This topic is so huge I could spend the rest of my life writing about it but before I sit down and get to work, I realize that I need to run the dishwasher and water the plants, two things which I really do not want to do, so I put that off by checking Facebook and email first to see if there is anything requiring my attention. By the time I have read today's Facebook news (yawn) and my daily spams, it is time to feed the dogs. After I have fed the dogs, then I realize I have nothing in the pantry with which to make a tasty, nutritious, and visually pleasing meal for my husband. I run to the grocery store hoping for inspiration and, finding none, buy the usual boneless, skinless chicken breasts, linguine, broccoli, and marinara sauce, as well as ingredients for a salad. Another day of zero productivity even though I have been busy from dawn to dusk.
Highly Effective People set goals, make lists, prioritize, and rarely procrastinate. I try to emulate them, but it never lasts for long. Once, several years ago when I was feeling particularly ineffective, I decided to subscribe to the "Fly Lady" website (www.flylady.net) "Your Personal Online Coach to Help You Gain Control of Your House and Home". I forced myself to tolerate the annoying little "Fly Lady" who sent a barrage of chirpy emails to my inbox every day reminding me to get out of bed, immediately get dressed to the shoes, and make my bed before ANYTHING ELSE! My dog was extremely helpful with this first commandment: he tripped me up as I headed toward my closet (instead of the kitchen), nipped at my ankles as I was attempting to step into my panties, head-butted the backs of my knees as I searched for a clean T-shirt and pair of jeans (never mind that this outfit was completely inappropriate for the meeting I was supposed to attend at 9:00 am), and proceeded to run off with my left sneaker. I remembered that I had forgotten to make my bed the second I limped into the kitchen, where my dog had dropped my soggy sneaker. My first day as a Fly Lady groupie got off to a bad start.
One endearing quality of the Fly Lady is that she sends constant affirmative messages, assuring Ineffective People that they can be just as Effective as people who do not need the Fly Lady to remind them to get out of bed and get dressed. In the old days, you could download a form from the Fly Lady called "The Control Journal", which allowed you to plan out your day beginning with #1. Get Out of Bed. The days of downloadable freebies from the Fly Lady are long gone. Now it costs $12.95 but it is worth it because of the adorable little Fly Ladyisms which grace every page. We don't clean our homes, we bless them beginning with our most important daily ritual: shining the kitchen sink.
In order properly to shine your sink (and bless your home) the Fly Lady recommends her book "Sink Reflections" (get it?) for $15.00. For another $10.49, she'll throw "three deluxe microfiber cloths" into the bargain. So the first thing you do is fill the sink to the rim with hot water and a cup of bleach, let it sit for an hour to kill all those nasty microbes which love to make you sick, and then get to work scrubbing and polishing. I don't know about you, but if I leave the sink full of bleach for an hour, it will be a very long time till I get back to it so I skipped this step. Next, dump some scouring power into the sink and scrub away with a sponge or one of those deluxe microfiber cloths; a plastic knife is a must to scrape the hidden gunk out of any crevices. Then rinse well. Finally, using a clean dish towel wipe the sink dry and voila! According to the Fly Lady, you will immediately feel hopeful even if you had to stack three weeks of dirty dishes on the floor in order to find the sink. In case you don't believe me, the Fly Lady has an inspiring video showing all the wonderful things you can do once you have shined that sink (http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/shine-sink/), such as let your cat play in it (yuck!).
I could continue having fun with the Fly Lady, which has a long list of useful products with names such as "Fly Lady's Rubba Sweepa" but I think I have put off writing about procrastination long enough. A cup of coffee will get me started, but first I need to clean the coffee pot and shine my kitchen sink!
Copyright 2012 Teresa Friedlander, all rights reserved
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