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

*I preordered this book, but also got to read an advance copy as part of the launch team.* I am still reading this book, but so far am loving it - here's why: 1. I have followed Dana White's blog for a couple of months and her podcast for a couple years now, so a lot of the mindset ideas aren't new. That said, I still connect to many of them in a deep way. And it is so vital for me to hear again and again - because changing the way I think and perceive the world around me takes time. And it takes effort. And it takes intentionality on my part - intentionality as I immerse myself in materials that help me to change my mindset. And this book is one of those materials for me. Some parts I connected to: "When I tried to declutter, I examined each item, attempting to assess its value to my current life, my family’s current life, and our future life as a whole. I analyzed the importance of each and every item, trying to predict how much I’d use it if I kept it or how much regret I’d feel if I purged it." Yep. Definitely have done that. And felt so frustrated at how draining it is to go through, item by item, trying to assess that value before deciding whether I can possibly live without it. "I can successfully not see a mess, even a fairly horrific one, until the doorbell rings. But, strangely, I do see clear spaces. Clear spaces make me happy every time I walk past them, and that is the biggest reason I have to follow the Visibility Rule." So true! It's amazing how easy it is to ignore the messes. And yet, when it's clean, it feels so good! "Every time I decluttered kids’ clothing, I ended up with an entire bed covered in piles. And no one could help me because I was the only one who understood my nuanced system...Worst of all, my effort often made my home look worse. Piles and stacks sat in the open, waiting for their Ideal Decluttering Method to happen." And once again, it's like she's lived my life. 2. Also, I love Dana's humor. Here are some examples of parts that made me smile, or even laugh out loud: "Some data is real, but most is experiential...Unless I specifically say where I got that number, I probably made it up...I taught theatre arts, so numbers mostly serve as dramatic effect for me." "Here’s how it works. The only supplies you need to start decluttering are a black trash bag (black, so people living in your house won’t be able to see what’s inside and suddenly remember why they totally need it), a donatable Donate Box (the box itself has to leave the house along with the stuff inside), and your feet (in most cases, attached to the ends of your legs)." 3. Finally - and most importantly - her tips just make sense. They are practical. And they actually help me get stuff out of my home. "The decision became, “Do I like this more than that?” Favorite things got first dibs at container space. Things I liked (but weren’t favorites) could totally stay, guilt-free, as long as there was space. Things that didn’t have a current purpose or need didn’t get to stay, and I didn’t even feel bad about that. There simply wasn’t space." "Shouldn’t I use my decluttering energy on real decluttering instead of on these tedious daily things? Yes, except this daily stuff is clutter because you haven’t been dealing with it daily. If you dive into the tough decluttering stuff and ignore the procrasticlutter, you’ll feel like your efforts were wasted even though you worked all day. The room will still look messy." "Here’s the thing I’ve realized as I have decided to use things instead of store them: once I use things, I use them up, and then the pain of decluttering isn’t so harsh." Like I said above, I haven't finished the book yet. But I would still wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who has felt like they've tried to declutter, tried to organize, tried to get their home looking presentable, and just haven't felt like their efforts have made a lasting difference.

Decluttering At the Speed of Life by Dana K. White, the author of the blog A Slob Comes Clean is a well written, funny, engaging read for anyone who has ever struggled with too much stuff. This is written by someone who admits to having a history of clutter and excess in her house so that she was unable to enjoy her home. This is different from any other home organizing or decluttering book that I have ever read because its written from the perspective of someone like me. Most other “experts” are naturally organized or minimalists. It is refreshing to hear from someone who had the same struggles that I have and has found a way to conquer the clutter and lived to tell about it. That gives me hope. Following her guidelines from her blog and her first Book “How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind” gave me a great start with strategies that actually work for me. This new book goes more in-depth into those strategies in a way that is entertaining, non-judgmental and easy to understand and implement. The book has four sections that talk about building a decluttering mindset, decluttering room by room, helping others declutter and special circumstances in decluttering. One of my biggest takeaways from this book is to focus on less and be excited about better. I don’t have to do it all in one day, or one week. Using her strategies that don’t make a bigger mess in the process allows me to declutter for five minutes, an hour or all day and always see visible progress. That visible progress gives me decluttering momentum that helps me continue to make a positive difference in my home for me and my family. “The goal is less. Any decluttering project that ends with less than you had when you started is a success.” P 179 If you have ever struggled with too much stuff in your home, I recommend reading Decluttering At The Speed of Life by Dana K White aka A Slob Comes Clean. She presents simple strategies that are easy to do and easy to see progress. I received an advance copy of this book after I pre-ordered in order to give my honest review. This review is 100% mine and I would’ve said the same things even if I had waited until my preorder copy I purchased arrived.

I have not liked at all. She speaks only about her and her family, not to a general public. She IS very pleasant of knowing herself. Her examples are silly and repetitive. Her way to write is childlish. I would not recomend this to anyone. It is a total waste of money.

いろいろ片付け本読んだけどこれは役に立ちます。文章も面白く読める。

I loved the lighthearted yet knowledgeable approach. No checklists, no guilt trips, no soul-searching, and no hauling everything out into a pile! This book is great, and Dana's approach works whether you have 5 minutes at a time, or all day to tackle the mess. Just what I needed.

A good read for those who need a little help to tidy up their homes. If you’re looking to dig a little deeper and try to release some stuff BEYOND physical clutter and change your behavior towards consumerism, this is not what this book is about… unfortunately for me.

Me identifique con cada uno de sus ejemplos, tiene gracia y te inspira a empezar ya. Gracias a sus libros he comenzado a ver cambios en mi hogar.