Welcome to Week 4!

Goooood morning on this Marvellous Monday!

Here we are at week 4 of our first round of decluttering, cleaning, getting into habits and routines and, best of all, taking slow, calm babysteps to a hyggelig, fun Christmas.  

This is the last week of learning our habits and routines so let's get a good focus on those so that we do them naturally,  almost autopilot.  This will help us in the coming weeks as we move into.... CHRISTMAS MISSIONS! 🎄

We deserve to enjoy Christmas too, and the best way to do that is to do little bits each week and progress towards it without exhausting ourselves. To this end we're going to start a little game with ourselves each weekday.

But anyway...

So....what's the plan this week I hear you say!

This week we're moving into a new zone, the kitchen, it's a big one so there'll be lots to have a go at decluttering and cleaning whilst we practice our routines and habits.

It's the same plan, different zone....

* MR 

* DAILY FOCUS 

*ZONE DECLUTTER & CLEAN

* PAMPER TIME 

* ER 

In our zone today, we need to pick a drawer or cupboard to declutter and clean, I think I might go for the cutlery drawer and the utensil drawer, they're quite easy wins to declutter...and decrumb!

After that, clean something, it should be easier once you've done your MR as you'll have already wiped worktops & table and loaded the dishwasher or washed up.  Maybe you've got chair covers or cushions you could wash, or curtains that need a refresh before winter.  When was the last time you washed your oven gloves and apron, hand towel and tea towels?

Today in FlyLadyLand the DAILY FOCUS is POWER HOUR OR WEEKLY HOME BLESSING DAY, the day to work in your HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS doing the dusting and featherdusting, glass and floors.  Does your HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS include your kitchen?  Mine does as everyone comes in our back door!  

Once you're done with those don't forget your PAMPER,  a walk in nature, listen to your favourite playlist, craft time.  My PAMPER TIME at the moment is spent knitting myself a pair of socks!

Maybe you want to spend yours listening and decluttering along with Diane....

At the end of today, tidy your lounge before you leave, take your cup or glass with you to the kitchen and ensure its tidy and closed down for the night.  Can you put your dishwasher or washing machine on a timer ready for the morning?

What are you having for dinner today?  We've just decided we'll have lentil bolognese....yum!

Don't forget to score your mood and your home and keep comparing the scores to where you started from, this is a great way to see the small I,prove menus that we don't give ourselves credit for, it's a way to encourage ourselves.

Right, I must be off and get doing!!

Nora 

xxx 

Last day in the lounge!

 Woohoo! 🥳

And Good Morning Fabulous Friday! 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

Here we are again, happy as can be..... it's the last day in this zone and the end of our 3rd week.  Can you believe it?!

We are 3/5 of the way through the zones in our homes....GO US! 💪🏻👏🏻

In FlyLadyLand it's a busy one today but hopefully you're almost finished in the lounge and it'll give you more time for other stuff.

More time to close down this week, clear the decks and prepare yourself for next week.

Our plan is...

* MR

* ZONE 

* DAILY FOCUS 

* PAMPER TIME 

* ER 

Hopefully after 3 weeks you're getting in to this pattern for your plan every day.  

Remember, we're not looking for perfection,  we not looking to get it ALL done, we're looking for improvement and building routines and habits that serve us, not the other way round.

You are not a slave to this, it is a framework,  a guide, for you to take and make your own.

So, once you've completed your MORNING ROUTINE you should have...

* had breakfast, washed up or loaded (or unloaded) the dishwasher, wiped down worktops and dining table and left it tidy.

* got D2S (Dressed to Shoes meaning washed, hair brushed, teeth cleaned and dressed with sensible footwear ready for getting going!)

* You've done a quick S&S (Swish & Swipe meaning you've given the loo and basin a quick wipe round so they are clean and fresh for the day, who knows if a visitor might need to use it!) and left it tidy.

* aired and made your bed, put away clothes and removed rubbish and anything else that doesn't belong there leaving it tidy.

So, you are ready and the house is tidy.  Time to move to the next task.

So, this week we've been in the Lounge, den, family room, music room, library... whatever you call the place where you spend most of your family time.

We've been decluttering and cleaning.

Take a look now and see what it looks like and how you feel about it compared to Monday. 

If there's anything you can see you didn't get to, why not do that today?

Our other 'task' is our DAILY Focus, and actually we have 3 small ones...

* Car

* Bags and budget

* Date Night or family fun night

With the car it's a quick empty of rubbish and a wipe over of the dashboard and shake of the mats.  I'll always encourage you to get petrol whilst you're out o  ERRAND DAY.   You can also check oil, water and anti-freeze too.

Bags is to empty and refresh all the bags coming in to your home today and reset them ready for the weekend or school or work week. Don't forget your cleaning caddy too!

Part of bags is to gather all your receipts after ERRAND DAY and put them in a safe place.  You can use them to check against your credit card and bank statement or maybe if you need to return so thing in the future you'll know where to look for your receipt, sometimes receipts are the guarantee too!

Then we're on to your evening.

Do t forget to leave your family room as you want to find it tomorrow and close down your kitchen until breakfast.

All that's left for now is to choose tonight's entertainment!

What will it be?!

Games night, cinema at home with popcorn, a special meal cooked and eaten together...all of it?!

What will you do?

Whatever it is, have fun!

Nora

xxx

Thursday, Lounge Day

Good morning!  

And that title doesn't mean it's a day to lounge around, but another opportunity to get in the lounge for 15 minutes of decluttering and 15 minutes of cleaning.....

...but not yet!  I'm jumping ahead!

Let's start our day with scoring how we feel in ourselves and how we feel about our home, or maybe just the lounge, how do you feel you are progressing?  Do you feel better about things?  About you?

We're going to start our day like the others.... with our routine mapped out for us.

We're taking out the thinking and we're using the MR and the ER to be the bookends of our day. Every day.

With those 2 routines in place we start and end with the basics covered.  We are fed, watered, ready for the day and left each room we've been in neat and tidy to return to....aahhhh!

We can sigh a sigh of relief that those things are calm and in control.

To those we have added some PAMPER TIME,  where we give ourselves some time...for a bubbly bath, a chapter of our book, a walk in nature.  You choose what you would like to do to chill a while.

Then we have 2 other things, one is a DAILY FOCUS for each day of the week and the other is a weekly ZONE habit for each week of the month.

The zones will be unique to each of us and we need to ensure that all areas of the house are covered under each heading.  In my house they look like this....

ZONE 1 - WELCOME        (porch, hall, stairs, landing and study)

ZONE 2 - EAT                     (kitchen, dining room)

ZONE 3 - SPLASH             (downstairs shower room,  family bathroom, utility)

ZONE 4 - SLEEP                (bedrooms)

ZONE 5 - RELAX               (lounge, family room, library)

Zone 1 starts on the 1st of every month through until the following Sunday, this could be 1 day or 5, but it is usually only a part of a week.  On the following 3 Mondays we focus on zones 2, 3 and 4, these are full weeks, Monday to Sunday.  Zone 5 starts on the last Monday and again, like zone 1 is only part of a week and ends on the last day of the month.

Each month is the same plan over again and it means that in a month, we get to work in every part of our homes.  It also means if we don't finish something, it doesn't matter, we'll be back next month. Also, we don't over focus on one area to the detriment of everywhere else.  We get a chance to upkeep what we did last month and continue with decluttering and cleaning this month.

Can you see now what it is we're trying to do?

We are NOT emptying everything out, going through all the stuff, expecting to be finished by the end of the day and finding ourselves sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor in floods of tears because we are overwhelmed!

STOP!  🛑 

NO,No, no....

We're trying to do it one step at a time, one zone at a time, one day at a time, week by week, month by month. In bite sized, manageable chunks whilst still maintaining our sanity and the everyday basics with a sprinkling of fun and some TLC for ourselves.....aaahhhhh...... that's better.

Have dome decluttering time with Diane...

Don't forget your PAMPER and to bookend your day with your EVENING ROUTINE so that you're ahead of the game on Friday.

Have a great day and illcsee you tomorrow!

Cheerio 😘👋🏻

Nora

xxx

Wednesday and the Lounge

Welcome, it's another Wonderful Wednesday!  🥳👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

It's good to see you back, I'd really love to know how you're getting on.

I can see from the 'stats' that there are a core number of people coming daily, it's so good to have you!  I understand if you just want to read and do your own thing, but if you do feel able to comment that would be lovely.

Part of the reason for doing this is to build an encouraging community where we can boost each other and also swap techniques and tricks for getting the most out of it.  Meal or activity ideas...or suggestions for pamper time.

Whether you comment or not, it's lovely to have you here 🥰

Today we're repeating the routine of...

* MR 

* ZONE 

* DAILY FOCUS 

* PAMPER TIME 

* ER 

Todays DAILY FOCUS is ODD JOB DAY,  the day that we take our to-do list and instead of thinking and thinking and doom-scrolling and doing anything, ANYthing except something on the list were going to stop!

⛔️  no entry to procrastination!

Either start with the first job or, as we're in the lounge,  look down the list and see if here are any little jobs there. 

For example, do you need to charge or change the batteries in your remote control?  How about refreshing the cushion covers and popping them in the washer? Do you need to put new candles into holders? Are there pictures to hang?  Bulbs to change?  Top up your woodpile?

You get the idea!

As you're opening drawers and looking along shelves, why not do a 15 minute declutter?

Purge the magazines, books or DVDs. See if there are any games you no longer want and can donate too.

Anything leaving the house makes cleaning or simply finding things so much easier.

Use Diane as your timer and work along with her as she declutters some items from her lounge...

Don't forget you PAMPER TIME!

What will you do for yourself today?

I think mine will be a sunny autumn river walk.

Wrap up the end of your day with your ER and get a headstart on tomorrow!

Why not choose an outfit for yourself for tomorrow and give yourself one less thing to think about in the morning!

Woohoo....GO US!

See you tomorrow, 

Nora

xxx

Good morning....

 ... on this Terrific Tuesday!  👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

How are you?  And how are you doing?

Don't forget the 'scores on the doors'.... for you and your home.

(You have to be a certain age to remember that catchphrase Isla!!)

Today we're repeating the same playsheet 

* MR 

* DAILY FOCUS 

* ZONE WORK

* PAMPER 

* ER 

Hopefully you're getting the rhythm of this daily set-up.

I won't go over the MR again except to say....do it!  Get that out of the way 1st.

Today in FlyLadyLand is DESK DAY or PLAN & PLAY DAY.   It's the day to plan menus for the week, write your shopping list based on your menus and what remains in your fridge that needs using up and schedule appointments or look ahead in to the month at events or birthdays.

We're in ZONE 5 this week, that's our RELAX ZONES,  areas where we chill together like your lounge or family room.  

We'll start with a 15 minute declutter either generally or in an area like the TV stand or sideboard or bookcase.

If you're all decluttered let's go ahead and do some general cleaning (featherdusting,  dusting surfaces, polishing glass, emptying bins or cleaning the floor.

If all that is done too you could start with detailed cleaning like lampshades or delving down the back of your sofa to see who finds the most money!

For some tips, why not us your PAMPER TIME to watch Diane, or even clean along with her for 15 minutes.

Finally don't forget to do your EVENING ROUTINE and close down your kitchen for the night.   Lay the table for breakfast or set up your coffee machine to get a step or 2 ahead in the morning.

Have a great day!

Nora

xxx

Welcome back.....

 ...on this Marvellous Monday!  👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

How was your weekend?

Did you keep up with your routines?  

Did you fit in some fun and some time to refresh?

Has your Monday morning been a little less hectic than in past times?

Don't forget to rate your mood and your house, every so often compare to previous scores and see where you're improving or stagnant and see if you can work out how to improve things.  Our aim is to use our time for maximum effect and reduce the stress (and shame!) a messy house might cause.

We're back to a new week but the same playsheet....

* MR

* Daily Focus 

* ZONE 

* PAMPER 

* ER 

Are you finding more things to add to your MORNING ROUTINE to help set yourself up for daily success? Mine includes....

* airing and making the bed which leaves it lovely and fresh for bedtime and the bedroom neat and tidy throughout the day.  I leave the bedroom with anything in hand that doesn't belong there.

* ensuring I wash or shower, do my hair and teeth and dress to hard bottom slippers or shoes.  This ensures I'm presentable to any callers and not lounging about in pyjamas all day!  I leave the bathroom clean and wiped over and with anything that doesn't need to be in there removed.

* I eat breakfast, take my vitamins, load or unload the dishwasher, wipe down worktops and dining table and get out food for lunch, dinner or both.  The kitchen is now tidy and I know what we're eating.

* I spend 15 mins moving on the laundry.  I either put on a load of laundry, move it to the airer or washing line, iron or fold and put away.

After this it's time to either do your DAILY FOCUS or move to your ZONE. 

If you need to clear the decks a bit before cleaning then start in ZONE WORK.  We're in ZONE 5 - RELAX, or our lounge, family room.

First, spend 15 minutes a day decluttering.  Work through a drawer or cupboard or shelf at a time. You're aim is to sift the rubbish from charity shop donations (or Ebay / Vinted sellable items) and to put back only the things you want to keep.  

If you're all decluttered and your lounge falls into the category of high traffic area then I would move on to the DAILY FOCUS,  you'll see why.

In FlyLadyLand,  today is POWER HOUR OR WEEKLY HOME BLESSING DAY.  This is the name for 6 jobs, 10 minutes each in your HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS...not your whole house!!  My HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS are my kitchen diner, where people pop in, my hall, downstairs shower room which is also the guest loo and the lounge.

The 6 jobs are...

* PUPA - Pick Up and Put Away clutter and rubbish

* bin the rubbish and refresh the bin

* featherdust the skirting, ceilings, doorframe... get those cobwebs.

* dust all flat surfaces 

* Polish glass like mirrors, picture frames, glass in doors, TV screens

* vacuum or mop the floor

Don't forget to set your timer, it gets you started and makes you stop....make it fun, race against the timer to complete each job.

Then all that's left is your PAMPER and EVENING ROUTINE. 

Don't think you can fit all this in?  Why not listen to a bit of input from Diane....

So, that's it from me today. 

Let me know how you're doing in the comments.

Toodle-ooo

Nora

xxx

Happy Weekend! 🥳

Another week complete in our declutter and clean and were back to a glorious weekend...woohoo!

But don't think it's a rest from routines!  That's how things start to fall apart!  We think days off and we forget that we need to wear clothes, eat and sleep plus get prepared for the week ahead!

Doesn't sound like fun?  Well, that's the attitude that's got to change.  That's why you fall behind, because you listen to the charmer in your head saying.... 'come on, it's the weekend, don't do housework, don't worry about next week, just go out and eat - cooking is boring!  Chill out, relax.....'

Sshhhhhhh!

Quiet THAT voice and listen to sense!

You don't have to go mad!  

Because of our habits and routines over the last 2 weeks we are on top of the laundry,  we have food in the cupboards, the house is in reasonable shape, we've got some odd jobs done.... AND.... the clutter is decreasing, surfaces are reappearing, dust is reducing....  oohhh... it's soooooo good!  Well done us.

However, it IS the weekend and we still need to do the basics.  Eat, wash school uniform, maybe have some time out as a family, pack bags for the week ahead (get that homework or presentation done!).  Plus... do something we'd like to and have time to refresh...ready in every way for the week ahead.

Saturday in FlyLadyLand is Family Fun Day and Sunday is Renew Your Spirit Day, I actually either do mine the other way round or I combine them because spending time with my family is a way to relax!  I also find Sunday busy we'll  have church in the morning, friends coming for lunch before we head off to evening church and a presentation from TV presenter David Harper on his unexpected journey to Christianity.

So, the non-negotiables are your MR and ER, those will keep the basics rolling along.  We need to switch those up from 'a drag' to 'a safety net'.  Something that grounds your day and provides familiarity, auto-pilot for the days when life isn't feeling so great!

The other must have is PAMPER time, sounds ridiculous, but it's time to slow down, reflect and do something nice for yourself.... a walk in nature to enjoy the autumn colours, a face mask, a chapter of a book or Bible...it's a little daily recharge just for you.

Did you refresh your cleaning caddy on Friday along with school bags, swim bags, gym bags, handbag?!  You'll thank yourself you did these on Monday when they are a fresh start for the week. 

If you're having trouble working out this system to fit your life why not listen to Diane....

...she's really good at suggesting alternatives and work around.

So, enjoy your weekend, and I'll see you on Monday. 

Nora

xxx