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No Flitting
By Daryl Hoole

We've found the enemy! The “enemy” to successful home management, that is. In fact, there are at least four such enemies — situations and/or patterns that interfere with the smooth operation of a household.

Three of these enemies have already been addressed in Meridian columns. Enemy #1 is having too much stuff . Many of us have been besieged by an epidemic of over-consumption. We are buying too much and throwing or giving away too little. Our houses are bulging with clutter as a result. For more information on this, click on “Order, A Heaven-made Law” and “Winning the Paper War”.

Enemy #2 is making two jobs out of one. In other words, avoid making work for yourself by losing things to have to find them, by messing things up to have to straighten them, and by spilling on things to have to clean them . To learn more about this aspect of efficiency, click on “Power Phrases — Powerful Principles”.

Enemy #3 is failing to delegate responsibilities to other family members. Don't try to do it all, all by yourself. Someone summed up the situation well by saying: “All hands on deck or mother will sink!” For suggestions about encouraging children to help in the home, click on “Twenty Tips for Teaching Children to Work”, “Teenagers and Household Tasks — Motivating Teens to Help at Home”, and “Age-Appropriate Chores for Children.”

Enemy #4 is flitting . Flitting is going about your household duties in a hit-and-miss fashion instead of sticking to a task until it's completed. Flitting plagues many home managers to some extent. It is this topic I'm addressing here today.

At best, there are dozens of interruptions in a homemaker's day. It's helpful to avoid falling into the habit of interrupting yourself, as the following verse by my sister points out:

Flitting

One morning I woke and began resolutely
To work till my tasks were done absolutely.
I decided I would not waste even a minute —
In the race against time, I determined to win it.

I started all right, first clearing the dishes,
Then noticed it time to clean the bowl for the fishes.
As I reached for the cleanser, I thought that I'd better
Grab Woolite as well for washing a sweater.

As I went for the sweater, I saw that the bed
Needed straightening, so I stopped to do that instead.
Just then the phone rang, and while answering it,
I saw plants on the sill that needed watering a bit.

So went my day, and I worked till bone tired;
Then happy and proud, I sat back and admired.
But taking stock of my home, my joy soon diminished;
Everything was started, but nothing was finished.

— Donette V. Ockey

It can be relatively easy to overcome the problem of flitting. Of the four “enemies” of home management, this one is probably the easiest for most homemakers to conquer. Consider the following three suggestions for doing so:

Develop an awareness of the problem — sit back and watch yourself in action, so to speak.
Recognition and awareness play a significant role in the solution to many problems in our lives, both minor as well as major ones. Once a problem has been identified, our efforts are more focused and it becomes easier to solve it by learning to control and manage it. This principle was brought to our attention in a humorous way years ago by one of our young children.
Nancy, age 4, didn't speak plainly, so we engaged the services of a speech therapist. A few months later Nancy entered the house after a lesson with a burst of enthusiasm, exclaiming, “My speech teacher says I have only one more ‘yetter' to ‘yearn.' It wasn't long before Nancy was speaking clearly.
Work from a plan. Make a list and follow it as far as is practical.
The old cliché, “plan your work and work your plan” has been going around for a long time. But the truth of the statement is what perpetuates it. (Click on “Do Today's Work Today” for helpful tips in lining up your tasks for the quickest and most effective way to complete your household duties.)
Wear clothing that has deep pockets or carry a small caddy with you.
In addition to sticking to the job through sheer discipline and determination, wearing a cobbler apron or some other type of clothing that has deep pockets can help control the flitting. Or, you may wish to carry a small caddy with you as you go about your housework.
You can use one apron pocket for items to put away, the other for things to throw away. The caddy also has sections for throw-away and put-away items. In addition, the caddy allows you to carry cleaning supplies with you, thus saving steps as well as helping you keep on task.

So, if flitting is a problem for you, do away with this Enemy #4. You'll be rewarded with a less tiring and a more productive, satisfying day. It's one of the ways to more successful home management.

* * * * * * *

Daryl will be the guest speaker at the Alaska Wasilla Stake Women's Conference, August 3-4, at the Wasilla Stake Center located at 901 E. Bogard in Wasilla, Alaska. The conference will begin Friday, August 3 rd , at 12:45 p.m. and continue through Saturday, August 4 th until 2:30 p.m. For further information, contact Sr. Mardene Collins at mardene@mtaonline.net.

* * * * * * *

Look for Daryl Hoole at BYU Education Week, August 20-24. She will be speaking each day of the conference from 9:50-10:45 at the Wilkinson Student Center, room 3228.

Do You Need H.E.L.P.?
Home Executive Lessons and Principles
By Daryl Hoole

Note: In addition to my monthly column on home management and family living that appears on Meridian the second Monday of each month, I'm pleased to respond to your concerns in a “Question and Answer” format the fourth Monday of each month. Please submit your questions to me, Daryl, at ask@theartofhomemaking.com. It isn't feasible for Meridian to handle all the questions that come to me, so I'm addressing other questions and including additional information on my personal website, www.theartofhomemaking.com.

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About the Author:

Daryl Hoole has written and lectured extensively on home management and family living. She authored six books, including the long-term, best-selling The Art of Homemaking. Recently her new book The Ultimate Career — The Art of Homemaking for Today was published and is being enthusiastically received. She has been in demand as a speaker for women’s groups throughout the United States and Canada and has spoken at Education Weeks for over twenty-five years. She has served in all the Church auxiliaries and was a member of the Primary General Board. She fulfilled two missions to The Netherlands, once when her father was mission president and later when her husband presided over that mission. In addition, she and her husband recently served a third mission in Asia as area welfare-humanitarian administrators, based in Hong Kong. Daryl and her husband, Hendricus (Hank), are the parents of eight living children and the grandparents of thirty-six. She currently serves with her husband as a member of the Young Single Adult Coordinating Council of the Bonneville Region in the Salt Lake City area.