04 October 2010

FLYing away

I've decided I can no longer handle the lack of organization, the clutter, and the mess of the place that is supposed to be my "home."  I've tried FLYlady.net before and I've finally talked myself into signing up again.

A few weeks ago a bunch of boxes came out of storage and to my horror - ended up in my living room. The LR was my almost-finished sanctuary. I chose the colors, the carpet, the furniture, the art. I felt calm there and could even use the double doors to shut out the rest of the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) if I had a guest over. Ever since those damn boxes showed up I've been pissed and even downright depressed. The house has gone to total HELL now. Every last inch of it and I have given up. It's completely overwhelming. And then I get these little errands to do outside of the house that irritate me and on top of ThAT, I have to sit and wait for the freakin' Culligan Man. Hmmm. . .maybe I should shout for him like on the old commercials?

I haven't even taken my shower yet because of the CHAOS of my schedule, of my house, and my mind. It's SO stupid! Why don't I "JUST DO IT" as the Nike ads say? Well, because the anxiety is so damn high and I'm so overwhelmed that I feel completely POWERLESS, the same way I have always (up until recently) felt about food.  Yesterday we had a sermon at church about letting the light of our own POWER shine through. Power is one of the many things that I feel I have gained through the last few months, something that was taken away at a very young age. Like muscles, the more you exercise your power, the stronger and bigger it becomes.

I've already talked about AVOIDANCE being my worst habit and now I intend to stop it. I know I can't fix it all in a day, and I know that it's probably too much for me to do all by myself. There will be setbacks. I need to learn from those just as I do when the scale jumps up a notch (not that it ever happens that way) or when I forget to pay a bill. Does this all stem from anxiety? From laziness? From poor upbringing? Maybe it's a combination of all three. Sloth cannot be over estimated. Now, I'm taking THIS by storm and joining FLYlady.net.  I am wearing my shoes that tie, my sink is shiny, and I'm ready to roll.  Anybody wanna come along?

My first task is to clean the clutter off the kitchen table and set it for dinner. But, I might make the bed first. Haven't done that for a while and I'm right near it.

11 comments:

  1. I definitely need to join you. My house isn't to bad but there are things that I have been putting off. If you break it down into smaller jobs its not so overwhelming. Like right now I need to clean out my bedroom closet. I have a certain system I use, each time I pick up an item I have to make a decision about it, does it go in the keep pile, toss pile, donate pile or does it need to go to another room or into storage. Maybe this week I will get a few extra things done around here. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  2. Lanie! I totally love FLYlady!!! I kept my sink shiny for a few years. Somewhere in the CHAOS, though, I have misplaced my book, and my daughter and her family living with me has pretty much shot it all to crap anyway. My house is in some serious chaos/CHAOS. I'm going to buy the book again and leave it lying around for my daughter to read. SHE and HER FAMILY are the reason for the CHAOS in my house. I've never been a fanatical housekeeper, but if she and her family ever move out of my house, you can bet I will never EVER let it get out of control again. I don't even let my mother come in my house any more. Entertaining in my home? Forget it!! And it SO affects every area of my life. A total sense of out-of-control... and i HATE it. Thank you for the reminder about FLYlady. I'm leaving Thursday for ten days of doing nothing at the beach. I'm going to FLYlady.net while i'm away. (And I have threatened my daughter that when I return, my house better be in better shape than when I leave it.) Please post your updates to encourage us other CHAOS members.

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  3. I just wrote a post over the weekend about hating clutter! Haven't published it yet, but soon. My sister-in-law told me about flylady and I checked out the site once. Maybe I need to go look again:)

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  4. I have the same problem with Chaos in my house. Mine is because we are gone all weekend and I work such long hours. Not enough time in the the day.

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  5. Lainie,

    Baby steps!

    I can honestly say I have been there and still stumble along with Flylady. I have my whole life on a schedule right now, but actually following it and not getting sidetracked is the hardest thing for me.

    I know the boxes bother you, but if they can't be moved,maybe you can go into another room and begin de-cluttering what you can. Every bit you get out of your house will make you feel better and you will feel a sense of accomplishment. Don't stress over what to start on first, just start right where you are standing.

    Diane

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  6. It's not my home that is a mess, it is my own space like my office. I will need to check out flylady.

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  7. I would definitely describe my house as chaotic!
    I'd love if you would post updates on how your doing :)

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  8. wow ... sounds like you are ready to tackle the world... hope all is going well with your organizing. I on the other hand am perpetually disorganized and pretty much tell you where everything is at the moment... its when I clean up and get organized and put things in the proper place that I forget what I have done with something.. lol.. sigh.. oh well.. best of luck ~!

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  9. Good for you, Lanie. I know that Powerless feeling and you're taking it apart bit by bit. Yes, anxiety has a lot to do with it, but if you approach it bit by bit (intuitively - lol) it will get better. I find my anxiety level goes up when I'm disorganized around the house and then everything follows down that Slippery Slope. You can do it, kiddo. I have faith in you.

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  10. I'm a Flyfairy, too, Lanie. (I just don't like the name Flybaby =)) I find when getting overwhelmed that the best thing is to set the timer for 15 minutes. Often I can't work for 15 minutes, but every time the timer goes off, I can go do one thing, and then rest until the next 15 minutes start. This is so empowering, it changes everything. YOU CAN DO IT!

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  11. I'm so glad to see you post this because I've been thinking about incorporating some decluttering into my Hot 100 goals but wasn't sure where to begin. I'd love to end the year a little lighter, healthier, and in a cleaner house. I might even get a little crazy and throw in some Dave Ramsey, (he's all about getting out of debt.) Anyway, I dug out my Flylady book, (out of a pile of clutter, of course,) and I'm looking forward to tackling some clutter! Woohoo!

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