Life skills thread with instructions?

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The budgeting thread gave me an idea. Why not have a thread somewhere with basic life skills on it and explicit instructions? People who know how to do them can post them. Lots of people NT's as well as us, move out and don't know how to do some things. Instead of trying to figure it out, or do without etc, why not have a group effort of things that those who can do them can post instructions for?

Not so much social things, but things like cooking, and cleaning, and changing a tire, and how to unclog a drain, etc. I'll be happy to post a few cooking and cleaning things. Are there others here who would be interested in posting some skills that the rest of us may not have?

Frances

That's a nice idea! Unfortunately my problem is "starting doing something", I have pretty good skills.... For instance I know exactly how to organise my papers, I know how to go about paying my bills on time, etc, doesn't mean those things actually do get done.....
But still, I like the idea!

This sounds like an excellent idea.

I don't know how to do a lot of things, or I know how to do them very badly.

I would be glad to post instructions for cooking and cleaning. If someone tells me what they want to cook, I will send the instructions. Also for housework. What things should I put in it? Should I start with something like bacon and eggs, or maybe meatloaf, or hamburgers?

What things would you like to know how to do that others might know and could tell you?

The things I don't know how to do, my husband usually knows, or one of my kids do, so I just let them do it and don't bother asking them how they did it.

Frances

I have been getting around to doing some chores now for, ohhh the last..errr...10 hours. At some point before bedtime I actually hope to get started on them but I did promise myself that 3 days ago and now its 3 days later so...

I know a couple of good websites for your thread. Just let me know if you need them

Have either of you tried the "15 minute method"? It's where when you have to start something you dread doing, and as long as it's not something you have to finish completely once you start, like washing the dog, you can do it in 15 minute increments? This helps me when I'm depressed or tired etc. I got it from FlyLady.

The premise behind it is that you can deal with doing anything for 15 minutes, so set a timer. Do not plan on doing more than 15 minutes. Have an idea of something you want to do on a break already planned. Set the timer for 15 minutes and start. Turn on music or whatever if you want. When the 15 minutes is up, stop. Sit down. Know that you started it. Take your break. I plan how long of a break I will be on. Usually I'm on a break long enough to smoke a cigarette, or if I'm out of cigs, I will read a certain number of posts on this forum or the housekeeping forum I'm on. Then I get back up and do 15 more minutes.

Frances

I was on flylady for around a year, my house was SPOTLESS. It's a very effective method for us, I should get back on it..... I'm getting back tomorrow morning. My sink is going to shine, baby! Thanks for reminding me of this!!

Most life skills can NOT be learned through an instructions Manual.

It may be helpful for something like budgeting but not cooking,cleaning or yard work.
If you want to find recipes go to AllRecipes.com. It will be the same exact thing but better than this thread.
I need to learn how to drive,find work and move out of my parents house.
An instruction Manual would never help me with any of that.

Yes, it will help with cooking, cleaning and yard work!

Allrecipes doesn't help if you don't have the basic skills. Since it's the exact same thing as this thread would be, without Googling, would you tell me how to "proof the yeast" or "bring the mixture to the soft ball stage"??

How to learn to drive, I would suggest a driving school or a patient friend. Find work, I would suggest an employment agency if not the state office or want ads, and move out of your parents house, I'd suggest being as smarmy to them as you were when you said that Allrecipes would be betterthan this thread, and do that on a regular basis with them and you'll be moving out without plans to do it!

Everybody has different skills and different deficiets of skills. Just because you or I might be able to do allrecipes doesn't mean all people here would. Just because you or someone else might be able to find a Chilton's online to tell them how to do something to their car, doesn't mean everybody here would. Etc, etc, etc. I'm talking about sharing practical skills that everybody needs.


Frances

I like FlyLady, but I'm NOT doing shoes! I also didn't like the "Flying Barefoot" groups as much either because they all seemed to be a bit "legalistic" as we say in church lol! However, if it works for you, go for it girl! I am on a great housekeeping forum for messy folks, hoarders, and those who have let things go for too long. It's for everyone. Those whose things go to crap at home when they can't be on top of it all the time and it's just messy, those who have a hoarding problem, and those who have depression etc who at times end up with squalor of different degrees because of that. If you PM me, I'll be glad to give you the link.

Frances

I checked out Flylady a few months ago (well, nearly a year ago) and it made my head explode from confusion.

I like the idea though, and may look again. Part of the problem I think is that I am responsible for a lot less than Flylady is about, so filtering down to the things I do need to do added too much personal processing to the mix.

Callista also has some excellent posts on her blog about dealing with organization and cleaning.

I started the thread. I put up a meatloaf recipe. I wrote it down like I would for my daughters if they were making it for the first time. I also included a regular recipe for it at the bottom of the post. It's very long and once I start explaining things, I overexplain. That might have been too much, because as long as that post is, it probably takes less time to put it together than it does to read that post.

As to the poster who said they are responsible for less than FlyLady and had trouble filtering, that's exactly the kind of question that I thought that thread would be good for. As someone how to do - list your responsibilities - and try their way. It may work, it may not work. If you find another way that works, list it on the thread.

Frances

I think this is a good idea.

I am particularly interested in cooking, but have serious trouble with following recipes - they're usually written for experienced users by the look of it.

I am interested in methods while cooking and also measures which I think may help a lot of people if they're in the same situation as me (although measures is something that varies between countries). For example I thought a garlic clove was a full garlic bulb - I am going to make a recipe that requires 2 cloves - I was going to put in two bulbs Until my mum explained that it's actually a segment.

I also wonder what home made foods can be frozen and for how long etc etc...

Last edited by MrJosh on 06 Dec 2011, 11:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I apologize if I offended you.

Last edited by artrat on 06 Dec 2011, 10:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I like the general idea, but I think that some people, including me, may have problems processing the verbal instructions.

Perhaps some artistics would like to make some picture stories for learning life skills? Picture stories with lots of pictures in exhaustive detail, of course.

Last edited by btbnnyr on 06 Dec 2011, 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.