Following FlyLady's BabySteps: Day 7

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~Confucius

Following FlyLady’s BabySteps has been much like that thousand mile journey. After taking that first step it was much easier to take the next. Each little step we take gets us a little closer to our final destination…a clean and clutter free house.

When we started just a week ago, we both felt hopeless. Neither of us felt motivated. The prospect of doing anything was so overwhelming that we didn‘t even know where to begin. So we did nothing.

When we decided to try FlyLady’s BabySteps together, neither of us were completely convinced they would work. The good thing is, we were both desperate enough to try it.

So, what have we learned after one week? Well the first and most important thing is that we can do it! We are very proud of our first week FLYing, and we are proud of the other’s success. Both of us have come along way in just a week.

We are beginning to establish some daily routines thanks to FlyLady’s BabySteps

Morning Routine

• Getting up and getting dressed and ready to go. Yes, shoes are required.
• Reviewing sticky note reminders
• Checking out the latest and greatest on FlyLady’s BigTent group
• Stopping negative voices and changing them to positive ones
• Spending 2 minutes putting out a Hot Spot

Before Bed Routine

• Shining the kitchen sink
• Choosing clothes to wear the next day
• Spending another 2 minutes putting out a Hot Spot

Each step is small enough to be manageable, I haven’t felt overwhelmed once. FlyLady is very insistent that FlyBabies should not feel overwhelmed. Her encouraging words and simple steps help set you on a path to getting rid of the chaos in your home. My friend said it perfectly, “I think the small successes really help as you are building some good habits. Seeing things make a difference makes you feel better. It's not completely overwhelming, it's put into bite sized bits that even I can work with.”

Another one of our amazing discoveries this week was that our efforts were contagious. Both of us were shocked when our families started noticing the little things that we were doing. We were intrigued as they started making little efforts like putting dishes in the dishwasher and keeping the sink clean.

My friend also noticed that when she was having a horrible day, having a clean sink calmed her by giving her a sense of control in at least one aspect of her life. How true. There are so many things in life that are out of our control, but to know that you have control of something instills a small sense of peace.

I have to admit, I’ve been more motivated in the last week. So has my friend. We’ve both gone above and beyond the simple FlyLady BabySteps that are required each day. Is my house still a mess? Well, yes, of course it is! I have 5 loads of laundry to fold and a shoe filled with cat puke to prove it. BUT I’ve noticed improvement. Maybe seeing the improvement makes me feel ready to take on a little more that what is required of me. I know it makes me ready to move on to the BabyStep next step.

The real question is… have we figured out the secret of our first week’s success? We both think it has something to do with the clean and shiny sink, but neither of us have any clue as to why. FlyLady’s says, “This is how I get to hug you each day!” I think that statement is a load of crap. She does, however, go on to say, “That shiny sink is a reflection of the love that you have for yourself.” Maybe that’s it. Maybe we don’t need to know why the sink makes the difference. Possibly we will discover the reason the shiny sink is so instrumental as we venture further into FlyLady BabySteps adventure…only time will tell.

Day Seven - Pick Out Your Clothes

I knew when I read our BabyStep for the seventh day that it would be a struggle for me. I’m the kind of person who gets dressed based on my mood, and I would have no idea what I was going to feel like the night before. I did my duty though and picked out my clothes.

When I got dressed, I even put on the pre-selected outfit. I was dressed and ready, shoes and all, by seven. I got my daughter off to school, and then promptly went upstairs and changed my outfit. I was right! Yes, I could have just kept on what I had selected, but it didn’t suit my mood. I was being stubborn in changing, but darn it. It just didn’t feel right.

I did the rest of my morning BabySteps, and then checked in with my friend. She was having a great FlyLady day, and her first Hot Spot was almost extinguished. Yay!

I confessed to her that I had changed clothes after I had been up for less than an hour. She came up with a solution. Since the purpose of picking out our clothes at night is to make the morning less stressful, she suggested finding an alternative that I could do the night before that would make the morning easier. So, instead of picking out my clothes, I will pick out my son’s clothes. I think FlyLady would understand…and if not…PFFT! To bad.

Day Seven and our first week…complete!

I’m still proceeding with caution each day. There is a part of me that is worried that I could still become overwhelmed and regress if I look at the bigger picture. So, I have no idea what is in store for tomorrow. I’m scared to look. I do know one thing though. I feel confident that my friend and I can do this as long as we continue just one little BabyStep at a time.