Book Review: "Sink Reflections"

If you have ever searched online for home organization information or how to organize clutter, you have probably at some point run across an article written by the "FlyLady" or even visited her web site FlyLady.net. She started her web site back in 2001, when I was also fairly new to the Internet, and I still remember people raving about the "FlyLady" and talking about "FlyBabies".

Marla Cilley, aka "FlyLady", has been a lifesaver for people struggling with disorganization. She wrote a very popular book called Sink Reflections, that goes along with information she has on her web site.

I had seen the book before, but had not taken the time to read it. It was published in 2002, and I just ran across a copy of it at our local library, so I decided to finally take a look at it.

I don't consider myself to be a chronically disorganized person. A lot of the people who she is addressing are people who have homes they will never invite people into, people who have rooms in their home they can't even walk through. If you are one of these people, you will love this book! Even if your clutter hasn't gotten this out of control, this book contains a lot of helpful organization tips.

The main problem I struggle with is establishing routines. I get the work done, but it is not consistent, and is often a source of stress for me. Marla says you can actually find JOY in your daily routines. Now that is something I need!

I will write more on this as I start to establish my new routines, but I just wanted to touch on some main points of this book.

Marla talks a lot about how a wife and/or mom set the tone for the home. Basically, if mom is cranky, everyone else will get cranky too! This is so true. If mom is constantly complaining about everything she has to do then this affects the rest of the family.

Not only are daily and weekly routines important, but so is taking care of yourself. If you are not getting enough sleep, exercising, and taking good care of yourself, you are likely not fully able to take care of others either. This book gives a lot of easy, practical tips to help ensure your needs are also met so you can better take care of your family.

Routines are very important. Marla says that once you get yourself (or your children, for that matter) into a routine, that you will automatically go through your routines without even really thinking about it. It's just something you do.

What I will be working on is a morning routine, an evening routine, and then weekly routines. Marla has a plan for working on different areas of your home at different times so that you are not always trying to clean your whole house, you are doing it a little at a time, but nothing gets missed. If you have your tasks written down and can check them off, you will know they are done.

Do you work outside the home, or are you a stay-at-home mom? It doesn't matter. You can create a routine that suits you and your family's needs.

What a lot of people like about this book is the baby steps that Marla encourages. Anyone can do this. If your house is completely out of control, it will take you longer, but you CAN do it, with baby steps. She encourages you all along the way.

If you want your household to run more smoothly, then I highly recommend you read this book. I will write more about it as I implement my new daily routines.

If you purchase this book from Amazon, you can get a used copy for less than $3, and they also have an edition for your Kindle.

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