I'm new fly baby system but already seeing the results mainly in me feeling less stressed and not feeling so overwhelmed. I really appreciate the time you take out to do thes videos
When I wake up foggy, I check my morning routine posted in the bathroom and just do one at a time. Same with the evening routine, the list is posted by my cell charger so I won't forget. Those few minutes make all the difference between "thriving vs surviving."☀
My evening routine is clean ALL the dishes of the house (or else there's no hope for tomorrow) and surfaces all cleared and clean. Coffee prepped (because I have fumbly fingers and a groggy head in the morning) and husband's lunch ready to go in the fridge. Developing this habit has not only helped provide peace and composure, but also has saved us SO much money with husband not eating out every day (so more peace with regards to finances and relationships as well). Thank you for your motivational videos.
I totally do that - I carry my phone around with me playing Diane in Denmark videos while I work my way through the house until everything is in order. It’s motivating, and I enjoy your accent. My husband gets a chuckle out of it. Thank you for being a positive force in the world!
Im just swinging back into my routines today after having a baby a couple weeks ago. The routines written down have been so helpful to me because when my husband would ask “how can I help you?” I can just reference the paper and it has taken so much off of my mind. I’m so grateful for this.
I love to watch you anytime I can.. love your positivity, cheery disposition and how beautiful your home and garden are. Love that you share as much as you can of your family(the birds). You are a bright spot in our world and I am so grateful you continue to give your pearls of wisdom to us..Much love from AZ😎💚
My husband does the kitchen routine, no matter if I make dinner or he does. He takes great pride in it and does a more thorough job than I do. It is lovely to get up to a kitchen ready for the morning. I use many of your routines to help me stay organized and not overwhelmed. Thanks,Diane.
Routines help me so much. Shiny sink, pick up and put away and getting DD to bed is my basic evening routine! I aim to be sitting down reading or watching TV by 8.00 ish. The longer I do these simple things the more impactful they are. We don't need to reinvent the wheel, we need to take the wheel! Thank you Diane.
Aw Diane, I've been watching your videos for a few years now, and I realised yesterday just how far I've come. I had a visitor pop round at very short notice yesterday. It was Friday evening after a very full-on week at work. Friday evening is usually the time my home is at it's messiest (I tend to do my "home blessing" over the weekend.) And this Friday was worse than usual as I'd not kept up with my daily routines as well as usual this week. Normally I avoid letting people see it in this state. BUT - Her 9yr old daughter commented on how TIDY my house was! I looked around again and saw it with fresh eyes - yeah, I had some dirty plates on the kitchen side waiting to be washed, but they were neatly stacked; my bed was made; my desk was neat and tidy; my coffee table was a little cluttered - but looked "lived in", I had clothes waiting to be put away - but they were folded in neat piles; my bathroom was a little dusty, but tidy; in the main my floors were clear... I realised it really wasn't that bad. Not 'perfect', but still a relaxing, pleasant place to be. A far cry from pre-fly lady me - who was constantly in a mess. I had far, far too much stuff, and no systems or routines. Back in the day I would binge clean every few months - get everything looking great, then wonder why it was a mess again a day later. Not anymore! Thank you so much for helping me get a handle on housework! 💪😃💖
This is very helpful Diane. Thank you. I love to rewatch one of your older videos while I'm ironing or folding the Laundry 🌞 keeps me motivated. You don't have to want to do your routines, you just have to do them 👍👍
My evening routine gives me the peace to allow my mind to slow down at night; I no longer have to worry about forgetting things because the lists keep me on track and there is wiggle room for the unexpected.
I lucked across your channel today and I really appreciate seeing this upload. I have been a woman of routines for many, many years now AND they are a Godsend. I have an established Morning Routine that includes making my bed, having my morning coffee/black tea, doing my meditations and scripture readings, reviewing my tasks for the day, and easing into my day. Knowing that my home is sorted before leaving the house and what I need to address first thing at work is extremely comforting. Upon returning home at the end of the day, I have my Evening Routine that includes preparing dinner and cleaning up the kitchen, burning scented oils/candles, reviewing my day and writing in my gratitude journal, topped off with a hot cup of tea and reading something from my favorite literary genre. Since I work outside the home in the education industry, I usually start my mornings very early at 3:00 am and reach the office at 5:45 am, so definitely try to get to bed around 7:00 or 7:30 pm. Having my daily routines help keep me on track with all I might need to do. Every weekend during Re-Set Saturdays, I will chart out my upcoming week of events, so all I usually do is review each day in The mornings and the evenings and check off everything I was successful in completing and add anything not completed to the List for another day.
I've got two toddlers, and am currently 5 months pregnant, I literally don't have any energy, but it's still so inspiring to see you, I would love to get back to all these routines by next year.. I have hired help at the moment
despondent, distressed, that is me! These tips are so helpful having lost my husband this past May to a nightmare of cancer. I am floundering, yet trying for everything I can find and your tips have helped me so very much, thank you!!
I love my evening routine. It's wonderful to walk into a clean kitchen to get my coffee in the morning. And when I move to the living room, the surfaces are clear. Five years of routines and it almost does itself - really!
I love my evening routines, I have an illness that makes waking up difficult so having things set and ready makes it easy for me to ease into the day and not feel overwhelmed. I think of it as a gift I give future me and she always appreciates it!
I have routines to reduce the number of decisions I make each day. At work, I constantly have to decide what action needs to happen next- often unable to plan more than 5 minutes ahead. When I am at home, my routines give the consistency my family needs without my needing to use any executive reasoning. Ahhhh
Thanks, Diane. I've recently retired, and you're right, my points of reference are gone. Sleeping through the alarm is no longer a big deal. I'm making over my Control Journal with simple routines again!
I like the “bow” at the end of the day! I need to work on getting my belongings in a bag together to go out the door. We are usually forgetting a water bottle or some small thing.
The greatest evening routine I started was setting up the coffee pot the evening before. My husband gets up before me and deeply appreciates just having to press start. Thank you Diane.
This morning has been calm and allows me to simply breathe. Last night I looked around, sighed, ALMOST walked away... But then I thought, " Fine Diane... Fine!" Lol 🤣 So glad I did the work then so I can just relax with my coffee and RU-vid now. Thank you!
Thank you so much Diane! I found your discussion SO helpful. I always find your videos incredibly helpful actually🙏🙏🙏🙌🔥. I just sent this to my two adult daughters. One has just got her first job as a graduate. I know about Flylady Routines . My adult children and my high school DD know it as they were brought up with routines but it is ALL IN THE DAILY DOING REGARDLESS of how one feels! I also find it very , very helpful to take you ❤️🙌around the house with me. Your cheerful disposition and JUST DO IT re-encouragement is priceless. When my family worked on this (constantly evolving, age appropriate routines as they grew up, starting 17 years ago) I baked apple and cinnamon muffins , to make the intentional start feel good special; and we sat around our dining table…..I had cleared piles on that too🤪. Then I posed questions, we had a discussion and I listened back and forth with them about consequences of forgetting things required for school, home and daily life (two DD have ADHD and ADD and ASD) and being late, being unorganised, not having asthma reliever etc. The gist of all of it is “what can I do the day before (afternoon routines, evening routines) to make leaving tomorrow as easy as possible?” Each child had a school and term activities weekly planner with pictures (of them) and daily skills of living (laminated) or items needed related to above. We remade different sections of the school one each year. The first day the child with the ADD ASD had her list she knew she could refer to (upstairs and downstairs laminated and bluetaked on the wall) instead of meltdowns and difficulty there was productive quiet preparation. The first week the difference was enormous.
Thank you Diane! I’m having a stressful week this week (new job) and it’s true. I don’t need to want to do it, I just do. It also goes with a video a friend of mine posted on working out: you don’t need motivation. All you have to do is do the work!
Adding to the packing up food bit, we like to serve up plates and to go/lunch containers all at the same time. We still wait to clean the main pans after they've had a chance to cool down a bit, but the food gets portioned out all at the same time. Simple change but then we only do that task once instead of once before and again after.
My main routine is having kitchen cleaned up. I do check my calendar and plan ahead with clothes or anything needed if I have an early morning , but otherwise I just dress the next day based on what feels that good that day.
The phrase “points of reference” is a good one. Now that my husband has retired and is home most days I have a change of “points of reference “. Referring to a written list DOES keep me focused. What hasn’t changed is my routines. My routines provide a means of mental order for me. Checking tasks off gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Hi, Diane! new subscriber here from Italy! I am a big fan of daily routines and systems for being productive and stress free. I use to prepare in the evening everything I could need the next day on the kitchen table, even my eyeglasses. I also check my bag or backpack, and I put my todo list in view. I find a sense of security, control and calmness using a routine every evening🌼🕊️
Thanks for the encouragement Diane, I've been really struggling to keep on top of it all lately and had a pile of washing up that I did not feel like or want to do but I managed to do the majority of it and tidy my kitchen while listening to you so that I don't wake up to a complete chaotic mess tomorrow morning 👍😎
I’m trying to jump on the bandwagon again. I go through phases where I stop the routines and start again. Life really is better with the structure and pre-planning. I grew up living by the seat of my pants, it’s stressful and counterproductive. My husband is a fly lady without knowing it, he is very efficient. I try to be like that! 😊 Thank you for the video Diane!
Hi, Diane, YES, I never regretted to have done a routine, but I often regretted I didn’t have done it… the most helpful things for me are: putting the outfit for tomorrow together and checking the calendar. Love, Monika❣
I haven't watched you in awhile and I don't know why I stopped. routine change i think. I love your videos and your sunny bright disposition. I have got my hubby doing dishes after dinner instead of at 9 pm or morning ! yuck. It's so nice to have clean uncluttered counter and floor ! thanks again and i love your travel and swim videos too.
Thank you for the inspiration. Usually I'm too exhausted in the evening to do the dishes. While listening to you I realised I wasn't quite ready to go to bed. Or too exhausted. So now my zink is empty and clean. The clean dishes are drying on the rack over night.
My big struggle is my morning routine. I work from home and am very scattered in the morning; it takes me about an hour to get through my routine--which is mostly non-flylady tasks. I'm going to try to adjust my evening routine to see if that helps--since I currently don't plan for the next day. I think my routines are due for an overhaul and this is a good video to inspire that. Thank you!
Diane, I've been watching and learning from you for a few years now and wanted to say "thank you" for the consistent, practical, calm advice you've given regarding our children and routines. I love how you say not to nag, just be consistent. It hasn't happened overnight, but my two young teens are picking up after themselves and helping out regularly around the house...Best of all, there's no fighting or yelling about it. Just like in every area of life, consistency beats intensity. If there are any moms out there who are discouraged, you really can start small, follow Diane's advice, pick yourself up when you fall, and just keep making those small, positive changes. ✨ Don't give up!
Love this video! Thanks for all the great tips. I had planned over the weekend to get restarted today, and here you are to help me do just that! Thanks a million, Diane! ~~Lisa
Oh Diane! I needed your video today. Thanks for kicking me in the bahookie. I have heard you say before the bit about not needing to want to do a routine but just needing to do the routine but I needed the reminder. You are such a gem and we are all so grateful that you are safe but beyond have continued to be a light to the world despite the heaviness you must feel currently. Thank you, thank you!
Ooh yes, I often take you with me. You always keep me cheerful and motivated, particularly when zone cleaning. Shiny sink morning and evening has changed my life! On rough days, if I manage nothing else I do this and feel I've at least accomplished that. And it means I can walk into the kitchen and breath each morning - it means one doesn't have an immediate sinking feeling upon entering the kitchen (which is instantly depressing and de-motivating).
My evening routine changes with the weather - we are experiencing, 99° days. So I end to do the routine EARLY - midday and leave it (we are eating fruit and sandwiches for dinner). I love waking up to a clean kitchen, clothes ready and calendar open on my desk to get started with my day. Praying for all over there.
Thank you for your subject tonight on a rainy and cool evening here in the country side of upstate NY. Sending sorrowful thoughts to you and your violent 🌼🌼and crushing event. Our 🌍National 4th of July holiday was terribly damaged by a terrible shooting outside Chicago near where my husband was raised. Each day we receive horrible breaking news atrocities.. No one here is spared. Thank you for the calmness you convey. Hopeful but uncertain . 🌼🌼
I like updated videos, thank you! I do like my evening routine and also wash pots and pans as I cook, if I'm able. There are many other duties I have in the evening, but sometimes my life is thrown off. So even though my tasks are automatic, I can then forget - What am I supposed to be doing? And then I look at the paper copy of my routines. It does set me up not only for a good morning, but a good night sleep without added stress of undone work. Thanks for this evening routine video and all of the good suggestions!
Just back from long vacation. Because I am off work for three more weeks, I “took” a few days off from routines and felt totally lost. I am back at them today. Evening routine already finished for tonight. Feels great. Thanks for all of your encouragement and suggestions.
Thank you very much Diane, for this tune-up! I have been following you for years, but it's always good to have a routine refresh. I do have a head full of 'I don't want to's' and know fully that it won't take me long and I'll feel good afterwards. LLVP!
I’ve been away from RU-vid for a bit, and it’s so nice to see this and remember that having some control over the chaos is only a little focus and a few routines away (kind of 😄). Thanks again for all your work, it’s really appreciated 💐
Having routines rather than a specific schedule helps me immensely. I have 4 children ages 21-12 who are on completely different schedules from each other. Some work at varying times. They have different sleep times, eating times, and need to be driven places. One's extracurricular activities vary everyday. Try to develop a schedule, even one for each day, never worked. So Flylady to the rescue once again...routines gave me my sanity back!
We were on holiday a couple of weeks ago self-catering in caravan, l found myself still doing my morning and evening routines without really thinking about it. I amazed myself and we had a perfect stress free holiday. Diane you are making such a difference in my life in the small ways that somehow make a very big difference. Thank you so much, I cannot express how much your inspiration and encouragement mean to me.
Yeah..I get the coffee set up for the morning also..found out it helps when you're too tired to get it ready in the morning. Less stuff to think of in the morning..lol
Diane, you are so encouraging. But I haven't seen any videos for those of us who work an evening shift. I bolt out the door for work so I don't seem to be able to have much of a routine there except for what it takes to get ready. When I have tried to clean the kitchen then I tend to run late🙄 When I come home, I hang up my lunch bag and get changed for bed. If I try to add here, I end up staying up too late. I wish I would have found someone like you when I was young and had a family. It's just me now so you would think it would be smoother. But I think it is more aggravating and depressing knowing it's only you. Without family or visitors during lock down motivation all went out the window.
Hi, Jo An! 👋😃🎥 I've made several RU-vid videos on that subject recently...check out my Flylady Refresher Course series: ru-vid.com/group/PLxIYCyTLBED-1vdMwaAhm7Z_3Br__gals
Hi Diane Happy Summer! Yes the evening routines has helped me so much. First, it settles me down and closes out the day. Second, it sets me up for success the next day - dress, breakfast on time, meals, etc. Third and most importantly it gives me the time I wanted in the am for morning routines, the daily TV mass, and reading my scripture to start the day. Thanks so much for your support. If you have time this fall please share advice on routines at work too. I have settled into good routines at home but am having trouble in my work day! Just a suggestion!
This was a great one Diane! I needed a Fly Lady refresher and this has really perked me up! Great to see your coaching! Will check that out. Thanks again! 🙏💕 XX
Hi Diane, thank you for this video, big life changes for me . Just getting settled in my new home . Really need to get back into my routines. Still gradually unpacking boxes, not doing too much at the moment as the decorators are coming next week, so after they have been I will be buying some bedroom furniture. We had fitted wardrobes in our last house. IKEA here I come? 😂
Diane, I am trying to cultivate Hygge in my life, but we've just moved and there's boxes stacked up in our living room.I can go through only one a day because I work 50 hours a week. I have some candles, some soft music to play, great books and a few good movies. It's still much too hot to wear sweaters, unfortunately. I know it's very important to slow down and savor the moment, but I always feel far behind on things.
You’re right Diane, it does always feel good to do your routines and set yourself up for success the next day! I never regret it. Although I don’t think I could say the same about a dip in the freezing ocean like you - I think I would definitely regret that 😂
Hi Diane. Another great video - I love my morning and evening routines. As I have porridge for breakfast everyday I even put the milk in the oats during my evening routine and leave in the fridge overnight so all I need to do is microwave for 2 mins in the am. Two weeks to school hols Diane so I will be off for 6 weeks and want to totally smash flylady - I want to declutter the whole house and do my routines BUT as it is the hols I also need to chill and enjoy the down time - do you have any advice for me how I can achieve both.
Yes, lots of advice in this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jiBG1Ewo4Q8.html and make sure to use a timer or alarms so you can switch between activities!
Dear Diane, dear all - one thing I really struggle with when it comes to my routines is that terrible feeling that they too are another "job" I have to get done. So for example at night, when I am tired from my day job it feels as though I am coming home to yet another job, another to do list another thing to feel bad about when I do not accomplish it or maybe only some parts of it. Thinking about my why has not really helped yet...maybe somebody has advice on how to shift this mindset? Thank you!
What I’ve heard for helping with this involves changing your mental narrative. So instead of thinking “I have to clean the kitchen.” you tell yourself “I DESERVE a clean kitchen.” Another way of thinking about it is in reference to future you and how future you will feel if you do or don’t do the task. Future you will thank former you for taking care of those tasks and making your day easier, e.g. “Thanks last-night me for doing the dishes. It’s so nice to have a clear sink to start the day.” A final thing I’ve heard is to practice gratitude while doing a task. So while you’re elbows-deep in doing the dishes, you reframe your mental narrative from “I hate doing the dishes, etc.” to telling yourself you’re grateful that you have dishes to wash, because it means you have something nice to serve meals on to your family, easy access to the things that allow you to keep a clean home (soap, running water), etc. Not sure that I explained it well, but hopefully you get the idea. It isn’t the easiest thing to do, but when I’ve tried doing it because I find myself grumbling about all the work I’m doing, nobody helping me, etc., it really does help to put me in a better place mentally. And finally, as far as feeling bad about not accomplishing things or only parts of what I wanted to do, I struggle with this too. I try to remember that I’m not a machine, I’m a human being doing the best I can, and tomorrow is another day. I hope this helps you a little!
Hi Bella! Andrea has given you lots of wonderful advice. It really is all about making sure we "enjoy" doing the routine and being aware of how it helps us (see my tips in the video).
Yes, these systems are so helpful during menopause! 👋😃🎥 I've made several RU-vid videos on adapting routines to different situations and periods of life...check out my Flylady Refresher Course series: ru-vid.com/group/PLxIYCyTLBED-1vdMwaAhm7Z_3Br__gals
Could you recommend a good book on Hygge I would like to learn more about it. I need relaxation in my life. My husband passed away in 2020 and I am trying to declutter stuff that he wouldn't led me. I have the down stairs done although as I'm cleaning I continue to declutter each room. I want each room to give me peace.
Please...I'd sure love to be picked for this month's giveaway. I've been following your videos for a long time now, but seem to live in a constant state of clutter regardless. : (