joy you have been searching for your whole life!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 2: Our Kitchens. The kitchen is the heart of our home.

Focus on one little part — reclaim your kitchen sink. Empty everything out of your sink, shine it up, fill it with hot soapy water, and start washing dishes, one at a time. Do a 27-Fling "Trash" Boogie. Trash is clutter. When the bag is full, take it outside, right away, to the trash bin. Clear out your mail hotspot. Get rid of the old magazines, catalogs, and advertisements. Clear the clutter off your counters one at a time. Clear the clutter off your kitchen table. Take a peek at your pantry. Don't pull everything out and start reorganizing; just take a look, see what you need, and start a grocery list.

If your kitchen is clean but still cluttered: start decluttering. Check out our daily missions. FlyLady usually sends out one during the week which concentrates on decluttering one small area of your kitchen. Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day!

Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 2: Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends,

Today is Anti-Procrastination Day and we are still in the kitchen,Your mission for today is to grab a trash bag and clean out your refrigerator.  You are to toss ANYTHING that will not get eaten any time soon. This means that new salad dressing you decided to try but really don't like. It is time to let it go. Just as the rule applies to the rest of the house. If you don't love or use it, lose it!  Get rid of the fruit that is a few days beyond when it was really edible, get rid of the veggies that are turning into a science project. Check the dates on the cheeses that are potential science project. You will be able to really make a better grocery list when your fridge is cleaned out of all the items you don't like and or don't use!

FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,

Today we are going to go into our rooms and pick up any clothes we have laying around on the floor, our desks, dressers or chairs. If they are clean - put them away, if they are dirty put them in the dirty clothes basket or hamper. If there are too many to take care of all of them in 15 minutes, you can do this tomorrow too as a bonus challenge!

[FlyLady]

July 16, 2025

July's Swish and Swipe Habit

It's Plan and Play Day

Thank You for Your Love and Support A New 8 minute Video from Me Hello to all my Flybabies and followers; Thanks you so much for all the support y’all have given me through the years! We are incredibly thankful for all that have purchased any of our great FlyLady Home Tools during our Warehouse Clearance Sale and time of transition. We are excited to announce that we have a surprise for you all! We are going to be launching are new 2026 FlyLady Calendars today. This has been a tough year for us and we did not know if this was going to be possible, but through much time in thought and prayer we decided to go ahead and proceed with a 2026 Calendar. This year will be different because once we sell out of our existing inventory of FlyLady Home Tools our FlyLady Calendars will be the only Product we will sell. That being said, we will not be able to offer any discounts this year. The Calendars are LIVE in our FlyShop Thank you so much! I Love You All! FlyLady

Have You Heard the News! The FlyLady 2026 Calendars are Here! Order Today!

Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory! We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has been Slashing Prices! The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mop Heads and Rubba Tools! Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.

Are You a Professional Skater? Dear Friends, In 1999 I woke up on New Year's Day determined to get organized. That determination is what made it happen! The reasons behind that purpose had more to do with fear that people would find out my dirty little secret. Now I share my shortcomings with the world because if I am having a problem then many of you are too. I am not ashamed of who I am or how I got here. Every bad thing that has ever happened to me has made me who I am today! I am very proud of how I have taken those things from my childhood and not continued to abuse myself with those thoughts and actions. I can't change those years of growing up; but I can see when I allow that shame to enter back into my life and delete it. I use every thing that happens these days to help teach me a lesson to help others. I look at the situation and say to myself. What am I supposed to learn from this and usually an essay comes from it and maybe even the theme of a new book. Life is too short to just skating from one problem to the next and not use those lessons to teach ourselves how to not repeat them and help others. Skating is what we do best. Do you remember when you were in school and you did just enough to get by. Instead of reading a chapter that was our homework assignment and answer the questions at the end; we would skip the reading part and go straight to the questions. There we go skating at an early age. We were proud of ourselves for finding a shortcut to getting our homework finished. We were just too stubborn to understand that we were really making more work for ourselves in the long run. If we had read the chapter, processed the words in a quiet environment and listened in class instead of day dreaming; we could have answered those questions easily. Instead we picked and skimmed the reading looking for the answer. This kind of piecemeal learning robbed us of our education. Did you ever think this is why you can't remember anything from high school? You were skating to just get by not feeding your hungry brain the knowledge it was starving for. Then came test time; you had to cram instead of using the babysteps of your homework to be able to pass! We thought we were so smart. This happens today. We are good at hiding it from others. We skate at home and in our work life. Do you pretend to be busy at work when you focused on something outside of your job. At work when you skate you will eventually be found out and your job is at stake. When you skate at work; you are really robbing your employer of money! You are paid to do a job yet you are too busy with your own stuff to take care of your responsibilities. You don't have that problem at home or do you! You really know the truth and that truth makes you feel guilty. The guilt manifests itself in many ways; weight gain, financial problems, clutter taking over and relationship problems. When we are confronted with our skating; we deflect the attention on us to the problems around us. It doesn't work; you are found out! When we skate through life we have our heads down and we don't see what is going on around us. We are skating as fast as we can and as a result we go round and round in circles; doomed to repeat the mistakes and stay stuck in our ruts. How do we stop this vicious circle that we have created for ourselves? You join FlyLady to try to get your house in order but you start skating all over again. You just want to jump to the end of the chapter and start answering questions without allowing the process of FLYing to help you find the peace I have promised you. There are no short cuts. Whenever someone complains that FlyLady is not working for them we ask have you started to declutter your home. Are you getting dressed to lace up shoes? Have you shined your sink? You see you just can't skip to the end without going though the babysteps that help you get there. Don't make it harder than it really is! Take your babysteps and enjoy the process! Progress Not Perfection. Let's get out of our ruts, raise our heads and open up our eyes to focus on the prize of peace in our lives!

Are you ready to FLY? FlyLady

Ask FlyLady When Do We Clean Our Refrigerators?

Dear FlyLady, I have an area I need help in and haven't found it anywhere on your website: The Refrigerator! Refrigerator clutter can be evil. I'll bet I'm not the only one. I'll bet the advanced ones are at the swish and swipe level, but I need advice more on the archaeological approach...Can you give us a page on the upbeat to give us courage to venture in? Flybaby in the Kitchen Dear Scared FlyBaby and the rest of you, It is time to clear out those leftovers. I bagged everything up in Zip Lock Bags and I will be putting the veggies in the freezer for a pot of soup next week. Don't be afraid; it really isn't that bad when you get started. As with most things we procrastinate about; we blow the job out of proportion in our minds. If the truth be told; most jobs only take a few minutes. As you know, Wednesday is always anti-procrastination day. What better day to tackle a dreaded job! Besides we need to take stock of what leftovers need to be used and what we needs to be purchased. This will give us room to put away our groceries. Things will never get as bad as it is right now; when you use Anti-Procrastination Day. Now for those of you who have been putting this off. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Start with a sink full of hot soapy water. Utilized a big Ziplock bag for the science projects. This way you can freeze them for trash day and they will not stink up your trash can. We live in the woods, so I can take one dish at a time and toss the contents over the back fence. I am careful not to toss onions in case our dogs out of of the fence. Then I wash the dish in the sink. If need be I put the rinsed dish in the dishwasher to sanitize it. As you are doing this notice what you are having to throw away. My Granny always said any food that you put int the trash is like throwing dollar bills in the garbage. Our goal is to plan for leftovers and use them. When we are in Zone 2, that is the time for us to do a little detailed cleaning of our refrigerator; wipe down a shelf or clear off the refrigerator magnets. I guess we really do have a swish and swipe for our refrigerators. Every day when you start supper; check to see what needs to be used up from your refrigerator. This will keep things from spoiling. Are you planning your menus? This will help you to stay on top of what needs to be cooked. You can save a lot of money by menu planning from the contents of your freezer. With the busy summer just around the corner this could help you with a little extra money. If you have never menu planned; keep a diary of what you eat every night on your calendar. You can utilize your calendar to plan your menus for the next month. We have succeeded at eating at home this whole month except for Robert's birthday when we went to dinner with friends.

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

July's Habit: Swish and Swipe

#16 Now to My Routine Dear FlyLady, You cannot possibly fathom what a difference "Swish and Swipe" has made to me! I never walk into my bathrooms that I don't notice the shining sinks and fixtures. The toilet and rim are clean and the floor is clean. I needn't be concerned when a guest wants to use the restroom...it is CLEAN, yea!!! Now to my routine: First, I spray the sink (with Scrubbing Bubbles, all other days with Windex) and put bowl cleaner in the toilet. Next, I clean the sink and shine with the hand towel that I am removing that day. Next, I spray a paper towel with Windex and clean the mirror. After swishing the toilet, I take the same paper towel that I used on the mirror and start with the tank top and swipe all surfaces down to the rim. On Monday, I use my cleaning rag and mop 1/3 of the floor by hand each day...around the toilet, left side from front to back, then right side front to back. (I would love to say that I do this because I do a much better job doing the mopping by hand...however, alas, that isn't the reason even though it is true. I HATE mopping, but even I can work on the floor for two minutes.) Both bathrooms have trash cans right beside the toilets, so I dispose of my handy paper towel and then take the linens to the laundry room. FINISHED!!! And with clean bathrooms... I have gotten some wonderful ideas from you and from your FlyBabies and sincerely appreciate all of you! Mary

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. July's Habit: Swish and Swipe Welcome to July! We are at the start of a brand new month and that means it's time for a brand new habit. This month, we'll be working on the Swish and Swipe of the bathroom. With this one simple habit, our bathrooms can stay company ready at any time. Check out the great info below to get started. The simple habits we establish can help us to never see dirt again. ~FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Let go of your Perfectionism to get things done?" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 3: Our Main Bathroom and another Room.

This week we are focusing on the main bathroom and one extra room. The extra room may be a second, or third bathroom, a guest bedroom, a child's bedroom, the office, or maybe the laundry room. Just pick one extra room and focus on it this week. The bathroom: Do you live in fear that someone will actually see your bathroom? It is too easy to close our eyes to the mess that is hiding right behind the bathroom door. This week, we are going to open that door to the bathroom, and BabyStep, by BabyStep, we are going to conquer the CHAOS that is the main bathroom! Your bathroom should give you sense of relaxation and joy when you enter. This is a place for you to pamper and take care of yourself. Treat the room with love and respect and it will bless you with comfort and peace. Remove the obvious clutter, take out the dirty laundry, and empty the garbage can.

If your bathroom is clean but still cluttered: Start decluttering (makeup, old towels, old medicine, hair supplies, shampoos, etc.). Check out our daily missions.

Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 3: Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends, Back to the bathroom we go. It is anti-procrastination day and it is time toss the old cosmetics that are out of date and out of fashion. Trust me very few people can get away with powder blue eye shadow and orange lipstick. Let go of these items that you have been hanging onto because "someday" you might use them.   For the Laundry room, mate up those old socks or toss them! If they haven't found their mate by now consider them legally separated and toss them out the door!

FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,

Today we are going to dig into our backpacks. If we clean out our back packs regularly we will know where our things are and have what we need. You are going to see this challenge quite often. This is how we make things a habit.

[FlyLady]

July 23, 2025

Get Your Calendars Ordered We have a Limited Supply Wakey Wakey

Thank You for Your Love and Support A New 8 minute Video from Me Hello to all my Flybabies and followers; Thanks you so much for all the support y’all have given me through the years! We are incredibly thankful for all that have purchased any of our great FlyLady Home Tools during our Warehouse Clearance Sale and time of transition. We are excited to announce that we have a surprise for you all! We are going to be launching are new 2026 FlyLady Calendars today. This has been a tough year for us and we did not know if this was going to be possible, but through much time in thought and prayer we decided to go ahead and proceed with a 2026 Calendar. This year will be different because once we sell out of our existing inventory of FlyLady Home Tools our FlyLady Calendars will be the only Product we will sell. That being said, we will not be able to offer any discounts this year. The Calendars are LIVE in our FlyShop Thank you so much! I Love You All! FlyLady  Have You Heard the News! The FlyLady 2026 Calendars are Here! Order Today! Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory!

We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has been Slashing Prices! The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mop Heads and Rubba Tools! Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.

Is Social Media Taking Over Your Life? Dear Friends, Just how much time are you spending on Facebook or other social media? Be truthful with yourself! If you are wondering why your home is in CHAOS then look at how much time you are spending checking your groups, blogs, friends, and pages.Use Facebook and other social media as a reward! You can get things done around the house and come back at the top of hour or at the bottom of the hour to celebrate your accomplishments.Don't have notifications go to your phone! The dinging will constantly be pulling you away from your focus. I actually have my phone set to Do Not Disturb during the hours of 9:00pm to 9:00am. Silence is golden. I just changed it to 6:00pm to 11:00am. It never rings anyway because it is always on vibrate. The phone is for my convenience. My family calls can get through.The other day, someone posted they were in 500 groups. How does someone do that? Groups can be a time sucker much like soap operas used to be. They really are soap operas and rumor mills. Really who wants to see someone else's messy house. I have decided that before and after pictures are attention seeking behavior that just keeps us in a martyred mode. Bless your home for you! The benefits will outweigh any likes or Atta-girls you get from strangers. Now here is the biggie! If you have created blogs, groups, or pages and your home is not in order then you are monitoring them to keep from establishing your habits. Sidetracked again! I tell you this like I would tell anyone who is trying to homeschool, go to college, teach public school, be a nurse, or any other profession and including stay at home mom. What example are you setting for your children? Has your perfectionism forced you to just do it yourself because the kids can't live up to your expectations? You are doing your children a disservice. One day they are going to be grown and they are not going to know how to clean a toilet, wash a dish, make a bed, or do a load of laundry! How sad for them that you would not show your child how to do things because you were afraid that you might upset them. I had this said to me today. The truth was that her perfectionism was what the fear was about. She was going to have to tell him what he did wrong. It is one thing to instruct and it another thing to make someone feel bad because it was not good enough. Don't do this to your babies! As someone who could never please my mom; I am begging you. But what is social media doing to your family! Do you really need to belong to several hundred groups? Are those groups more important than your home, your family and you! Something happens to people when they are anonymous on a page and or in an email. They don't seem to think their words or actions can hurt someone. I have seen husbands bashed, children blamed, and relationships destroyed from hurtful words that spew from fingertips. Release your stress and gain more hours in your day by only using Facebook and social media as a reward. FlyLady

Ask FlyLady It's Anti-Procrastination Day

Dear Friends,

Today is Anti-Procrastination Day! What have you been putting off? How many times a day do you allow your perfectionism to paralyze you! You know exactly what I am talking about. You hear that nasty little voice in your head all the time. I don't have time right now. YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR WHAT? To do it RIGHT! To do it like your momma did! We are not good judges of time! In our heads we think emptying the dishwasher will take hours when it only takes 3 minutes! Our perfectionism/procrastination also hurts us in other ways. We keep putting off going to the doctor because we don't have time! We don't place an order for something we know will help us and then all of a sudden it is gone and we start to beat ourselves up over our procrastination again. I live by the Do it Now Principle! When something needs to be done and if it is not done then you will feel bad; this is when I do it! Think about putting a fresh roll of toilet paper in the bathroom. We only think of it when we are in there. Guess who usually gets left with an empty roll. YOU! Your procrastination has hurt you again. Our minds are going 90 miles an hour. We can think of more things to do in 5 minutes than we can do in a lifetime. Let's channel some of that power into action by Doing It Now. When you find yourself using this principle more often you are going to surprise yourself! This is not getting sidetracked! It is staying focused and accomplishing something so we don't have to beat ourselves up later! Have you been putting something off? One day soon we will run out of our calendars and there you will be begging for one and beating yourself up because of your procrastination. You do have time; if you will just do what needs to be done and don't put it off another day! Just think, this will put an end to those nasty voices in your head! There are many of you that are procrastinating about shining your sink! This is the habit that changed my life! Please give it a try! It won't take that long! I know you think I am crazy when your house is a mess and you have a to do list longer than your arm and I am telling you to shine your sink. Apply the Do It Now principle and see how good you will feel! Send me an email and tell me what you accomplished today in honor of Anti-Procrastination Day! It can something small or big, it does not matter! Don't let perfectionism get in the way of Do It Now! FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

July's Habit: Swish and Swipe

#23 I Want to Swish and Swipe Dear FlyLady, I have finally found a way to trick myself into enjoying the Swish and Swipe! Because of the well water we use, I have hard water stains build up easily in tub, sink, and toilet. It is a real challenge to get rid of the ones in the toilet no matter what cleaner I use. So, I went to the store, bought a pumice stick and used elbow grease to wipe out those ugly stains in the toilet. It took a lot of scrubbing. Then, I cleaned the toilet with the regular cleaner I use. What was different? Now, I realize with that sparkling toilet, I WANT to Swish and Swipe! Before, I was just swishing and swiping and not seeing very much for doing so. Of course, the old way, I knew the toilet was clean, but now it sparkles. I know this might hinge on the "perfection" thing, but I really did need to results. Thank you for your encouragement and tips! VA FlyBaby FlyLady here: Our July habit is to Swish and Swipe your bathroom everyday. Have you ever been embarrassed when someone asked to use your bathroom? Have you ever put off allowing a repair person into your bathroom? Have your dear children watched you clean the bathroom and you have then caught them swishing out the toilet? We want to hear your stories or tips on the benefits of Swishing and Swiping everyday.

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. July's Habit: Swish and Swipe Welcome to July! We are at the start of a brand new month and that means it's time for a brand new habit. This month, we'll be working on the Swish and Swipe of the bathroom. With this one simple habit, our bathrooms can stay company ready at any time. Check out the great info below to get started. The simple habits we establish can help us to never see dirt again. ~FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Today is the day to get things done! Let go of your perfectionism to make things happen!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 4: Your Master Bedroom, Closet, and Bathroom.

This week we are working on Zone 4: The Master Bedroom. It also includes any bathroom you may have off the master bedroom, and whatever lurks in the bedroom closet. This will be an ongoing process. You may or may not get the entire room cleaned this week. That is not the objective. Any thing you do in this room now will be an improvement over the way it was last week. Next month you will focus on it again. Your bedroom should be the cleanest room in your home. Many of you still use yours as a garbage/clutter disposal for the rest of the house. If your bedroom is clean and clutter free, then it becomes an inviting haven for building your relationship with your spouse. The best gift you can give your children is a strong marriage. This is true whether your children are 2 or 40 years old.

Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in the master bedroom. It did not get dirty in a week and it will not get clean in a week, but you will be making head-way. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it.

Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 4: Mission #3 Wednesday   Dear Friends,   It is anti-procrastination day and we are going to clean off the nightstands! Get the tissues, cups and stuff that has piled up, toss and put away. The grab a feather duster or dust rag and dust the surface. Place a pretty candle or picture there. Something that is new to that spot that you love to see.   Waking up and not seeing a pile of things on the nightstand and a pile of clothes will make your morning a little brighter! FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids, Today we are going to do something that might be hard but that is okay. You can do this! You are going to go look in your rooms for 11 toys that are either broken or missing pieces that need to be thrown away. Get a trash bag and toss them!

[FlyLady]

July 30, 2025

Get Your Calendars Ordered We have a Limited Supply

Wake Up and Smell the Flowers

Thank You for Your Love and Support A New 8 minute Video from Me Hello to all my Flybabies and followers; Thanks you so much for all the support y’all have given me through the years! We are incredibly thankful for all that have purchased any of our great FlyLady Home Tools during our Warehouse Clearance Sale and time of transition. We are excited to announce that we have a surprise for you all! We are going to be launching are new 2026 FlyLady Calendars today. This has been a tough year for us and we did not know if this was going to be possible, but through much time in thought and prayer we decided to go ahead and proceed with a 2026 Calendar. This year will be different because once we sell out of our existing inventory of FlyLady Home Tools our FlyLady Calendars will be the only Product we will sell. That being said, we will not be able to offer any discounts this year. The Calendars are LIVE in our FlyShop Thank you so much! I Love You All! FlyLady  Have You Heard the News! The FlyLady 2026 Calendars are Here! Order Today! Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory!

We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse!

Justin has found more Gray Mop Cloths

The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mop Heads and Rubba Tools! Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.

How to Climb Mount Washmore Dear Friends, All of us have to do laundry, some only a couple of loads a week, while others have a dozen. It affects us all the same way, we put it off till it gets to be such a big job that we are paralyzed by the thought of it. You know exactly what I am talking about. This month our new habit is the Laundry! One load a day to keep the CHAOS away. Piles of dirty laundry in your bedroom floor, that just keep growing. Do you want to know why they continue to multiply? You have too many clothes, because you have compensated for not doing laundry by buying more clothes to cover this problem. Then you struggle for two days to finish it all, but it never really gets put away, because your drawers are too full to put anything away. So then you live out of a clothes basket, the piles on top of the dresser, the piles dumped on your bed or in a chair. After a while you can't tell the dirty from the clean ones. So everything gets tossed back into the dirty clothes pile. I want to teach you to stop doing this to yourself! Let me tell you how I quit doing this to myself. 1. I cleaned out one drawer for myself and one for each family member. 2. Then I labeled the drawers, so I would know where to put the clothes. 3. At one time, when I lived alone, I would have every thing I owned dirty, before I would go to the laundry-mat and do them. (I did not have a washer or dryer)! I mean two huge garbage bags of dirty clothes. Did I tell you I had too many clothes? LOL Then I would go to the laundry-mat and spend half a day getting them done. At least they were done, but I would start the vicious cycle all over again. It was so draining. I could go several weeks without doing the laundry. 4. My remedy, was to cut out some of the steps that would trip me up and keep me from taking the first step to doing the laundry. Sorting!! As I took off my dirty clothes, I would sort them into a dark basket and a light basket. Yes I actually have a dark colored and a light colored basket to remind me to sort. Robert does it too. In fact, I think he taught me this. He also taught me to take my socks off, right side out. LOL Push them down over your heels and then pull the toes.. Poof your socks are right side out. No more having to turn socks after they are washed. LOL I love this part. 5. So now as a basket gets almost full, I can do a small load and it actually takes less time to do a small load as a huge one. It is no longer overwhelming to me. It gets put away much faster too. The socks are easier to mate as well. LOL I hated that part, but not anymore. 6. Now you have to have a simple routine to accomplish this. I have it included in my morning routine. As I leave my bedroom in the morning, I grab one of the baskets that looks almost full and take it to the basement. Turn on the washer, then come upstairs and set my timer for 40 minutes. This is how long it take for my washer to do a load. Do not leave the washer running while you are going to away from home. Just stop the washer and let them soak. Do not leave appliances running when no one is home. Also have a smoke alarm in the area of washer and dryer. Many home fires are started because of this. 7. After the washer has stopped. We need washers with buzzers (men must design these appliances or maybe born organized people) Grab some hangers and head for the dryer. Put the clothes in the dryer. When the buzzer goes off, you will already have the hangers at the dryer. Here is the rule! You have to go to the dryer when you hear the first buzzer. No excuses. Hang up the good clothes first and put the rest in the basket and go to the room where they belong. I have a secret, I do not fold underwear. I just put it in the drawer. Then I mate the socks and fold everything else in the small basket. I have timed me and I can do this in 2 minutes. I'll wager you can too. I don't have to do a load every day, but I check my baskets to see if I do, every single day. It is so much easier to do, when you just get a routine for it. I hope this will Help you to FLY Through your Laundry struggles, FlyLady Ask FlyLady Nine Steps to a Beautiful Dining Table Dear FlyLady, Newbie here, off to a good start. I know everyone has those items they find themselves staring at with no clear strategy on how to tackle it. One of the worst problems I have is the dining room table which is in the front of the house. It's the dumping ground for mail, kids school notices, statements, the "to shred or not to shred" stuff, toys, even clothes...ugghh. Any advice? Thanks for the help. You're the light at the end of the tunnel. Lora Dear Lora, At the end of this week we are in Zone One. We all just want the facts. Tell me what to do and I will do it. The problem is you are procrastinating. You need 3 boxes labeled Give Away, Put Away, and Throw Away. 1. Take everything off of the table and put in a laundry basket. 2. Put a pretty vase or table cloth on it after you dust it. 3. Now get a cool glass of water and take the basket to the living room. 4. Set your Sorter up in front of you. Sorting 6 inch at a time. 5. Set your timer for 15 Minutes and work fast; no thinking just sorting. 6. Most of the papers are trash/recycling. Toss them in Throw Away Box. 7. When timer goes off take Put Away items and run around the house and put them away. Put trash in shredder or recycle bin 8. Take a 15 minute break 9. Set your timer again and repeat till the basket is empty. One word of warning! Don't get sidetracked! Stay focused on the Basket. If you can't find places to put the items that are in the put away bin; just get them close to where they need to go. Now I am going to tell you how to keep this pile from happening again. 1. Process the mail as soon as you get it. Most is trash! Put trash in recycling to shred. 2. Keep a trash can in each room of your house. 3. Make your Dining Table a "NO PILE" Zone. Keep it pretty! 4. When you hear yourself say; I don't have time. Set your timer for 2 Minutes. Never put anything down to do later. That is also a signal to set your timer for 2 Minutes. You can do this! Take the Clean Dining Table Challenge. When you get it done send me a picture of your beautiful dining table. Send the picture to Fly...@flylady.net with I DID IT in the subject line. You can do it! Put beautiful vase on your table. Stand back and smile! FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

July's Habit: Swish and Swipe

#30 Guest Bath of Shame Dear FlyLady, My husband is an invalid with numerous health issues that call him to his bathroom frequently. In the past, I have only cleaned this when I knew company was coming, and then with martyred clenched teeth and a gallon of bleach! I have been very embarrassed if anyone stopped by and needed to use it. Sometimes, I purposely refrained from offering beverages to guests ( a Southern requirement if hospitality) just so their bladders wouldn't get full enough to visit our guest bath of shame! Last week I started swishing this toilet every day and realized it was easier done in daily baby steps. I didn't have burned, bleachy nostrils and an angry attitude. It was so nice that I wanted to do something extra special for my husband's bathroom, so I ordered the dishtowels. I put a fresh one in the bathroom each morning after I swish and swipe. Some of my husband's health issues cause him mental confusion and he has trouble keeping up with which day it is. Now his clean bathroom is a reminder if each day as well as my love for him. Best wishes from sunny Crestview, FL Flybaby G

FlyLady here: Our July habit is to Swish and Swipe your bathroom everyday. Have you ever been embarrassed when someone asked to use your bathroom? Have you ever put off allowing a repair person into your bathroom? Have your dear children watched you clean the bathroom and you have then caught them swishing out the toilet? We want to hear your stories or tips on the benefits of Swishing and Swiping everyday.

Do you have a Testimonial about Getting Dressed to Shoes? We love to hear your testimonials. You can motivate others with your success stories! If you have a success story please send it to fly...@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line. July's Habit: Swish and Swipe Welcome to July! We are at the start of a brand new month and that means it's time for a brand new habit. This month, we'll be working on the Swish and Swipe of the bathroom. With this one simple habit, our bathrooms can stay company ready at any time. Check out the great info below to get started. The simple habits we establish can help us to never see dirt again. ~FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Why do we allow our perfectionism to bring on Procrastination! Let it go to get things done!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

This week we are in Zone 5: Your Living Room. We will only have Friday for Zone 1.

Zone 5 is the living room, family room, or den. But, only focus on one this week. After a few months, you will have them decluttered them all and the detailed cleaning will be a breeze.

Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in this room. It did not get dirty in a week and it will not get clean in a week, but you will be making head-way. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it.

Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady

This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 5: Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends, Today we are going after the hidden clutter in these rooms. Take a look around you and see what is laying around that is really clutter but because you have become so used to it being there you don't see it as clutter. Have you purged those magazines and books lately? How about the videos, dvd's and cd's? Are they strewn in piles all over because they belong in these rooms you don't see them anymore? Your mission for today is to set your timer for 15 minutes and go after the "hidden" clutter in these rooms. You will be amazed at how much neater the rooms look when you tackle this. Do not get obsessed and take apart the whole room. This is about progress NOT perfection. Just tackle one thing at a time!

FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids, Today we are going to do something that might be hard but that is okay. You can do this! You are going to go look in your rooms for 11 toys that are either broken or missing pieces that need to be thrown away. Get a trash bag and toss them!

Things that you do not use because they are broken is clutter. Clutter is made up of the things that you have that you do not love or use. When you get the things that are broken and the missing pieces out of your room, there is less to pick up and clean. This gives us more time to PLAY! Take your bag to Mom or Dad and tell them that you are getting rid of the clutter in your room!

[FlyLady]

August 6, 2025

Get Your Calendars Ordered We have a Limited Supply

Get Ready to Save Real Money

I Know Why It's Hard to FLY Dear Friends, Clutter takes over our lives in many different ways but the clothes become a never ending battle. When we have too many clothes the mountain keeps growing! We wear clothes till we run out and then we go buy more instead of doing the laundry. Those mountains take over our homes. Every corner, every flat surface, and the floor are covered in dirty clothes and clean clothes that are stuck in the never ending wash cycle. This is all because you have too many clothes and your children have too many clothes. You don't even know what fits because they are not worn often enough. You can't organize clutter! This means those clothes too. I know you want to save them! But they are taking over your life! I have a simple challenge for you! Let's reduce that pile by half. I want to look at why you are hanging on to these clothes. Are you afraid that you will not be able to get any more if you give them away? Most of these were given to you anyway. Why are you hoarding them? When you hoard you have sealed your fate! What you hoard turns into worms! Do you remember the story of the Israelites in the book of Exodus? When they hoarded the manna, a gift from heaven, it turned to worms. We are clothes hoarders; plain and simple! We live in fear that we will never be able to afford to buy what we need when we need it! Fear is lack of faith! Faith in ourselves and faith in God to provide for us! When we hoard we separate ourselves from pipeline of love! We try to take control! Release the perfectionism of having to be in control and let go of these clothes! You can't organize clothes clutter; you have to get rid of it! Are you listening to me? Or have you gone back into your hoarding mentality! Let them go and find the peace you deserve! Don't allow your perfectionism to make you want to wash them all up either! Bag them up and get them out of your house. Anyone who gets them is going to rewash them anyway! Don't do this to yourself and don't allow your perfectionism to win again and keep you stuck in this mountain of never ending clothes clutter! I want you to FLY and as long as you are struggling with hoarding clothes you are going to find it difficult! FlyLady Ask FlyLady Do You Want to Save Some Money Dear Friends, Cooking your food from scratch is about the only way to save real money. Many of you don't want to make a bigger mess in your kitchen. Robert and Justin love it when I am on a cooking frenzy. This means we always have leftovers. These tips work whether you are cooking your family or an army! There are a few little tips I want to toss out to you before you start cooking your head off. 1. Put hot soapy water in your shiny sink before you start to prepare anything. Get out clean dish cloths and towels. 2. Make sure the dishwasher is empty before you start. Hand wash as much as you can and run the dishwasher and empty it before you sit down to eat. This way you will have an empty dishwasher to put the dinner dishes in. Oh and you can run the good china in the dishwasher if you don't put any dishwasher detergent in it. You can wash your good silver in there too. Just not the hollow handle knives. 3. Now this is a hard one for us, since we love to pretend to multi-task. The truth is we don't really do it well. You know what happens in your kitchen when you try to do several things at once. Your kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it. Only prepare ONE recipe at a time and when you have put it together; CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF. This means getting things ready to cook not necessary putting them on the stove or in the oven. You can do things a head of time and put them in the refrigerator to wait till its scheduled time to pop in the oven or put on the stove. Leanne's timeline will help you a lot. I actually make appointments for my oven. 4. And this is the most important tip. Put on good supportive shoes with laces. Don't try to stand up all day and cook in cutesy shoes. Your legs deserve better than this. 5. After you put together each recipe and you have cleaned up after yourself! I want you to sit down at your table, drink a cup of tea and check things off your list. This is not a request; this is an order to help keep you from looking frazzled for your guests. You need to take breaks and drink your water! 6. Set your table. This way you can have fun with the pretty things. You can have fun preparing for dinner; if you will just pace yourself and take breaks. It is really just a piece of cake if you will take those babysteps. Are you ready to FLY through dinnertime? FlyLady

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

August's Habit: A Load of Laundry Daily #6 Getting Creative is a Must Dear FlyLady, There are no laundry machines in my apartment and the laundromat is miles away through sometimes crawling traffic -- and expensive. As I live alone, and work at home, with no children, my laundry demands are fairly modest. Undies and light objects can certainly be done in a bowl and last longer when washed by hand, but "hands" aren't the only option! I have a "washing machine" for sturdier items (such as shirts and jeans): a utility bucket with a hole in the lid through which passes the handle of a rubber plunger (used ONLY for laundry). I fill it while I'm in the shower with water that would otherwise be wasted. Add soap and laundry. A few minutes of plunger action is little different from a real washer except for the useful aerobic exercise. And at bucket scale, I MUST do (if not "a load a day!") small loads on a regular basis. If not, my penance is a long haul to the laundromat with piles of quarters. The real problem is drying in humid weather, sometimes best achieved by a trip to the big driers, but in winter, drying clothes hung by a radiator just help improve the dry air. Not for everyone obviously, but an option for me. And in 15 minutes too. Cheers! Carol FlyLady here: Our habit for August is working on Laundry. A load a day keeps CHAOS away! Do you have a story or tips that will help other FlyBabies with this habit? August's Habit: Do a Load of Laundry Daily Our habit for August is working on Laundry. If we can control our laundry by doing one load of laundry per day, laying our clothes out each night and getting dressed each morning becomes a simple habit to practice. Our habit this month is all about making our lives easier. So, join us in our new habit of doing one load of laundry each day. Check out the great info below. Sometimes the most daunting part of doing your laundry is getting it started, but if you make automatically sorting your clothes part of your routine, it's much easier to just throw in a load! Make laundry easier on yourself and check out some of our tools in The FlyShop! A load a day keeps CHAOS away! – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions "Cooking in your own clean kitchen is going to save you real money!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

We are in Zone 2; Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of our home. Focus on one little part — reclaim your kitchen sink. Empty everything out of your sink, shine it up, fill it with hot soapy water, and start washing dishes, one at a time. Do a 27-Fling "Trash" Boogie. Trash is clutter. When the bag is full, take it outside, right away, to the trash bin. Clear out your mail hotspot. Get rid of the old magazines, catalogs, and advertisements. Clear the clutter off your counters one at a time. Clear the clutter off your kitchen table. Take a peek at your pantry. Don't pull everything out and start reorganizing; just take a look, see what you need, and start a grocery list.

If your kitchen is clean but still cluttered: start decluttering. Check out our daily missions in the daily Flight Plan Email!

Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day!

Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like:

Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 2: Mission #3 Wednesday   Dear Friends,   Today is Anti-Procrastination Day and we are still in the kitchen!Your mission for today is to grab a trash bag and clean out your refrigerator. You are to toss ANYTHING that will not get eaten any time soon. This means that new salad dressing you decided to try but really don't like. It is time to let it go.

Just as the rule applies to the rest of the house. If you don't love or use it, lose it! Get rid of the fruit that is a few days beyond when it was really edible, get rid of the veggies that are turning into a science project.

Check the dates on the cheeses that are potential science project.You will be able to really make a better grocery list when your fridge is cleaned out of all the items you don't like and or don't use!

FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,

Today it is time to dust! Go ask a parent for a feather duster or whatever they like you to use to dust with and dust your dresser, nightstands and desks. Dusting is a lot like petting a cat or dog. You just pet the furniture with a feather duster or dust rag. Move from side to side and from front to back.I am so proud of all of you for taking such good care of your rooms!

[FlyLady]

August 13, 2025

Get Your Calendars Ordered We have a Limited Supply

Get Ready and Stay Ready

Thank You for Your Love and Support A New 8 minute Video from Me Hello to all my Flybabies and followers; Thanks you so much for all the support y’all have given me through the years! We are incredibly thankful for all that have purchased any of our great FlyLady Home Tools during our Warehouse Clearance Sale and time of transition. We are excited to announce that we have a surprise for you all! We are going to be launching are new 2026 FlyLady Calendars today. This has been a tough year for us and we did not know if this was going to be possible, but through much time in thought and prayer we decided to go ahead and proceed with a 2026 Calendar. This year will be different because once we sell out of our existing inventory of FlyLady Home Tools our FlyLady Calendars will be the only Product we will sell. That being said, we will not be able to offer any discounts this year. The Calendars are LIVE in our FlyShop Thank you so much! I Love You All! FlyLady

School is Starting Soon for Many People

The FlyLady 2026 Calendars are Here! Order Today!

Sad to Say! But We Are Going Out Of Business! 50% OFF Remaining Inventory! We are Clearing Out Our Warehouse! Justin has found more Gray Mop Cloths The FlyShop is Closing FlyLady’s Sales are ending soon; Mop Heads and Rubba Tools! Dear Friends, We don't like change but sometimes we have no choice! As a result of the last 5 years of the downturn in the economy starting with the shutdown; we have made the tough decision to stop selling product on our website. This has been a hard decision. Please Check out our live on Youtube. We will be getting a brand new website too. We thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! I am excited about a new birth! We have a Clearance Sale on all of our tools! I love You All! FlyLady P. S. All sales are final and no returns. Thank you for your love and support over the years.

Why Are We Saving It? Dear Friends, Why do we save our good stuff for a special occasions? We deserve to use the gifts we have been given. Don't save your pretty things for special occasions. Pull them out and use them! 1. Good China 2. Nice glasses 3. Linen table cloths. 4. Pretty underwear or night gowns 5. Good purses 6. New towels 7. Special bottles of bubble bath and soap 8. Cloth napkins 9. Candles 10.Good silverware 11.Fancy tea pots or silver tea services 12.Stationery/ cute notepads We all have some of these things stashed in our cabinets, linen closets and our dresser drawers. They are just sitting there unloved and collecting dust. We got them for wedding presents or our parents handed them down to us. You may have purchased them for yourself. They are all waiting to we unpacked and used to bless us or our families. Let me tell you why I think they are unloved and why we don't use them. We have put them in a place that we can't easily get to them. They are in a box in the garage, On a shelf in the basement, stuck so far back under your cabinets, that it would take two hours to pull them out or they are on the very top shelf and you need a ladder to get to them. Then if you do get them out, they are filthy dirty and need to be washed. We don't have time to enjoy our pretty things. So we hide them away. So we don't have to see them and feel guilt about not using them. Or we really don't love them. If we will get rid of the clutter that is in our kitchen, our linen closets and our china cabinets, we will have more room for the things that you love. When we take the time to get them clean, they will be ready to use. There is another benefit. When we set a formal table, we can teach our children proper table manners. Many times we eat with our fingers, when we have sandwiches and pizza. Our children have no clue which fork to use first or how to use a butter knife or cut meat. If we are going to help our children feel comfortable in these types of situations, they need practice. This is a good time to let them practice, setting the table and using their best table manners. This has become a lost art. They will need this one day, when a boss asks them over for dinner or at their own wedding. As for the other items you have stashed in dresser drawers, don't wait till your family buries you in them; then is too late for you to feel sexy wearing them. Get them out and wear those pretty undies. You will be so surprised at how good you will feel, and no one will know. This goes for those night gowns you have stashed too. You know the ones you have gotten for Valentines day. If you are not going to use them, then you might as well give them to someone that will. If you never liked them, then release them and have no guilt about it. Give them away, someone will love them and you will be blessed by your gift. Make every day a celebration, by treating your family like they are company! You deserve to FLY, FlyLady P.S. When you don't use the gifts your family gives you for Mother's Day, Christmas and Birthday then, they don't think you liked it. Use it up and they will give you more. If you really don't like the bubble bath, body wash, or shampoo; then use it to clean your toilet with your swish and swipe. Soap is soap! Ask FlyLady Swishing, Swiping, and Scrubbing Dear FlyLady, My shower stall is a mess! It's covered in mildew and icky orange stuff. How is the best way to clean it up? Thanks a million. Debbie Dear Debbie, If you want to stop mildew and mold from growing in your shower, you need to get the air circulating. I was taught by a nurse that mold will not grow in moving air. To get the air moving, get a small fan and set it outside your bathroom to blow air into the room. Also, open the shower door or pull back the shower curtain. This will help the shower to dry. After the walls dry, you will need to close the shower curtain for it to dry. I like to bless my sweet DH by cleaning his shower for him once a month. Since we got the Rubba Swishas in the FlyShop, I like to use one on corners around the floor. I don't use the same one that I use on his toilet. That would just gross me out! Robert is really good about keeping his shower door open to allow it to dry. You can clean your shower just a little each time you are in it. While the conditioner is on your hair, you can scrub a little area in your shower. After about a week of doing just a little every day, your shower will be clean and shiny. Kathy uses our FlyLady Mop head on her showers and bathtubs. Our FlyLady Mop has an adjustable handle. She sets the handle in its shortest position and uses it wet to scrub the walls or dry to soak up the moisture. I also keep a Rubba Scrubba in my tub. I rarely take a shower since I love my bath time. My Rubba Scrubba helps me keep my tub jets clean. It hangs on a hook to the right of my tub. You can also use your purple rag to get rid of the soap film that is left behind. It works well. My sister-in-law could not believe what a great job it did on her shower doors. To help eliminate mold and mildew I like to use a very mild solution of bleach water in a spray bottle. The recipe is 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. This will help to keep the mold and mildew from growing. With my Rubba Swisha, Purple Rags, and our FlyLady Mop Head, we keep our showers clean! My bathroom is always company ready and I love how my clean bathroom blesses me.

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

August's Habit: A Load of Laundry Daily

#13 A Control Journal for Laundry Dear FlyLady, I always had a problem with laundry but one day I had a Ah ha moment. I bought some of the fold up kind of baskets they don't take up as much floor space. I have one for whites and one for colored clothes. Ok, that solved the sorting problem. That was not enough. I thought and thought and then another Ah ha moment. I started washing different laundry on different days. Here comes another item to my control journal my laundry days. Monday - sheets and towels put back on bed and in bathroom Tuesday - my DH clothes folded and put away. Wednesday - clothes that need to be bleached folded and put away. Thursday - my clothes some need to be hung to dry the others put away. This made it so much easier not as many clothes to deal with at one time and I never leave the laundry room without them being folded or hung on hangers. This way they can be put away as soon as I get in the bedroom. The funniest thing about it is my DH even knows what day everything is done on. He has even shared this with all of his friends because their wives seem to have the same problems with this chore. You never know what men talk about when they are together. HA HA This worked really well for me. Now I don't need to worry if my DH wants us to go off for the weekend. We can even leave on Friday nights if we want to. This makes my life so much easier. I just want to thank FlyLady and everyone else for all of the ideas that can make our lives more productive. Flying in Va. Jenny

FlyLady here: Our habit for August is working on Laundry. A load a day keeps CHAOS away! Do you have a story or tips that will help other FlyBabies with this habit?

August's Habit: Do a Load of Laundry Daily Our habit for August is working on Laundry. If we can control our laundry by doing one load of laundry per day, laying our clothes out each night and getting dressed each morning becomes a simple habit to practice. Our habit this month is all about making our lives easier. So, join us in our new habit of doing one load of laundry each day. Check out the great info below. Sometimes the most daunting part of doing your laundry is getting it started, but if you make automatically sorting your clothes part of your routine, it's much easier to just throw in a load! Make laundry easier on yourself and check out some of our tools in The FlyShop! A load a day keeps CHAOS away! – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"Using a calendar is going to save your memory! Allow your calendar habit to be your memory!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

We are in Zone 3; Your Main Bathroom and Another Room

This week we are focusing on the main bathroom and one extra room. The extra room may be a second, or third bathroom, a guest bedroom, a child's bedroom, the office, or maybe the laundry room. Just pick one extra room and focus on it this week. The bathroom: Do you live in fear that someone will actually see your bathroom? It is too easy to close our eyes to the mess that is hiding right behind the bathroom door. This week, we are going to open that door to the bathroom, and BabyStep, by BabyStep, we are going to conquer the CHAOS that is the main bathroom! Your bathroom should give you sense of relaxation and joy when you enter. This is a place for you to pamper and take care of yourself. Treat the room with love and respect and it will bless you with comfort and peace. Remove the obvious clutter, take out the dirty laundry, and empty the garbage can.

If your bathroom is clean but still cluttered: Start decluttering (makeup, old towels, old medicine, hair supplies, shampoos, etc.). Check out our daily missions every day in the Flight Plan Email

Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 3: Mission #3 Wednesday Bathroom Mission: Today you are to wash your bathroom rugs, shower curtains and accessories. This will take longer than 15 minutes and for those of you that are working outside the home you may have to schedule this out over the next few days. In total to take the rugs to the machine and bring them back to the bathroom is less than 15 minutes but the wait time for the washing machine and dryer will take up some time. Guest/Extra Room/Kid Room: Back in we go - can we say 27 Fling again? This time we are going to gather up 27 things to give away. Things that have gotten tossed in this room that we no longer love, need or use. After you have completed this take the bag straight to the car to drop off at a donation location of your choice. FlyKid Missions #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,

Today we are going to go into our rooms and pick up any clothes we have laying around on the floor, our desks, dressers or chairs. If they are clean - put them away, if they are dirty put them in the dirty clothes basket or hamper. If there are too many to take care of all of them in 15 minutes, you can do this tomorrow too as a bonus challenge!

[FlyLady]

August 20, 2025

2 Minute Miracles Dear Friends, What is it about two minutes? When we were told we had to do a two minute speech it seemed so long. When we stand in front of a microwave waiting impatiently for something to heat up it seems like it is taking forever. When I tell someone to do just two minutes, I get that look of "What good is that going to do?" Well let me tell you two minutes can accomplish more than you can ever dream if you will just quit whining about what it won't do and show yourself what it can do! This week we are taking the Two Minute Miracle Challenge! I am calling it a Miracle because you are going to be surprised by the results of just those two minutes. We refuse to believe that two minutes can make a dent in anything we need to accomplish! This is our perfectionism stopping us from even getting started. Perfectionism is the root of procrastination. We tell ourselves that we don't have time. The funny thing is that we don't finish the sentence to say what we have been told our whole lives. The words should say, I don't have time to do it RIGHT! Since the day we were born we had these words drilled into our heads, "If you can't do it right don't do it at all!" We learned this part well! We still hear these words in our head. As children we were forced to do things over and over again. No one was ever really proud of what we did after all we were only kids. Our parent's expectations were not realistic. We were told to go clean our rooms instead of giving us babystep instructions. We were expected to know what "Clean our rooms" meant. Yet there was no example of what that was, because our parents room was not clean either. If as children we had been told we were going to play the Two Minute Game, we would have been so excited! It's a two minute sprint to see what we can do and not a marathon that we would be doomed in the end, to repeat. Two minutes is not the end of the world. It is a focus on one thing; go pick up your dirty clothes. Several years ago I received a testimonial from a FlyBaby who was unable to stand for fifteen minutes. She told herself that she could do two minutes. Those two minutes surprised her. They were the beginning of her journey. Ever hour she would stand for two minutes and shine her sink. As she gained her strength that shiny sink radiated around her kitchen! Two minutes at a time. Eventually she was setting her timer and getting up every fifteen minutes to do only two minutes. See what you can do when you are not overwhelmed! Two Minutes is the beginning of a lovely way to FLY! Two minutes is doable even if you are pressed for time. When you hear yourself say, "I don't have time!" That is when you set your timer for just two minutes! Come FLY with me! Two Minutes are there for you too. You can create a miracle in your life, just set your timer and see what Two Minutes can DO!! FlyLady I can do my floors in 2 minutes. I dare you to try it! Ready, Set, Go! Ask FlyLady I Need Money Saving Tips Hi FlyLady, I am a new FlyBaby and have found a lot of peace implementing your systems. Thank you very much. My question is on menu planning. I have been menu planning for the past 3 month and have seen some great benefits with it. The problem is that since now I am going to the store for 2 weeks at a time, I am spending a big chunk of money all at once. I’m sure I’m saving money on gas and groceries and saving stress and frustration but I was wondering if there are some money saving tips you could give me. I do prefer to shop every 2 weeks but am willing to change that if I need to. I will take any help you have. Thank you again. Fluttering in Georgia Dear Fluttering in Georgia, Just the fact that you are staying out of the grocery store for two weeks means you are saving money! There are lots of impulse buys at a grocery store. Why do you think they are designed with all the bright colors and end cap special deals? They are to entice you to add items to your cart. Here are some tips to help you save money. Always have a grocery list and stick to it. Do not go to the grocery store hungry! Do not shop when you are in a hurry! Take your time putting groceries away! Let me explain why these tips help you save money. (1) Sticking to your grocery list keeps you from making impulse purchases. Making this rule will help you. This is why I love for Robert to go shopping for our family. If it is not on his list, he does not buy it. I love and hate that about him, but I am getting used to it. I have to be very specific about what I want. Once I put carrots on the list and he brought home skinny pencil sized carrots in a tiny bag. I wanted bigger carrots for a pot roast. We still laugh about it. (2) Going to the grocery store hungry means everything looks good and you place those items in your shopping cart. Your grocery budget is blown before you get down two aisles. Don't do it! (3) Going shopping when you are in a hurry means you will be grabbing a lot of precooked foods from the deli section. Unless you have a roasted chicken on your grocery list then stay away from those sections of the store. Go shopping when you are not pressed for time. I know people who like to shop at 9:00 pm. There are fewer people in the store and it can be a quiet time for you too. (4) Buying food in bulk especially meats and not separating them into family portions sets you up for wasting food and space in your freezer. This about this! Buying two Boston butts and freezing them as they came from the market if going to take up a whole shelf in the freezer. If they are boneless you can slice them for pork steaks and put into 2 portion packages. If you have a family of four, then pull out two packs for dinner. If you want leftovers for your lunch then pull out 3 packages for your planned leftovers. Be sure to package them so they will not be freezer burned. Put them on your freezer inventory and make a plan to use them within three months. If you vacuum seal them they can be kept much longer. If you use hamburger a couple of times a week; buying it in bulk can save money too. I brown my hamburger in my slow cooker with a cup of water. Then I let it cool and package into 2 cup packages for spaghetti sauce, my hamburger helper dinner, sloppy joes, tacos, and Mexican casseroles. I also like to make up meat loaves and hamburger patties when we buy in bulk. I always repackage all the meats unless I am using them within two days of purchase. Here are some tools that I use to repackage my meats. Vacuum sealer (Mine is a Foodsaver) Ziplock Bags (I use 1 quart and 1 gallon sizes) A roll of Freezer Paper Masking Tape for freezer Sharpie Marker Having a plan for everything you put in your freezer will save you money. Marking a date on each package will will tell you when you froze the item. Then plan to use these items within the next three months. You can use your calendar to plan to use these items.

Send Me Your Testimonial We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to Fly...@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

August's Habit: A Load of Laundry Daily

#20 I've Earned a Sticker Dear FlyLady, I've been fluttering on and off with a load of laundry a day for about a year - I'm happy to say fluttering more often than not! I've started using my delay function on the washing machine. Before I go to bed at night, I get a load of washing ready to go, and then it's freshly washed by about 6.30am and I can hang it on the line before my almost-2-year-old gets out of bed. My husband is on holidays from work at the moment and this morning our son woke up early, so while I got him out of bed and tended to him, my husband went to "help" with the load of washing. He put it in the dryer and hung the denim items on our undercover airing horse. I asked him why he did that (since, even though the sun hadn't cleared the hill and trees yet, it was going to be a sunny, warm day), and he just said "oh, I don't know! I just did it without thinking!" I went to take the denim outside to hang on the line and, on my way past the laundry, I stopped the dryer and emptied it back into the basket to hang outside. This mightn't seem like much, but not very long ago I would've been lazy and left it in there... Using electricity when there is perfectly good sunshine and fresh air outside! I was so chuffed with myself for hanging it out even though part of me was thinking I didn't "need" to! I've earned a sticker on my calendar every day this month for completing the laundry habit (including fold/hang & put away!); the only days missing a sticker were when my husband and I had a romantic, kid-free 3-day weekend in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, which I think is a pretty good reason to not do any laundry! Thank you for helping my family stay on top of our laundry! Alyce Fluttering in Queensland, Australia

FlyLady here: Our habit for August is working on Laundry. A load a day keeps CHAOS away! Do you have a story or tips that will help other FlyBabies with this habit?

August's Habit: Do a Load of Laundry Daily Our habit for August is working on Laundry. If we can control our laundry by doing one load of laundry per day, laying our clothes out each night and getting dressed each morning becomes a simple habit to practice. Our habit this month is all about making our lives easier. So, join us in our new habit of doing one load of laundry each day. Check out the great info below. Sometimes the most daunting part of doing your laundry is getting it started, but if you make automatically sorting your clothes part of your routine, it's much easier to just throw in a load! Make laundry easier on yourself and check out some of our tools in The FlyShop! A load a day keeps CHAOS away! – FlyLady Daily Guide and Missions

"What have you been putting off? Wednesday is the day to take care of these!" ~FlyLady

Reading the Bible Everyday Saving Money Cooking "How to Cook" PlayList!" I can help you get a jumpstart with my book, The CHAOS Cure! ~FlyLady

We are in Zone 4; Your Master Bedroom, Bathroom, and Closet.

This week we are working on Zone 4: The Master Bedroom. It also includes any bathroom you may have off the master bedroom, and whatever lurks in the bedroom closet. This will be an ongoing process. You may or may not get the entire room cleaned this week. That is not the objective. Any thing you do in this room now will be an improvement over the way it was last week. Next month you will focus on it again. Your bedroom should be the cleanest room in your home. Many of you still use yours as a garbage/clutter disposal for the rest of the house. If your bedroom is clean and clutter free, then it becomes an inviting haven for building your relationship with your spouse. The best gift you can give your children is a strong marriage. This is true whether your children are 2 or 40 years old.

Your task is to declutter this area. Spend 15 minutes a day this week doing something, anything, in the master bedroom. It did not get dirty in a week and it will not get clean in a week, but you will be making head-way. It is a trend! Get in the habit of decluttering in small segments of time. Decide what time of day you are going to tackle this little job, set a timer for 15 minutes, and just do it.

Wednesday is always Anti-Procrastination Day! Every Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day for FlyLady. This is a day that we take care of things we've been putting off. You can use this day to take care of any procrastinating you've done. You can do things like: Do the Laundry Clean Out Your Refrigerator Make doctors appointments Finish that report for work Work on a project with your child Clean the fish tank You can do whatever you need to take care. This is the day to stop putting things off. "Procrastination is the death of us, our relationships, and our peace!" ~FlyLady

Zone 4: Mission #3 Wednesday Dear Friends, I am sure you could guess we are going to the Master Bathroom! The mission today is to go through your makeup. Get rid of anything that is too old and not used. Old makeup can give you infections, especially eye liner, mascara, and eye shadow. FlyKid Mission #3 Wednesday  Hi Kids,

Today we are going to do something that might be hard but that is okay. You can do this! You are going to go look in your rooms for 11 toys that are either broken or missing pieces that need to be thrown away. Get a trash bag and toss them!