Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff

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Some Lots of people think you shouldn’t say your own book is funny, but I’ve always been a laugh-at-my-own-jokes type. But I thought that especially when she is talking about kitchens and storage areas and clothing, there needed to be a specific discussion because those spaces have unique challenges. I saw people online mention they liked having it on when they are cleaning or going through the steps in the book. Now, a lot of that is about being stressed and feeling a time crunch but it also really hit at some very clear issues that the author mentions that I share and I related to so much of what she talks about as the whys.

This gets the motivation going, since you see your kitchen countertop more often than a closet or attic. This is a good decluttering book, though doesn't rise quite to the level some other decluttering books have, that I've read. All of that said, I got some really helpful tidbits I plan on implementing and I have a library hold placed on her other cleaning book, How to Manage Your Home without Losing Your Mind. I actually did this because I was so behind on reviewing books that I wanted something else to fill my listening time.

The approach was a non-emotional method of coming to terms with the space you live in and living within that space. The main thing I like about this book is that White doesn't make me feel guilty about how little I achieve. While you can only take responsibility for your own clutter, there are times when you need to know what to do about other people’s clutter. I didn’t implement it like it should have been though, probably because I don’t really have that level of clutter in my home.

But if you want a great start, I'd go straight to the books, which are more concise and more organized. My last book covered decluttering because decluttering is such an integral part of managing a home (without losing a mind). Add in paralyzing emotional attachments and constant life challenges, and it can feel almost impossible to make real decluttering progress. It took me a long time to get through this book, but it wasn’t due to the quality or lack of interest in the subject. And it was nice to not have to pretend that I could ever find useful a system wheee I would have to anthropomorphize all my stuff and thank my socks for their service and such.This book lays out the hard truths of a clean house but in a way that doesn't make me feel silly for not having embraced them before.

Her systems and questions can help anyone, whether you just have one embarrassing room or whether your house is floor to ceiling with excess stuff.

Did I really need to read yet another book full of tips and tricks that would leave me feeling worse?

Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Why would I care what they think about how I live, why would their opinion on how I live matter more than my own one? But I can say that the book is clear, and that the repetition that happens with each room can be annoying, but also great if you don't want to leaf back to the stepping point of decluttering. Author, Dana K White is the founder of the site, A Slob Comes Clean, and is someone who knows what it is to struggle with an overwhelming mess in her own home.

I have purchased so many decluttering books over the past few years trying to sort out my home once and for all, but not one of them spoke to me like this book! I found the reminders of how to navigate the complications of helping others to be where I hit pay dirt because I do share my living space with others and I have been asked to come help others or help clear out for others. While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, many of us simply can't purge it all and start from nothing. I identified with the author's stories about bringing more and more things into her house until pretty soon her house began to look like a storage unit.