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Ask FlyLady!
Ask FlyLady is one of our favorite parts of FlyLady.net. We get so many questions sent to us everyday, that we have decided to share some of these questions and FlyLady's answers with you. You may be surprised by what she has to say! Enjoy.
If you are looking for something specific on the site, please use the Google Search below.
If you would like to Ask FlyLady a question, send an email to AskFlyLady@FlyLady.net with Ask FlyLady in ths subject line. Please keep in mind that only questions chosen to be posted here will be answered due to the large volume of questons submitted.
Friday, May 16, 2006
Missions...
Dear FlyLady,
Do the missions repeat? Should I print them?
Dear Friend,
NO! You should not print them out. At least not the ones that come out from Kelly in an email every weekday. Every three months or so the mission will repeat. We work our way around a room and do the detailed cleaning. With our missions we will never have to spring clean again. I wrote a whole chapter in my book Sink Reflections about this.
We do have the downloadable Detailed Cleaning list for you to print out and put in your Control Journal. This way you will have them on hand when you are getting ready for a big event and want to spruce things up.
I can never find on the website them when I want them either. This is why I love our Google Search Box. I just put in the term Detailed Cleaning List and in .27 seconds the search revealed its results.
http://www.flylady.net/images/Detailed_Cleaning_Lists.pdf
Print them out and put them in your Control Journal
- FlyLady
Thursday, May 15, 2006
Control Journal...
Dear FlyLady,
I have been doing your system for awhile now. But, I’m completely confused about the control journal. I have a planner and I have been using it as a planner/control journal instead of using two different ones. What can I do to make me unconfused? Keep using the system that I have been using or get a little bigger planner.
Thanks,
the Confused FlyBaby
Dear Friend,
A Control Journal is just a bind for keeping your routine in one place. It is an operations manual for your home. We have the directions for building one on our website. You can follow the step by step directions and put yours together all by yourself or you can buy one that I have made for you. Some of our members allow their perfectionism to take over this process and get bogged down making it just right.
http://flylady.net/pages/cjmain.asp
Here are the tool that make your life easier.
1. You need a family calendar. This is in a prominent place in your home.
2. You need a Control Journal. This is also in a place in your home where anyone and see you use it. This way they can look for themselves and tell exactly what you do each day, each week and each month. In this Operations Manual for your home, anyone can see what it is that you do with your time and anyone could jump in and help you. Isn't that what we want deep down inside; Just to be noticed, appreciated and have an offer to help.
3. You need an Office in a Bag. You can buy the one I had designed for you or you can build your own. It is a zippered notebook cover that holds everything you need to pay your bills, plan menus, and write letters. It is a portable office. I can take it with me anyplace I may have a few moments to wait. I can use this time to write thank you notes or pay bills.
4. Along with all of these, you will need your routines. Especially a Basic Weekly Plan. It is hard to follow two masters. That is two calendars. Stick with one! If you use a day planner and it is working for you then by all means stick with it and build your Control Journal. They are two separate documents and the Office in a Bag is a third tool.
http://flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_OIB.asp
Don't make this harder on yourself than it has to be. Take it one babystep at a time. Each new habit is going to bring another layer of peace to your life.
- FlyLady
Wednesday, May 14, 2006
Wardrobes...
Dear FlyLady,
A while back you introduced us to someone who could help us with our wardrobes; there was a link to her website. I think she is Leanne's sister (?), but I'm not sure. I can't seem to find it on your website, and I'd like to check into it further. Sorry to bother you with this; next time I'll make sure to take notes.
Thank you, dear FlyLady!
A poorly dressed FlyBaby Cynthia
Dear Friend,
That is OK. I have added a link to Leslie's website at the bottom of every email we send out along with all the gracious people who help me help you; Pam Young, Dr. Neal, Leanne Ely, Leslie and Joan Carris. You won't have to search any longer.
Here is an email that Missus Smarty Pants gave us about our wardrobes when we were decluttering our closets a few weeks ago.
Dear Friends,
This week we are decluttering our closets. When Leslie, Leanne, Michele and I had dinner a couple of weeks ago, I asked Leslie to write this for you! We all can use her help.
Leslie's website is http://missussmartypants.com/ Go check it out. She has a whole section on closet purges!
- FlyLady
Tuesday, May 13, 2006
Pet hair...
Dear FlyLady,
I have a question about pet hair. I have one dog who sheds constantly and 3 cats who shed too. I have dark furniture and light colored pets– I keep it covered (the backs) with towels, etc…. I have gotten to the point where it is ok to have people drop in except for the furniture! The only time it looks good is right after I vacuum it. I am at work all day and can’t keep the pets off of it! When I get home, the furniture has fur on it! I am so frustrated, I want to get furniture to match my pets, LOL! I can’t afford new furniture right now! Any suggestions to keep my furniture “company ready”? Thanks!!
M from Michigan
Dear Friend,
We all love our critters and having home that are company ready is a little more difficult with cat and dogs around. But our routines make it much easier and have tools around to do the job is good too.
You don't need matching pets; you need routines. When you clean your floors each day, vacuum or use a push sweeper; you can get rid of the hair dust bunnies rolling around your floor. Use your feather duster and your lint roller or brush. When you do it daily; everyone is happy! Your critters are part of your family and your guest and family members do not have to wear a new coat of fur each time they get up off of your sofa.
- FlyLady
Monday, May 12, 2006
Clean Cloth Blinds...
Dear FlyLady,
How can I clean cloth blinds that are accordian style?
Kristina
Dear Friend,
One of the easiest ways to clean any kind of blind is with an ostrich feather duster. The feathers have lost of little barbs that collect the dust. Then you just take your duster outside and bless the world.
Dusting is something that we hate to do. When we have a routine for this we will never have to see dirt again.
Here is an essay I wrote about this.
Dear Friends,
For years, we have only cleaned when the dust bunnies or mold was so thick that you would have to wade through the mess. As a result of cleaning only when it almost killed us to look at it another day, we were able to see great results. One day it would be nasty and the next it would be clean and shiny. We would have the dirty rags to prove that we had done some useful work.
This was the perfectionist in us, rearing its ugly head once again. You see, we needed to be stroked by seeing the evidence of our hard work. We had to clean it till you could see your reflection in the surface. This in itself is O.K., but waiting till you can have this reaction is not.
When you first joined I told you to go shine your sink. To clean it well and polish it, till you could see yourself in it. Regardless of the pile of dishes you had in the sink, you set them out on the counter and did exactly what I ask. Since that time of thoroughly scrubbing and shining your sink, have you had to do that again? No! Because it has not gotten that dirty. Each day you wipe it out or spray a bit of Windex in it and then it is done. It take you only seconds, yet you still get to see your reflection in the sink.
As you work through your home with these cleaning zones, you will begin to notice that your home is never that overwhelmingly "I have got to get this mess clean up today, I can't stand it anymore" Dirty. Hey let's face it, It looks so good that you don't have to clean. LOL Do not fall into this trap. With Pam and Peggy's zone system, we will never see dirt again. This is such a blessing. No more dirt to make you feel guilty, No more dirt that will keep you from opening your home to friends. You can do this. It will not happen overnight, but in around 3 months of consistently doing your routines, basic weekly plan and your zones, you will have a home that is ready for company at all time. But you can't stop and fall back into your old CHAOS(can't have anyone over syndrome)of no routines.
Do your zone cleaning whether or not you see dirt. One member has taken this on as her Motto.
You will never see dirt again!
Are you ready to FLY!
- FlyLady
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