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Maybe, I told myself, just maybe I didn't really give it a good try last time. All those people it works for can't be wrong, right? And if you dare criticize, the fans will jump all over you. Like starving chihuahuas on a pork chop.
Yes, I'm talking about FlyLady.
But I went back to the page, and this feeling of dread and revulsion came over me. I just could not force myself to do that again. Those babysteps are enough to drive you insane. I understand the idea behind them, if you're one who likes habits. I, personally, can't do habits. I have exceedingly few habits that are not imposed upon me. Hell, these days I don't even watch TV as a 'habit', I catch up on my DVR as I feel like it.
There are three things I ... no, four things I do on a regimented basis. No, wait, five. Okay, they are:
1) Go to work. Because I have to, to pay the bills.
2) Walk the dog. Because if I don't, she makes a pain in the ass of herself.
3) Put the trash out at the curb. Because they only pick it up on certain days.
4) Go to bellydance class. Because it's only at certain times, and this one I don't mind.
5) Go to book club. See number 4.
I get up at different times every day (even with the having to go to work thing), go to sleep at different times of the day, eat at different times of the day, shower at different times of the day... I don't have 'laundry day' or 'errand day' or even 'bill paying day'. My life has very little schedule. And, yes, my house is a mess, because I don't do things that I probably should. The minute I feel I have to do something ("now it's time to do the dishes!") my entire being rebels against it, and there's nothing in the world I want to do less (except, maybe, being chased by zombies while on fire).
How am I supposed to get into a routine to do anything?
I'm not. Too many things come up, I'd get 'behind' on my tasks, and that would be depressing.
There are only two things I need to do:
1) Get things cleaned up. Yes, easier said than done, but mincing about for 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there is not going to make me feel better. Nor is spending so much time reading someone else's advice on how I should be cleaning up (it's funny, one of FlyLady's commandments is to not let yourself be sidetracked by the computer - this is after she tells you to read her news page every day, sends you tons of e-mails, and several babysteps include reading things posted on her site.).
2) Put things away after you use them. I am awful at this, I admit. I've left the vacuum cleaning sitting in the middle of the room for weeks (part of the problem is that the vacuum cleaner does not have a real home. See point one).
If I could master these two steps, there'd be very little left to fuss about. Easier said than done, I suppose, but I'm going to start not with a shiny sink, but with a clean desk. My computer desk gets piled with all sorts of crap and since it's something I see a lot of (more than I do the sink), it's where I need to start, I think. So tonight after class, before I go to bed, I'm cleaning this puppy off. And for the next however-many-days-it-takes-to-make-a-habit, I'm going to keep it clean.
I hope.
Yes, I'm talking about FlyLady.
But I went back to the page, and this feeling of dread and revulsion came over me. I just could not force myself to do that again. Those babysteps are enough to drive you insane. I understand the idea behind them, if you're one who likes habits. I, personally, can't do habits. I have exceedingly few habits that are not imposed upon me. Hell, these days I don't even watch TV as a 'habit', I catch up on my DVR as I feel like it.
There are three things I ... no, four things I do on a regimented basis. No, wait, five. Okay, they are:
1) Go to work. Because I have to, to pay the bills.
2) Walk the dog. Because if I don't, she makes a pain in the ass of herself.
3) Put the trash out at the curb. Because they only pick it up on certain days.
4) Go to bellydance class. Because it's only at certain times, and this one I don't mind.
5) Go to book club. See number 4.
I get up at different times every day (even with the having to go to work thing), go to sleep at different times of the day, eat at different times of the day, shower at different times of the day... I don't have 'laundry day' or 'errand day' or even 'bill paying day'. My life has very little schedule. And, yes, my house is a mess, because I don't do things that I probably should. The minute I feel I have to do something ("now it's time to do the dishes!") my entire being rebels against it, and there's nothing in the world I want to do less (except, maybe, being chased by zombies while on fire).
How am I supposed to get into a routine to do anything?
I'm not. Too many things come up, I'd get 'behind' on my tasks, and that would be depressing.
There are only two things I need to do:
1) Get things cleaned up. Yes, easier said than done, but mincing about for 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there is not going to make me feel better. Nor is spending so much time reading someone else's advice on how I should be cleaning up (it's funny, one of FlyLady's commandments is to not let yourself be sidetracked by the computer - this is after she tells you to read her news page every day, sends you tons of e-mails, and several babysteps include reading things posted on her site.).
2) Put things away after you use them. I am awful at this, I admit. I've left the vacuum cleaning sitting in the middle of the room for weeks (part of the problem is that the vacuum cleaner does not have a real home. See point one).
If I could master these two steps, there'd be very little left to fuss about. Easier said than done, I suppose, but I'm going to start not with a shiny sink, but with a clean desk. My computer desk gets piled with all sorts of crap and since it's something I see a lot of (more than I do the sink), it's where I need to start, I think. So tonight after class, before I go to bed, I'm cleaning this puppy off. And for the next however-many-days-it-takes-to-make-a-habit, I'm going to keep it clean.
I hope.