Are you FLYing while you work?

I am a work at home mom, maybe you are too, maybe you are a stay at home mom (and that is still work). I have spent the last couple of years mothering my child, working from home and completely neglecting my home.

I hate, hate, hate housework.

I can find a million reasons, excuses and cop outs not to clean this house.

I can sit here and begrudge my husband not doing any of the housework. I can complain that I have to do EVERYTHING around here, and do. I can check my email 200 times a day to make sure I just don’t “have time” to get the dishes done. I can also choose to clean the house, do the dishes, do the laundry and everything else as consider it just one more way I bless my house and my family.

For Christmas this year I was given a gift certificate to the bookstore ~ my favorite gift to receive ~ and bought myself a copy of Sink Reflections. If you aren’t familiar with Sink Reflections it is the book written by Marla Cilley aka The FLYlady.

She also runs an extremely helpful and successful website called FlyLady, helping moms learn how to get ahold of the CHAOS (can’t have anyone over syndrom) in their lives ~ doing it 15 minutes at a time. She helps you set up easy short routines to do in the morning and the night as well as fun little exercises like the 27 Fling Boogie to assist you in getting rid of the clutter and getting your house organized. (This is a great time to point out that ANY niche can be a good niche! IF you actually act on your inspiration)

I finally picked up the book and got started. The whole thing begins with just Shining your sink. Literally. So I got my sink shined up (by removing all the dirty dishes and putting them on the counter ~ not time to get side tracked, I’m just getting the sink shiny right now, those dishes will get done a little later) and while I was shining and thinking about her philosophy I started thinking about a couple of things.

How having a clean, tidy home would affect my family, my life and my business?

How can I apply these simple yet SERIOUSLY effective techniques to my business?

I’m only a couple days in to the process and I already feel lighter. I already feel like it’s ok to leave the computer ~ because the housework’s done. When I leave the computer that gives me more time with Hanna, and to do other fun things I just never get around to. The house is getting cleaner ~ I’m getting happier, when I’m happier Hanna’s happier.

It’s like a great big snowball rolling down a hill. Things just get better and better ~ and it’s all happening in 15 minute increments!!

Doing things in 15 minute increments means you have to do a couple things.

• You have to let go of your perfectionism. You have to realize that housework ~ even when not done perfectly ~ still blesses your house.

• Getting started is enough!

• It doesn’t all have to be done RIGHT NOW!!

When these realizations hit me, it was like DOH! I immediately saw where all these things were holding me back in my business as well. I thought of all the times I didn’t start a project because I knew I didn’t have time to 1. get it perfect 2. Finish it right now.

There is always time for revision, and if you do 15 minutes now, and add 15 minutes this afternoon and maybe 15 minutes two days from now each time you get started you are already closer to the finish and it’s all because you’ve been doing a little when you can.

You may think 15 minutes is not ENOUGH to do anything!! You just might be surprised. Today I vacuumed my entire 2 story house with both the hard floor and the carpet attachments in 12 minutes. I changed the beds, got the sheets in the washer in less than 10. I mopped the bathroom floor in less than 10 minutes. I know this because I set a timer before each task!

When it comes to working online so many things can seem overwhelming so we just don’t start. What have you wanted to implement in your business that you just haven’t because you were afraid, or thought it would take too much time, didn’t want to mess it up, didn’t think you could get it all done?

So think about it. Tell me. What haven’t you started? Writing a viral report? Creating your own product? Creating a wordpress blog? Social networking/bookmarking/linking? Building a list?
All of these things can be done in 15 minute increments. So why not choose one and get started? If you want to start with social bookmarking I’ve written a special report on quick and easy social bookmarking. It would be perfect for a 15 minute session!

I strongly encourage any mom to who lives in a home of CHAOS (can’t have anyone over syndrome) to get Sink Reflections and sign up the FlyLady website for email reminders. I strongly encourage any Work at Home Mom to think about how she can use the flylady techniques in her own business to get things running smoothly, efficiently and profitably!

If you are already a Flybaby I’d love to hear how this has helped you in your life and business. For the rest of you, I want to hear from you as soon as you shine your sink! Let me know how it feels ~ you are going to be amazed.

[tags]flylady, organizing work at home life, work at home routines, sink reflections[/tags]