ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Following FlyLady's BabySteps: Day 11 and Day 12

Updated on January 19, 2013

My friend and I were both pretty excited for Day 11. The task was to add a page of inspirational quotes to our 3 ring binder. We are both quote addicts…we’re those people that spend hours scouring Status Shuffle looking for that perfect Facebook status that we can adapt and make our own. So this assignment was right up our alley.

I must admit, the first quote that pops into my head when thinking of cleaning is the Phyllis Diller adage, “Cleaning your house while your kids are still young is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.”

I’ve also always liked something that Erma Bombeck said, “My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire or block the refrigerator door let it be. No one cares. Why should you?”

I’m pretty sure that was not what FlyLady had in mind for inspiration. So I give you our picks for inspiring quotes:

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

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism: the way you play is free will.” ~Jawaharal Nehru

“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.” ~Gordon B. Hinckley

“He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality.” ~William J. Johnston

“There isn't a person anywhere who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can.” ~ Henry Ford

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” ~Reinhold Niebuhr

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." ~Nelson Mandela

“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” ~Christopher Reeve

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” ~Mark Twain

“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there!” ~Will Rogers

"It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important.” ~Soren Kierkegaard

“Leap, and the net will appear.” ~Julia Margaret Cameron

“Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense." ~Arthur Helps

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.” ~Aristotle

Feeling inspired? Motivated? Ready to take on the world? Let’s see how FlyLady’s BabySteps continue to motivate my friend and I….

DAY ELEVEN - ADD AN INSPIRATIONAL PAGE TO YOUR CONTROL JOURNAL

We are both getting used to our simple morning rituals that FlyLady has helped us established. Even though I despise rolling out of bed and getting ready first thing, I do it. It does make me feel ready to take on the day, and I think my friend feels the same.

My friends flowers on her table. You would never guess it was a former Hot Spot.
My friends flowers on her table. You would never guess it was a former Hot Spot.

Today was her birthday, and her teenage sons sent her flowers. Thanks to FlyLady, she had a former Hot Spot to display them on.

We both did all of our morning rituals, before bed routines and our inspirational quotes. She spent her 15 minutes throwing away toys that weren’t good enough to donate, and I spent mine going through a stack of paper that hadn’t been touched since possibly in 2 years.

I do think both of us are starting to get so much into these little habits that we aren’t even sure what day we are on. I did yesterday, and she did today. It is a good thing we have each other to straighten the other out. Its become our own little night time routine to look at the next day’s task and encourage each other. That seems to help keep us on track.

DAY TWELVE - DELETE ALL THE EMAILS FROM FLYLADY

When we looked at the assignment for Day 12 my friend and I both laughed. It was something we both knew we could accomplish. It was almost as if FlyLady was giving us a day off. We, of course, still had to do all of our routines we had already established, but it was great knowing that all we had to do was a couple of little clicks to finish off our FlyLady day. Since we had both opted for only getting one e-mail a day from FlyLady, it made it even easier to accomplish.

We did both opt for flip flops today. I know, we are totally rebels. We both need black leather jackets with “FlyBabies in FlipFlops” embroidered on the back of them. I don’t think it really has made a difference in our productivity. We both wore them all day, and are really paying attention to see if it really matters. So far, we don’t think so.

BAH!  I hate this drawer.  It's a clutter collector
BAH! I hate this drawer. It's a clutter collector

She spent her 15 minutes of de-cluttering on a cupboard in her bathroom. I spent mine organizing a junk drawer. The day before, I was searching frantically for a pencil to write down my quotes, and I couldn’t even find one. It was then I decided that the drawer really needed my attention. The drawer was littered with pen, markers, crayons, rubber bands, scissors…oh, all kinds of junk. I knew it had nail files in it, but I never could find them, but that search for a pencil put me over the edge. I had just supplied it with new pencils less than 2 weeks before.

After 10 minutes my counter was a mess, and the drawer wasn't even empty.  I can't believe how much could fit into one tiny drawer.
After 10 minutes my counter was a mess, and the drawer wasn't even empty. I can't believe how much could fit into one tiny drawer.

I didn’t think I could get the drawer done in 15 minutes, so I decided to spend the first 10 minutes taking everything out and putting it into piles and the last 5 minutes putting it back together. One thing FlyLady has taught me by reading BigTent is that I don’t have to be perfect. Letting go of the need for perfection really helps in keeping things from feeling overwhelming. Before I would have felt that I had to do it perfectly and go through the whole thing. By sticking to only 15 minutes, I knew there would be a difference. I was happy knowing that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed, tired and frustrated.

Its not perfect, but it's great.  It amazes me what can be accomplished in only 15 minutes.
Its not perfect, but it's great. It amazes me what can be accomplished in only 15 minutes.

I was right. 15 minutes did make a difference. It wasn’t perfect. In fact I didn’t even get everything out of that drawer in 15 minutes. BUT…I found so many things I had been searching for in that drawer. I laughed at myself when I found some sticky notes. It was just days before I had to run out to the store when FlyLady gave us our sticky note assignment.

Day 11 and Day 12 complete!

My friend and I are really rockin’ the BabySteps. We love the sense of accomplishment and pride it gives us in knowing we are making changes. We love seeing the improvements around the house. Heck, we love FlyLady!

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)