Challenge - 31 days of FlyLady

It hasn't been too many days since I talked about how to change habits.  Are you working on yours, one at a time?  Or maybe, you have traveled over to FlyLady's site and started applying it your situation.  Many people have done that:  there are even men catching on, either because they have seen how their households have changed because of a flybaby spouse or flybaby friend.  Some people are bachelors that don't want to live in chaos or have someone in to clean.  And then, there are guys that think it's too cute, so they would not touch it with a ten foot pole.

This is how I look at it from the point of view of someone that has a chronic illness.  I know I would be happier with my surroundings if I could get the FlyLady system down.  If the things that need to be done were habitual habits, I would not have the clutter that can contribute to depression.  Since I have used Marla Cilley's methods in the past, I know they work.  However, I have never been able to get through all 31 days of the babysteps.  I  have been able to apply various aspects, but never been able to follow a daily morning and before the bed routine.  Maybe, that is my own stubbornness.  More likely, it is because I did not try FlyLady until I had been sick for many years, because I was able to keep my house clean.  And, as so many of my readers know, the day to day things we are able to do are affected by our illnesses, which can cause havoc with a routine.

I want my house to be uncluttered everyday.
Yes, my outer house I live in, as well as my inner being.

I thought about starting a new blog for the experiment I want to try.  However, the premise of this blog is balancing changes in our lives.  The changes brought on by chronic illnesses are overwhelming, and dealing with fatigue and pain is a constant factor in so many lives. I lost many of my good habits during the first 11 years if my illness.  I could no longer  maintain all of my good life habits on a regular basis.  I tried, but it just didn't happen for me, except on a sporadic basis. 

The experiment I want to do is going through FlyLady's 31 days of Beginner BabySteps and documenting the ups and downs and my reaction to the process.  I will have interruptions and breaks that come.  I am sure of that.  But I want to get through the whole 31 days.  I am going to apply this to myself, not try to be a carbon copy.  There may be things I cannot do, I am already doing, or I need to apply to a different area in my life.  Men, this is where you come in.  Do you think you could apply FlyLady's techniques to your garage, your spare room, your storage shed, your office, or some other area of your life?  I have looked for an equal men's site, and I found one that appears to be dormant -- not much there.  Maybe, you could be the FlyMan on the internet.  How about it?  Are you game?  Do you think we could try?  

For those of you who say, I am too weak and ill to even begin thinking of trying FlyLady's 31 days of babysteps.  I understand:  I have been there.  You need to take things slow and easy.  Add new things in small increments of time.  If it is picking up clutter, tell yourself, "I can hang that jacket on a hanger and put it in the closet."  Or perhaps, it is a project you have wanted to do.  Do a small amount at a time.  Pick up that trash on the way to the kitchen and throw it in the trash.  Spend 3 to 5 minutes cleaning a table off and rest.  Congratulate yourself for the smallest improvement.  It adds up after time.  Everytime I was able to do one small job, my self-esteem would rise.  And after a while it got easier.

I also discovered I needed to play -- not stew about what I was not getting done.  I started getting outside, sitting on the back porch.  I would read or take pictures of the birds.  Maybe, you could go fishing.  You have to figure out what would be nourishing to your soul.     

Now, for those of you who say that Deborah is having a flare-up:  she needs to wait.  No, I do not want to lose the muscle tone I have gained with activity.  If I wait, it will be like starting all over again.  I just need to measure my spoons carefully.  Or it may be marbles. I will explain marbles another day.  To quote George E. Woodberry, Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to make some effort at joining me in this endeavor.  If you can't do the 31 days of babysteps, pick an area in your life that needs to be worked on.  Let's share.  If you are on Facebook, like and comment on Balancing Life Changes / Living Better with Chronic Illness.  And of course, I always welcome your comments here.

Here is the link:  Balancing Life Changes / Living Better with Chronic Illness   (This link worked for me, but if you have problems, you can always use the search on Facebook.  To narrow it down, it is a Page.)