Get Your Home in Shape with Flylady 31 Baby Steps

Day 28 – Take Time for Yourself

Today is fun – we are going to take time to do something special for ourselves! What did you end up making for dinner yesterday? Was it easier to plan it ahead of time?

Flylady 31 Baby Steps - Day 28 - Take Time for Yourself

Let's review our daily habits! How are they going for you? Remember, this about progress not perfection, so no beating yourself up or allowing shame to creep in. Just do your best, and some days, that may only look like getting out of bed and getting dressed.

Morning Routine

  • Make your bed
  • Get dressed to shoes
  • Check your daily routines in your home management binder
  • Check your email for the next baby step – done!
  • Become aware of a few of your negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones
  • Hot Spot – set your timer for two minutes to tackle one hot spot
  • Room Rescue – set your timer for five minutes to do a room rescue
  • Clean – set your timer for 15 minutes and clean (or declutter) one area
  • Do a quick swish and swipe in your main bathroom
  • Make a plan for tonight's dinner
  • Start a load of laundry

Afternoon Routine

  • Eat lunch and drink your water
  • Start Dinner

Evening Routine

  • Shine the kitchen sink
  • Finish the load of laundry
  • Plan your outfit for the next day at bedtime
  • Set your timer for two minutes to tackle one hot spot
  • Look at your home management binder checklists for tomorrow
  • Go to bed at a good time!

As moms, we can get so busy taking care of our families that we forget to do even very basic things for ourselves like get dressed, comb or fix our hair, brush our teeth, drink water, eat healthy food, or do something we enjoy.

Today I want you to take your timer, set it for 15 minutes, and do one thing today for yourself. That might be to paint your nails or toenails, put on some makeup while listening to your favorite podcast or music, sit in a chair with a cozy blanket and read a chapter of a book or a fun magazine, go for a walk, do some stretching or yoga, light a few candles and just sit and relax…anything goes! 

We cannot pour from empty cups – it is imperative that we take care of ourselves. If you're in the habit of this already – GREAT! If not, I suggest adding a “15 Minutes for Self Care Time” to your morning, afternoon or evening routine. You might want to add it to all three if you're going through a particularly difficult or challenging time right now. 

Here's what Marla Cilley, the Flylady, says about pampering ourselves:

Giving yourself permission to pamper is one of the most difficult habits you will ever learn. When you realize you are important enough to indulge in something that is good for you, will rejuvenate and recharge your batteries and make you feel wonderful, you are truly learning to FLY. Our pamper guest bloggers will help you find the motivation to take time for yourself. Don't forget the most important concept of this habit: If you don't take care of yourself you won't be able to take care of anyone else.

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12 Comments

  1. Love the 2 minutes! I’m not much of a visual cluttered. I put everything in drawers! Haha. So I cleaned the 2 drawers of my China cabinet. 2 minutes each drawer. Just doing this everyday will help me get rid of a lot of junk!

  2. After team driving with my husband and only being home 24 hours a week for 5yrs. Im finally home now with granddaughters… & the awful, chaotic, mess of a house. So very grateful to find your page. Im so overwhelmed and squirrel with a thousand other things i need to clean. I have true hope now to have a real organized & clean home to enjoy!

  3. I have taken to replacing most of the shoulds with coulds . Ex: I should do the dishes/I could do the dishes. Thanks to my French friends for their inspiration! (Other Europeans as well.)

  4. In addition to putting washcloths and dish towels into the laundry every day I also add pillowcases. Helps keep the sweat and whatever else emerges in the night off the face!

  5. My grandmother and all her friends always dressed in the morning. Down to a nice necklace. Our Mom as well. No slobby sweatpants!

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