Time Management: Introducing the Fly Lady

By Michele Blandino

Face it: most of us can use a little organization and structure in our lives. Contrary to popular belief, organizationally challenged is not a label that applies only to harried, working mothers who seem to be perpetually ten minutes late for meetings, school drop-off (and pick-up) and all other activities and social appointments. Organizationally challenged people are everywhere – and they are waiting for help.

Trying to Make Sense of it All

Most people become overwhelmed with the task of trying to restore order to their lives, and so, they procrastinate even longer making the task of eliminating (or at least reducing) the chaos even more difficult.

Since 1999, Marla Cilley, aka The Fly Lady, has been helping countless people across the country to reign in the chaos around them, establish routines and in the process, eliminate much of the stress that comes with a lack of structure or routine. Currently, there are over 200,000 people who receive her free daily advice.

How it Works

Essentially, the Fly Lady is an online mentor who delivers daily e-mail messages that are designed to inspire and coach even the most unorganized person. When you sign up with the Fly Lady, you will be directed to aYahoo! Group where you will register to receive the Fly Lady’s daily messages.

Flybabies – the Fly Lady’s term for new members – receive a welcome letter with three basic instructions: get dressed (including shoes), make the bed and clean the kitchen sink. Next, members are introduced to a number of new routines: the Before Bed Routine, the Morning Routine, and the Basic Weekly Plan.

According to Cilley, the idea behind establishing routines is to eliminate the surprises (such as discovering that the outfit you are planning to wear today has a huge stain) that cause stress. It also provides a time for you to take a look at the next day’s calendar so that you are not caught off guard.

Taking on Bigger Chores

Once the daily routines have been established, the Fly Lady introduces the concept of “zones” or portions of the home. By dividing the home into 5 smaller, more manageable zones, you can spend one week per month focusing on these areas so that at the end of the month, you will see a marked improvement in the entire home. As you begin to tackle the zones, you will be introduced to terms and techniques such as “hotspots” (areas that seem to attract clutter), The 27 Fling Boogie (finding 27 things to throw or give away) and Daily Missions (tasks that involve the current week’s zone).

Does it Work?

As in almost anything, the secret to success within the Fly Lady’s program is consistency. The entire program is based in being able to establish and maintain a routine. While this program is not designed to bring immediate success, it can make a difference over time.

One drawback to the program is the number of e-mail messages you will receive in a typical day (sometimes as many as 15). While it’s very easy to become quickly overwhelmed with the different tasks and reminders that will quickly fill your inbox (which, when you think about it, seems to be contrary to the entire Fly Lady premise) you will quickly learn which messages need to be read and which can be deleted.

In the end, Fly Lady is worth a try – especially since it is free.