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Dear Friends,

This week our focus is on our master bedrooms. As a result we are also putting an extra emphasis on relationships.

How many fights have you had because to the chaos in your home. I don't care about whose responsibility it was to clean it or who collected all the clutter. The bottom line is clutter and chaos cause unrest in your home. This is one of the main reasons that I want you to grab this bull by the horns and toss the clutter outside your door. I want this pain and strife to end in your life and for you to find the peace that I have promised. I also want you to quit beating yourself up over not having the perfect marriage or home. There are times when it is not your fault. Now listen to me very closely.

I was raised in a church that believed that it was an unforgivable sin to divorce and regardless of the biblical reasons for divorce, I would never be able to remarry. So I went into my first marriage vowing to never divorce. My determination to stick it out to the end almost resulted in my death. The difficulties in that marriage I blamed all on me, because of my lack of house keeping skills.

It was only after I found my routines that I began to actually see the forest for what it really was. I had been stumbling blindly through this marriage thinking that every problem that arose was a result of my mess. I started to do something and quit whining, then my home came together. The most interesting part in finding routines was after my house was clean and orderly, I still had problems in my marriage.

This is the part I want you to hear. Your self-blame and the conflicts hide the real problem. I have told you many times, that I want you to clean the house for you, not for your husband or your children, but for you and your joy. When you get your home in order, you will be better able to see the problems, because you will no longer have the clutter to cloud your eyes from the truth.

This is exactly what happened to me in my first marriage. He was not a happy person. I thought that I could make him happy "if only" I did this or that. The truth was I couldn't do anything to change his personality. He was just a grim person who liked making others feel bad. It was only after my home was clean and orderly that I could see that I didn't make him that way. It didn't matter whether our home was clean and tidy; he was going to find something wrong and did. Let me tell you that after the house had no problems, he had to start attacking me to find ways to hurt me. The abuse got worse. This is all because the clutter was a camouflage for the real problems. It was much easier to fight over the hot spots or undone laundry than to tackle the problem of no love in a marriage.

This is a very tough issue and we have been sidestepping it for a long time. One of our members sent me a testimonial that thanks us for helping her to find the real problems in her marriage. After the clutter was gone, the main problem could be seen. I want for you what I have peace.

It came with getting rid of my clutter, so that I could see the true me and FLY. Sometimes we have to FLY Solo for a while. Now I am not advocating divorce. I just want you to get your home clean so that you can address the real problems and not stick your head in the sand and blame yourself.

Are you ready to FLY?

FlyLady

Dear FlyLady,

I have been procrastinating because I don't understand how it all works together. What is a Basic Weekly Plan, Morning Routines and Before Bed Routines. I don't know why I procrastinate.

Overwhelmed FlyBaby

Dear Friends,

Our perfectionism is what causes us to Procrastinate.

Stop. Take 15 minutes to write down those little buggers, you know, those tasks that you need to get done, want to get done, but NOT RIGHT NOW done. Yep, those tasks. Get a pen and lined paper and don't forget that timer. Set it for 15 minutes and write down everything that comes to mind that you sure would like to get done. Now I'm not talking paint the outside of the house done...I mean sew on a button, trim the dogs nails, re-pot a plant, those tasks. When the 15 minutes are done, look at all you have to choose from. Choose at least one a day to work on this week. On your mark, get set, GO FLY.

The question has been asked more than once: what is a Basic Weekly Plan? Let me start by explaining how the idea of a Basic Weekly Plan came about. On New Year's Day of 1999, I was determined to "Get Organized". In the process of trying to figure out why Pam and Peggy's Card File System had not ever worked for me for very long; I started sorting all my cards into piles: Daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally.

The daily cards became my morning, afternoon and evening routines. My monthly cards were broken down into the five zones in our home. Seasonal cards were posted on our calendar. Then there was that pile of everything that needed to be done each week.

This is when I decided to assign a topic to each day of the week. And I divided the pile between the weekdays. Let's start with Sunday.

Sunday is Renew Your Spirit Day: Take care of me

Monday is Weekly Home Blessing Day: Bless my home and laundry

Tuesday is My Free Day: Lunch with friends

Wednesday is Anti-Procrastination Day

Thursday is Errand Day: Grocery Day and appointments

Friday is Clean out the Car Day, Date Night and Do Bookkeeping

Saturday is Family Fun day; Spend time with family

Make a list of everything that you need to do each week. Set up your very own Basic Weekly Plan or use ours.

Are you ready to FLY with a Basic Weekly Plan guiding your way?

FlyLady

We love your testimonials; Just Click this Link to send it to

FlyLady@flylady.net with TESTIMONIAL in the subject line.

Dear FlyLady,

After working for 40 years in a fast-paced executive office our company was closed unexpectedly. Forty years in pants suits or skirts matched up with shoes and jewelry was a long time and I was very disciplined and "put together."

The first day at home, knowing that shuffling around this house was going to be my daily agenda for the rest of my life ... was disheartening. I felt like a bum in slippers and sweats ... but after a few days it felt pretty darn good and I deserved a break, right? The manner of dress soon became my routine.

The first winter was extremely long here alone. My husband worked and I didn't get dressed into "real" clothes until mid-afternoon when he was due home.  I finally realized that I needed to dress to shoes and in doing so it changed my whole demeanor.

It certainly added to productivity because I could step out onto the cold garage floor with the kitchen trash and I could walk to the mail box without getting my feet wet, and I could stand on a ladder without the bottoms of my feet aching. I am delighted to hear you keep driving this point home to others. I do believe that dressing to shoes is the key to daily productivity.

Also, I must mention the 15-minute timer. How can something so absolutely simple enable us to do so much? Amazing how the timer encourages us.

I am a church musician (pianist, choir director, worship leader / did I say small church?) and as such I have tons of music in this house. Even in retirement it is difficult to keep it orderly. You see, each week it is coming out of the file boxes - preludes, offertories, congregational singing ... enough copies for six people. They turn it back in to me, then I take it home and sit it on a chair next to my piano and get on with Sunday dinner. And so it goes. There is music upstairs, music downstairs, and on the steps in between.

Your timer enables me to sort for 15 minutes. File for 15 minutes ... and often times I continue on because of the great progress in the first 15 minutes. Thank you for constantly reminding us about the timer. My DH thought it was nuts. (He is now retired.) He'd say, "Just do it. Who needs a timer?" Now he says, "Why don't you set your timer and tackle such-and-such for 15 minutes."

Thanks for helping keep my life on track.

Lynn in Southeast OH

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

flylady@flylady.net with I HAVE MY SHOES ON in the subject line.

March is here, and you know what that means — it's time to practice a new habit.

This month, we are going to work on getting dressed to shoes. This is such an important part of our day.

If we aren't dressed to shoes, we can't face whatever our day might throw at us! Here's some great information from FlyLady to help get us started.

With shoes on those feet of yours, your mind says, "Okay, it's time to go to work." ~FlyLady

Getting dressed to shoes is a very important component of the FlyLady system.

You can read about why FlyLady thinks getting dressed to shoes is so important in her first book, Sink Reflections.

"What is hiding in your walk-in closet? Clear out 5 items of clothing and two pairs of shoes! BabySteps will get you there!" ~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; our 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.

Thursday is our day to Run a few Errands!

Thursday at FlyLady is Errand Day. We use this day to get out and run whatever errands we need to do for the week. Make a list of wherever you need to go and whatever you need to do during the day today and then get to it. Please be safe out there. This can include:

• Grocery shopping
• Doctor appointments
• Dentist appointments
• Dropping the clothes off at the cleaner
• Dropping of clutter donations

And tons of other things. If it needs to be done outside the house, today is the day to do it. Make a list of these things and check them off as you do them.

"We do what we can today and then we do a little more tomorrow" ~FlyLady

Zone 4: Mission #4 Thursday

Dear Friends,

Today let's clean off the bed side tables. Get all the tissues, trash, books, and cups off of these and put them where they belong. I have spilled many glasses of water because I did not take my cup to the kitchen in the morning! You will love the feeling when you go to bed this evening, and wake up without all that clutter in your face!

FlyKid Mission #4 Thursday



Hi Kids,

Today we have a special treat, our very own Kid Challenge from a Kid your age.

Here it is:

I have thought of something called the 15 minute closet clean. For example, you set a timer for 15 minutes or watch the clock and while those 15 minutes are going you clean your closet.

If your closet is a real mess, and I mean big big mess, start with one area at a time. Like if you have a toy box in the middle of your closet and a space of each side then you pick out the big stuff of one side and then the next and put it where it goes in your room. The big stuff makes the mess look bigger than it is. Then go to the next biggest stuff and then to the small stuff but do one section at a time.

If the timer runs out before you finish take a 15 minute break and then go back to what you were doing. When you take your break don't do something you will want to keep doing so you just forget the cleaning and keep doing what you want to do.

We have a Student Control Journal for you, it's FREE.

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.



1. Getting Dressed to Lace Up Shoes, Fixing your Hair and Face
2. Swishing and Swiping Your Bathroom Blesses You Most
3. Is Your Bed Made? Every Room has a Shiny Sink
4. Checking Your Calendar; relieves stress
5. Reboot Your Laundry; A load a day keep Mount Washmore Away
6. Think about what's for dinner this relieves lots of guilt
7. Drink your water, take your supplements, and meds
8. Empty Your Dirty Dish Disposal Unit
9. Check Your Morning Routine to see if you missed anything
10. Have you had any lunch
11. Reboot Your Laundry
12. Declutter for 15 minutes
13. Did you drink your water?
14. Have you exercised today?
15. Start Your Before Bed Routine after dinner
16. Check Your Calendar for Tomorrow
17. Lay Out Your Clothes for Tomorrow
18. Place things needed for Tomorrow on your launch pad.
19. Spend Two Minutes Clearing off a Hot Spot
20. Shine Your Sink
21. Wash face/Brush Teeth
22. Go to Bed at a Decent Hour