It goes without saying that cleanliness is especially important right now. In an age of coronavirus, it's necessary to pay extra attention to germs and hygiene, while studies show that tidying can also help with anxiety in uncertain terms. Cleaning influencers are proof it works: Mrs Hinch is a champion of organising for mental health with her own book Hinch Yourself Happy, Marie Kondo encourages us to throw away anything that no longer brings us joy and now, Marla Cilley aka FlyLady – a nickname spawned from her love of fly fishing – is proposing 15-minute housework increments that won't overwhelm us. Her 'FlyLady technique' has become so popular that searches are up by 40 per cent on Pinterest, while those for Marie Kondo are down by 80 per cent. So, how does it work?
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1. You will sign up via FlyLady's website (for free) as a FlyBaby. FlyLady Marla then sends out email tips to each of her 233,000 subscribers, starting with BabySteps designed to take only 15 minutes which she recommends using a timer to track. The idea is that they are manageable. "If you try to do this all at once," Marla says. "You are going to be mad at me, because this will be like every other get-organised method you have tried. I want you to take your time."
2. FlyLady Marla will continue sharing these steps for 28 days – the period that she believes is needed to implement a habit – and will teach you to tackle each 'Zone' of your house i.e. kitchen, living room, bedroom.
3. Once the initial 28 days is over, FlyLady Marla will guide you through decluttering. This includes the '27-Fling Boogie' - the process of going around your house and discarding of 27 unnecessary items as quickly as possible, the 'Hot Spot Fire Drill' - the process of getting rid of your go-to clutter pile (read: the chair you throw your clothes on day after day and never actually hang them up from), and more.
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The crux of the FlyLady technique is clear: don’t let housework dominate your life. She thinks of FLY as an acronym for Finally Loving Yourself and says that it was only after implementing the following three rules that she reaped the rewards in her house:
1. Don't sweat the small stuff; what doesn't matter, doesn't matter.
2. Laugh everyday. Even if it is at yourself.
3. Love like there is no tomorrow.
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