FLY Lady Update

A while ago I mentioned that Iwas going to try the FLY Lady organizational strategy. To recap - the premise is that to Finally Love Yourself you need tobe happy in your surroundings. One way to feel comfortable is to get your envroment under control. To control our enviroment it needs to be organized, clean and stress free. There are several steps laid out in the program. I have bought into some of this but not all of it. Here's where I am now:

• Keep your kitchen sink clean - I have tried to follow this one - not that I do a lot of cooking or that my kitchen is a hive of family activity but the kitchen sink was becoming a bit of a toxic waste dump. Now, most days , my sink is clean and my kitchen is ready for company. It does reduce my stress to have at least one area of the house that's company ready. Of course there is this great big honking sewing machine on the table, until my classes are finished, which greatly reduces the amount of surface area that needs cleaning.
• Get dressed down to your shoes every morning - I do get dressed to my shoes every morning.... just not ready to go out in public with the sun above the horizon. My initial getting dressed has to do with dog feeding and walking. I have moved my dressing for the public to later in the morning. I don't think my solution completly embraces the FLY Lady spirit but it works for me.
• De-cutter 15 minutes a day - I like this one as I seem to have papers that are breeding while I sleep. I try to toss, file or give away for 15 minutes at a time every day. My piles of stuff are a little smaller than a month ago. I have used ths method for culling the bookcases in the dining room and de-junking the junk drawer. I really need to get to my closets in this manner because I know I don't need or want the number of garments I seem to be keeping.
• Swish and Swipe - this is the rule that says you should do a quick bathroom clean-up every morning. I can't seem to get my head around this one though I can see the value of having a clean bathroom every day. I think I will work on this one.
• Do a load of laundry every day and put it away - I don't generate enough laundry to do a load a day and with all the felting I've been doing I find myself searching for the right things to put into a hot wash with the knitting. The doggy blankets and beds seem to be getting a lot of attention lately! I am failing at this one because even when I do a load for felting, I don't get everything put away for a few days as I want to work with what I've just created.
• Prepare for the next day by having a bedtime routine - My bedtime routine is to lock up the dogs, set the alarm and snuggle down with my most recent book. Works for me but does not meet all the criteria... like I should be laying out the next day's clothing, cleaning up my most annoying clutter gatherers etc. etc. etc. I don't think I will ever be organized enough to acually lay out clothes for the next day on any regular basis

All in all my month with the FLY Lady has been good but I don't see myself becoming a true FLY Lady. I would much rather be sewing or knitting or walking the dogs or meeting with others who like the things I do or reading or embroidering or any of a hundred other things, to spend more time than I do now on house work... after all there is always a cleaning service if things get too out of hand!