FlyLady
Encyclopedia
FlyLady is a support and self-help
group that offers advice to help people with housekeeping
, founded by "The FlyLady", Marla Cilley.
The group is based upon the website FlyLady.net, as well as a Federated Media's BigTent group for its email mailing list. Most active members of FlyLady have stated that the group has helped them and has changed their lives.
FlyLady's messages cover topics include clutter, the value of routines, weekly and monthly cleaning, increased self-esteem
, and letting go of perfectionism
. As of 2010, she has over 550,000 members on her email list.
A store on her website sells organizational tools and housewares, sent from the FlyLady Distribution Center in Brevard, NC. In 2007, sales from the store reached US$3 million.
system created by Pam Young and Peggy Jones, ("The Slob Sisters") detailed in their book 'Sidetracked home executives: From pigpen to paradise'(1977)
The book covers many of the key topics that were adapted to become the FlyLady system; daily task lists, routines, "slipshod cleaning", and a systematic view to housekeeping. FlyLady refers to Pam and Peggy as her mentors and inspiration.
Marla first created an email group (first on e-Groups, then Yahoo groups), then published her website, Flylady.net, in February 2001.
"
The name FlyLady was Marla Cilley's screen name, as she was a fly fishing fan and instructor. One of the members of the FlyLady e-mail list later created a "backronym
" for FLY: Finally Loving Yourself.
, ISBN 0-553-38217-9) and on the web site. The system encourages "baby steps" to develop routines and habits to organize and maintain your home. The primary focus is on "Finally Loving Yourself" by making your life easier by decluttering, menu planning, "anti-procrastination" day, and establishing routines, as well as financial and health-related self-care
In 2007, the Marla Cilley and co-author Leanne Ely also released a New York Times bestselling book called Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourself, which aims to apply the FlyLady's housekeeping methodology to caring for the reader's body, through self-examination and increased self-respect.
Key points in the FlyLady system include:
Babysteps and Routines
Shine Your Sink
15 Minutes at a Time
Clutter Cannot Be Organized
Weekly Routines
Weekly Home Blessing
Get Dressed to Shoes
Zones
Control Journal
Flylady Reminders
Perfectionism leads to Procrastination
No Whining
Support
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
group that offers advice to help people with housekeeping
Housekeeping
Housekeeping is the act of cleaning the rooms and furnishings of a home. It is one of the many chores included in the term housework. Housecleaning includes activities such as disposing of rubbish, cleaning dirty surfaces, dusting and vacuuming. It may also involve some outdoor chores, such as...
, founded by "The FlyLady", Marla Cilley.
The group is based upon the website FlyLady.net, as well as a Federated Media's BigTent group for its email mailing list. Most active members of FlyLady have stated that the group has helped them and has changed their lives.
FlyLady's messages cover topics include clutter, the value of routines, weekly and monthly cleaning, increased self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
, and letting go of perfectionism
Perfectionism (psychology)
Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that a state of completeness and flawlessness can and should be attained. In its pathological form, perfectionism is a belief that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable...
. As of 2010, she has over 550,000 members on her email list.
A store on her website sells organizational tools and housewares, sent from the FlyLady Distribution Center in Brevard, NC. In 2007, sales from the store reached US$3 million.
History
Marla Cilley, founder of FlyLady, is from North Carolina. In 1999, Cilley joined a web forum called SHE's Online, based on the housekeepingHousekeeping
Housekeeping is the act of cleaning the rooms and furnishings of a home. It is one of the many chores included in the term housework. Housecleaning includes activities such as disposing of rubbish, cleaning dirty surfaces, dusting and vacuuming. It may also involve some outdoor chores, such as...
system created by Pam Young and Peggy Jones, ("The Slob Sisters") detailed in their book 'Sidetracked home executives: From pigpen to paradise'(1977)
The book covers many of the key topics that were adapted to become the FlyLady system; daily task lists, routines, "slipshod cleaning", and a systematic view to housekeeping. FlyLady refers to Pam and Peggy as her mentors and inspiration.
Marla first created an email group (first on e-Groups, then Yahoo groups), then published her website, Flylady.net, in February 2001.
"
The name FlyLady was Marla Cilley's screen name, as she was a fly fishing fan and instructor. One of the members of the FlyLady e-mail list later created a "backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
" for FLY: Finally Loving Yourself.
Methodology
FlyLady's methodology is outlined in Cilley's book Sink Reflections (Bantam BooksBantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
, ISBN 0-553-38217-9) and on the web site. The system encourages "baby steps" to develop routines and habits to organize and maintain your home. The primary focus is on "Finally Loving Yourself" by making your life easier by decluttering, menu planning, "anti-procrastination" day, and establishing routines, as well as financial and health-related self-care
In 2007, the Marla Cilley and co-author Leanne Ely also released a New York Times bestselling book called Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourself, which aims to apply the FlyLady's housekeeping methodology to caring for the reader's body, through self-examination and increased self-respect.
Key points in the FlyLady system include:
Babysteps and Routines
- New recruits to the FlyLady system are called "Flybabies" and are introduced to "babysteps" - a series of 31 small daily tasks which introduce and then reinforce aspects of cleaning and decluttering, building up to creating personalized routines for morning, afternoon and evening.
Shine Your Sink
- Cilley's first instruction to new members is "Go shine your sink!" She asserts that even in a messy kitchen, the cleaned-out and polished sink provides positive reinforcement to the person who cleaned it, encouraging further cleaning in the rest of the room and home.
15 Minutes at a Time
- Cilley that recommends using a timer to work for only 15 minutes at a time. The short time commitment helps stop procrastination, and reduces opportunities to get sidetracked or bored.
Clutter Cannot Be Organized
- Cilley recommends that her followers get rid of excess items in their homes, and bring in less items, rather than attempting to organize them. This reduction "decluttering" is done 15 minutes at a time. One such exercise is FlyLady's "27-fling Boogie," in which the follower quickly selects 27 items in their home to discard or give away.
Weekly Routines
- Marla advises the use of a weekly routines, whereby each weekday is assigned an additional task or focus; Monday is daily cleaning, Wednesday is errand day, Thursday is grocery day and Friday is "desk day", focusing on paperwork and finances, as well as the day to declutter the car.
Weekly Home Blessing
- Cilley's adaption of the Pam Young and Peggy Jones' "Slipshod cleaning" is the one-hour housecleaning mission called the "weekly home blessing." Using their timers, followers are instructed to vacuum, dust, mop, empty trash, change bedsheets and clean up old magazines. Each task is allocated ten minutes only.
Get Dressed to Shoes
- Cilley insists that her followers "get dressed to lace-up shoes" before beginning their housekeeping tasks - or contacting her for an interview.
Zones
- Flylady divides a house into five sections or zones, which are allocated to the five weeks or partial weeks of the month. Each day the email list will provide a "mission" with a detailed cleaning task in the current zone.
Control Journal
- Flylady advises the use of a "Control Journal," a household management notebook or binder, to store the owner's routines, lists and other important household information.
Flylady Reminders
- Daily reminders of the routines, zones and missions, as well as "testimonials" of the system and products, are sent to subscribers of the FlyLady list.
Perfectionism leads to Procrastination
- FlyLady asserts that the most frequent reason for procrastination and inefficacy is perfectionism, as people won't start a task if they think they don't have the time or the ability to do it perfectly. Some frequently repeated sayings in this respect are "good enough is good enough" or "housework done incorrectly still blesses your family".
No Whining
- FlyLady often repeats that her website, chat room and Facebook page are "No Whining Zones", and that "If you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all"
Support
- FlyLady followers have a webchat on the website www.FlyLady.net that allows them to talk to other FlyBabies and keep each other going throughout the day. Typically, they chat after doing their 15 minutes of work. Top Of The Hour is :00 on the clock, and it generally signals the start of 15 minutes of work as well as Bottom Of The Hour. On the :15 and :45 is generally breaktime, where they get some water to drink and chat with each other to help each other along. The regulars in the chat state they couldn't get done what has to be done without the help of each other.
External links
- FlyLady.net
- FlyLady.tv
- FlyLady on BigTent
- Karen Kohlhaas. Why flylady is great for actors. August, 2006
- Orit Kuritsky. Transformational Tales: Media, Makeovers, and Material Culture. February, 2009
- Related websites: Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely (adviser to Flybabies) and Inner Kiddies (Pam Young speaks to Flybabies about their "inner kiddy")
- "Sink Reflections" has been translated in French language: "Entretiens avec mon evier"