I went to Google.com and did a search on "FlyLady" and got back 73 pages of search results listings, not 73 listings, 73 pages of listings. FlyLady has been written up in major magazines, interviewed on radio and TV, holds what she calls Fly Fests in different locations around the USA, conducts an Internet radio show, and has a top selling book, Sink Reflections. Everywhere she goes she is met by adoring admirers, FlyBabies, she calls them. 
Why is this woman the patron saint of women, and men too, who have taken up her program for getting their homes clean and possessions and work organized via her simple and specific principles and routines? I've given this quite a bit of thought since I became a student of everything FlyLady and found that much of it works for me. I like to observe whoever and whatever works and try to figure out how and why it works, and what I can learn from it beyond obvious benefits.
1. FlyLady, Marla Cilley, is the real thing. She is genuine, open, and brutally honest about her own life. She's a passionate and emotional being, and doesn't hide it, she let's it all hang out for everyone to see. As a result, she's believable. When she says something people listen.
2. Marla's routines and information are simple, direct, and easy to do. She starts small, and is very specific about what beginners are supposed to do. It's hard to fail with Marla's instruction.
3. She genuinely loves her subscribers. She has profound sympathy for their plight. But that doesn't mean she's going to be soft and fluffy about it. She's the top sergeant of the domicile, no whining, no complaining, but with a heart of gold.
4. She doesn't put on airs. Marla is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get).
5. It's all free. Her web site http://www.flylady.net is full of good practical information, including free downloads of her specialized "control journals." Those control journals are for filling out with your own personally customized versions of Marla's routines, and for special purposes like holiday planning and emergency/disaster preparedness.
6. She responds to reader requests for products and aids to enhance the FlyLady experience and to do practical work. Her for sale products are of high quality, and order fulfillment is swift.
7. Subscribers feel that they are a part of a culture, a group of like minded yet diverse subscribers who help each other with mutual support. This happens via testimonials sent to Marla's main email list, and also through the large number of Yahoo Groups FlyLady related discussion lists, 622 of them, as I write this.
You might say that the FlyLady endeavor has quality, contact, camaraderie, personality, trustworthiness, and commonality. It's also a great example of thoroughly exploiting a niche.
With all this, it's no wonder FlyLady is popular. I used to recommend FlyLady to just about everyone who would listen, online and off. But, I'm having my doubts, or rather I'm adding qualifying cautions to my recommendations now. I'll tell you why, and what I've learned from my observations in the next post.
FlyLady and her crew, are people that have helped bring this 'CHOAS' situation out in the open. Being more aware of my situation, journey, emotions, and having more rules, better habits and routines to make my life, emotions and environment better.
I've been at this new way of living for almost 5 years (January 2007) of making a plan and following through and decluttering not being so distracted by other's problems.
My comment, suggestion was that the FlyLady 'clingy' didn't seem appropriate for me. I am a very positive person and not a fisherman or a person with wings. I suggested another clingy.
I am obese, sickly, and could also be FlyLady's sis.
When I requested the 'body cutter word' put in the subject line so I could read about it through the daily digests was also told that they wouldn't do that.
So although I'm doing much better than 5 years ago, the advertising on each testimonial almost makes me ill.
I don't want anything in my home that I don't absolutely love, and can use including the clinging of the flying fisherwomen.
I'm on several sites where we talk about FLYLady things. Change is what happens when things aren't working as best as it should be.
We can't predict the future but we know what didn't work in the past.
I can see now that being better organized and having learned rules and changing my way of thinking has helped even my relationships.
I realize now that the immature person inside of me, 'My inner brat' is more under control now than ever. Just being aware that the procrasinator/shopper in me has a name, and that I can control my situtation by the way I think.
Emotions, I'm not behind but the weather is catching up to me, my garden needs to get to bed now, before the snow flies like just four hours away from me.
Posted by: Lynn A | Monday, October 16, 2006 at 09:36 AM