User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This book was a lot more than I thought it would be and simply amazing. It did not only give you tricks and hacks on how to declutter your space, it helps you change your mindset on how you think about clutter and stuff. The psychology behind it makes sense and was a lot more helpful than just giving out tricks of the decluttering. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend this book for anyone struggling to come up for air from beneath their mountains of stuff.
Rating: really liked it
This is a good decluttering book, though doesn't rise quite to the level some other decluttering books have, that I've read. 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.
Still, onto the book: it starts with finding the decluttering mindset and its realizations. Next we move through many rooms (or parts of the room, if your hobby-place is not a room but a corner in a (living) room), then talk about helping others - which should come after you've done your own decluttering, helps to make people see you can do it - and what to do when you're about to move, or are cleaning your loved one's home after their death. Finally we get to the useful points on how to keep going doing the occasional decluttering etc., after you have finished your big decluttering life-paced project on your home.
The steps are: 1. trash, 2. easy stuff, 3. the duhs, 4. asking the 2 questions (if I needed this item, where would I look for it? + if I needed this item, would I remember having it?), 5. make it fit into a container (shelf, box, cupboard, etc.).
Her way of talking through this is quite humorous even when you don't completely relate to it (fe. I have a messy home, but not on her level of messiness haha), and her advice of doing the decluttering in your own rhythm is nice. Here I also learned of T-shirt quilting (!) and that a home is a container, too. The chapter on letting other people help with decluttering your home when you have movement/health limits was good even if it doesn't apply to me (yet). The kids section didn't talk much about what happens when the kid turns into a teen though.
There was a lot of good, though I do think you could do well borrowing it first. There is repetition, and not all points apply to all people. Minimal annoyance at her opinions was a plus. A thinner book squeezing the points in would've been a better container for her message, but in the end, this book was helpful and an easy read.
Rating: really liked it
This was exactly what I needed this week--an inspirational book to spur me to get a few things done around the house. I took a week off to do things like tackle my laundry mountain, tame the paper piles, do some pre-emptive cooking, and generally clean & reorganize some of the corners of my home that have been driving me crazy.
Generally speaking, I find White’s advice to be very practical. Start with the easy stuff--take out the garbage, do the recycling, move as many of the things as you can without having to make big decisions. It needs to be done so just do it.
She also has you ask yourself a practical question: if I was looking for this, where would I look first? Then go put that thing there. Question two I found a bit iffy: Would I even remember that I had this if I needed one? Maybe its an indication that I really am on the verge of being contained and organized that I’m pretty sure I’m secure in the knowledge of what I own and where it lives.
I did love (and am stealing) her term for this work: deslobification. That’s exactly what I’m engaged in. Her other wonderful word is procrasticlutter. You know, that stuff that sits on the table, in the hallway, in your bedroom, etc. waiting for you to do it and then put it away. I am awful about this kind of thing, procrastinator that I am!
Another concept that I will be grateful for as I move forward is that of a shelf or a closet as a container. Yes, I can have such-and-such a number of some thing--but only as much as the drawer or the shelf will contain. When the container is full, you must choose your favourites and then let go of the rest. A wonderful way to limit oneself!
Between this book and a bit of journaling (which I’ve also had time for this week) I’ve come to realize how much progress I’ve made in the organizing of my household and I’m feeling quite optimistic about it.
Recommended as an inspirational text when you need a boost towards your household goals.
Rating: really liked it
This paperback caught my eye at Costco a few weeks ago because I thought the title was "Decluttering at the Speed of Light." Who wouldn't want to do that! I enthusiastically purchased it and went home with high hopes. I was a little less enthusiastic when I realized that the title was a more realistic one, "Decluttering at the Speed of Life." But that works too!
This book hooked me with its opening sentences:
"Hello. My name is Dana, and I am a Decluttering Expert. That sentence makes me laugh. And cringe. . . .
I'm a Decluttering Expert because I have decluttered. I have purged my home of literal truckloads of junk. I have opened random doors and slammed them shut, feeling completely and totally overwhelmed, and then opened them again and worked my way through the clutter inside."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. However, unlike the author, who before hitting "rock bottom," kept buying bigger and bigger houses to store all her things, we have lived in the same house for 32 years. You can only imagine!
I know many people love the Marie Kondo books, but I couldn't get into her "spark joy" mantra because if I had to touch every item in my house to see if it sparks joy, I would never finish decluttering; actually, I wouldn't even start. Dana White's book, on the other hand, approaches decluttering from a more hard-nosed, realistic standpoint - will your stuff fit comfortably in the space that you have. She calls it "the container concept."
White has you look at your living space as a series of containers - your house is a container, each room is a container, your closets are containers, your cabinets, chests of drawers and desks are containers, etc. When you run out of room in these containers, you can't bring anything else in unless you get rid of something.
However, first you have to declutter what you have! Starting with the most visible areas, White goes through a series of simple steps, room by room, to help you achieve this. Some of her advice is familiar - the three different piles - one to keep, one to trash, one to donate. She makes it clear that decluttering is not organizing or "stuff shifting." Decluttering is simply getting rid of stuff starting first with the most visible spaces in your house.
She explains the container concept, for instance, with an overflowing container of scarves. White has you fill the container with your favorite scarves first. Those that don't fit are put in your donation pile. I tried this on my overflowing coffee mug shelf and managed to get rid of only two mugs, but it's a start!
The main thing I like about this book is that White doesn't make me feel guilty about how little I achieve. She is very encouraging about any effort. "Decluttering is stuff you don't need leaving your house. . . . If five things leave or five hundred things leave, You've succeeded."
I plan to read this book a second time as it inspired me to actually donate six bags and boxes of household items to a local charity. However, six bags and boxes are not even the tip of the iceberg in my house.
Some of the later chapters might not pertain to everyone's situation (helping your children, parents, spouse declutter). However, the pertinent ones that take you on a decluttering journey of your house are definitely worth a shot - for me anyway. Just don't ask me to make all my books fit into their "containers!"
Dana White is also a blogger (A Slob Comes Clean) and a speaker. Her website is: https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/.
Rating: really liked it
:: March 2021 :: I revisited this primarily to reinject more zip into my zest for decluttering. The right mindset is all.
I'm making slow progress, astonishing my husband by suggesting we get rid of things he thought I considered "sacred". In 2017 we stumbled into a tiny Exhibit A of tidiness. Our laundry room is next to the attached garage. The dryer, next to the back door, would develop tottering piles, the launch pad for "stuff". We bought a new dryer in 2017 that had a sloping top. Nothing will stay on it if the dryer is in use! Bingo! Keeping that area clean *still* makes me smile in gratitude.
:: January 2021 :: Oh my, YES! This book came to me (thanks Robin!) exactly at the right time and mood. Dana White teaches her readers how to use five minutes or five hours to make a visible difference in clutter. This is NOT a take-everything-out-of-the-cupboard-and-make-a-big-mess method. She is not teaching how to organize your stuff, but how to get it out the door.
Her main idea is the Container Principle: seeing your closet, your refrigerator, your bookshelf, your bedroom, your pantry —hey, even your house—as a container.
It is the size it is. After preliminary tidying, you decide which stays according to the limits of your "container."
Dana used scarves as an example. I bounded out of bed and decluttered my scarf hanger. I realized that I never wore the huge, bulky, hand-made, six-foot gifts because they made me feel like a hippopotamus. I bustled them down to People Helping People while it is still scarf season. It felt SO good!
So enthused and enthralled with these thoughts, I made my husband sit. And listen. A naturally tidy man who excels at organization, he watched as I bubbled and squeaked. A look of puzzlement settled on his brow. He kept waiting for ... an epiphany.
Soooo, you limit what you keep to the size of your "container?" You had to read a book to learn that?! Oh, I love him.
My most challenging struggle
is/has been/will be with books. When my bibliophile friend Chris died last year, his parents offered me his library. He had 1100 books in his bedroom!! They live nine hours away, but photographed piles of books every day for weeks and put what I wanted in boxes. I have eleven boxes of books coming! My friend was a discerning and omnivorous reader. So. I am culling my current collection like a crazy woman.
I have been pondering limits lately. Eating, drinking, days of our lives, energy, strength, traveling. All tied in with acceptance and gratitude.
I paid the greatest compliment to
Decluttering...: immediately on finishing, I began again.
Rating: really liked it
DECLUTTERING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE: WINNING YOUR NEVER-ENDING BATTLE WITH STUFF by Dana K. White is an inspiring humorous book for anyone wanting to get rid of clutter. Dana distinguishes between cleaning and decluttering and has clearly identified the simple steps needed to succeed at decluttering, whether it is a closet, room, garage or a whole house filled from floor to ceiling.
The "5-minute tidy up" rule is one that I learned from my mother and practise daily.
This book is very timely with "spring cleaning" just around the corner. The two easy decluttering questions followed by the strategy of treating your bookshelf, closet or room as a 'container' should help you have a clutter-free house making it easy to clean.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Update (1/16/22): The author is on YouTube as well, under the name Dana K. White. If you're on the fence about reading her book, consider giving one of her YouTube videos a listen.
Update (1/11/21): It looks like this is a free Amazon Prime read!
I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who needs simple procedures - the key word is simple - for decluttering in a variety of situations. Dana K. White is a blogger and podcaster with lots of experience decluttering. I stumbled on her podcast a while back while looking for a decluttering podcast to try - my very first podcast! (I actually did this because I was so behind on reviewing books that I wanted something else to fill my listening time.) Her previous book, How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House's Dirty Little Secrets is about how to deal with "the daily stuff," as she puts it. This book focuses on how to deal with clutter in the home. She recommends getting the daily stuff under wraps first - and I agree - so if you are in need of a routine/system for keeping dishes/laundry/tidying under control, read that first book first!
I also highly recommend her podcast from her website, A Slob Comes Clean as another source of this information. But if you want a great start, I'd go straight to the books, which are more concise and more organized.
I was able to listen to this audiobook for free from my local library via Libby! I love my library!
Rating: really liked it
I read an ARC of this book through Net Galley, and while I did like it a lot, there are two reasons I didn't give it higher marks.
1. The price seems very high. I checked it out on Amazon and the print version is listed at $16.99, though it is currently at $13.76 (probably because other sellers are currently offering it cheaper, so Amazon is lowering the price until they sell or change their price). The Kindle version is $9.99 though, and that strikes me as an outrageous price for a black and white e-book with no graphics, photos or exceptional content.
2. Most of the book is the same content repeated again and again. It IS good advice, but it's advice that could easily be shared in a short blog post or two. The vast majority of this book seems like padding to make a book out of it. For instance, she takes her 5 steps and tells you how to do them in each room of the house. There are just different examples and different chatty stories.
The author's basic advice is to do 5 steps in decluttering:
Step 1: Trash (throw away obvious trash or recycling)
Step 2: Easy Stuff (things that obviously go somewhere else -- go put them there)
Step 3: Duh Clutter (things that are not a problem to donate because you either didn't realize you still had them or always hated them or have no problem getting rid of them)
Step 4: Ask the Decluttering Questions (1. If I needed this, where would I look for it? Take it there and put it there. 2. If I needed this, would it occur to me that I already have one? If not, donate it.)
Step 5: Make it Fit (Realize that your house is a container and your dressers, storage, closet, bookshelf, etc. are all containers too. You can only keep what fits in the container and anything extra needs to go. So put your favorite books on the bookshelf first and any extras go, for instance.)
She walks you through each of those steps in every room and also regarding other people (like helping elderly people clean out their houses).
I did really like her ideas and the container concept was REALLY helpful for me. All of her stories of her own cluttered home over the years and what helped were very helpful too. I also enjoyed the author's tone. There were also a few more instances of helpful advice, like she says to always start decluttering in the most visible public areas because it inspires you to keep going, you see it all the time and see how much nicer things look, and makes it easier for you to move on to having people over while you're working on more private areas.
In all, I do recommend the book if you can get it from the library or get it on sale. I think it would benefit from being severely chopped down to a smaller, more affordable book that takes less time to read, though, especially as it really comes down to a very small amount of very good advice.
Rating: really liked it
Good if you need inspiration and practical suggestions for decluttering. 4 stars for being helpful. A bit repetitive but she claims there is a reason for that. She also has a helpful section on the difference between regret and grief in decision making.
Rating: really liked it
Another terrific book by Dana!! If you need to delcutter (which you probably do), this is an excellent start guide! I listened to the audiobook which is read by Dana herself and it was perfect!
Rating: really liked it
For the last few years, I've been on a mission that I call 'Simplify'. This generic term covers all aspects of my life, but one of the primary ways has been a decluttering of my living space. I came across this title in my Prime Free reading options this month and I thought I'd see if there was more I could be doing or do it more efficiently in my ongoing pursuit of simplication through decluttering.
I really enjoyed the author's approach to the subject matter. She approaches this as a mental state of being- a decision that change must take place- and warns of the hardships ahead of parting company with 'treasures', but then she leaves the esoteric behind to provide a solid winning formula.
How do I know its solid? Well, (pats self on the back) I was already doing most of that with out the snazzy labels and steps and it was working. Okay, so I was doing a lot of it, but yes! Yippee! Woohoo! There were indeed some additional, practical steps and tips that I had not considered incorporating or that made some of the agony go away.
Without giving away the spoilery stuff (the actual formula- Decluttering at the Speed of Life), I'll say that she approaches her house in a layer approach: Daily Stuff, Clutter, and Cleaning. This book addresses that second layer of Clutter. Her formula involves a four-step process and is designed for any space and any amount of time frame so its flexible for each person's unique situation.
She suggests starting with the 'visible' and 'living areas' of the home first. This means where guests will see and where people do most of their living and are hampered by clutter. Her approach is simple- deal with the least agonizing (like trash or daily drop pile stuff) and working up to the big decision stuff. It's easiest in the living space rooms that guests see. Then progress to bedrooms, closets, and storage. Hobby or Craft or game rooms that are the most likely to be turned into dumping areas.
Incidentally, I thought a tip that was helpful about decluttering a space is to first determine it's function like in those guest/office/hobby rooms that end up catch-alls because the space hasn't been defined (and this makes it hard to oust the clutter because it has no set primary purpose).
She also carefully says not to deal with 'dream' clutter until the last. I thought this was interesting because I figured it would be best to clear a space and move to the next space. But, then I got it. Dream clutter is the toughest to let go of. It's best to start with the easiest to toss or donate and then get used to the idea and get used to the wonderful feel of functional space before heading into emotional attachment territory.
That leads me to say that she deals with our struggles with guilt when it comes to holding onto stuff. This can be pantry items because we feel guilty tossing food or clothes when someone may be going without. She kept bringing it back to 'will you eat it or wear it NOW?' No? then get rid of it. Leaving it on your shelf or in your closet is not doing that nameless needing person any good. Use the guilt to shop to intentionally meet actual needs and bring home less next time.
She also covers the guilt of keeping something put away that was gifted by a good friend or relation when you don't really like it and/or don't ever use it. Aunt Susie made those pot holders to be used. Grandma Anna is gone and won't know that you passed on her turkey platter because you prefer the one you bought. And, I saw myself doing 'x, y, z' rather than what your true reality is. Yep! This area was my big epiphany one.
She also addressed the Useful vs Actually Using issue which is another weak spot for me. If there isn't space and it isn't in immediate use then it must be donated. Freeing the space to use the things you actually use is more important than keeping tons of extra on the outside chance it will someday find use. This also led to the understanding of cutting clutter off before it even comes inside the door by not buying bulk or because its on sale for future potential use, but only if it will, in fact, be used.
Then, after going over her method and steps and how to address different types of household spaces, she went over how to deal with other's clutter. This was: friends, kids, older family, spouses, moving, and clearing out the home of someone gone. 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.
Through and through, this was practical and helpful. She has another book about getting organized around the house that sounded like it was a good pairing to go with this one. She also has a blog that might also be helpful. My takeaway is a sense of renewed motivation and plans for working at my goal smarter and not harder.
Rating: really liked it
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. The truth is I needed this book, but I wasn’t quite ready for it. I requested and received an ARC from NetGalley for this, and when I knew I couldn’t finish in a normal amount of time, I decided to just read in a way that was useful to me.
I enjoyed reading the author’s stories on her own struggles with clutter. It was cathartic. The approach was a non-emotional method of coming to terms with the space you live in and living within that space. It addressed the mentality of a person overrun with clutter. And I highlighted the crap out of it as a result.
An amazing bargain that ultimately makes my life more difficult isn’t an amazing bargain at all.
Having a floor I can walk across without tripping in the dark thrills my soul.This book was all about decluttering. It was not a book about organization. It went room by room following the same basic approach and considered each room’s unique challenges. She emphasized getting the excess out of the house and not dwelling on having a garage sale or trying eBay but donating or throwing it away, depending.
Throwing away food should hurt. Let the intense feeling of regret change how you shop in the future.
When I began decluttering like my sanity depended on it, I simply did not have time to use my complicated systems. I just donated.I enjoyed this book. The anecdotes made it relatable and entertaining. The non-nonsense frank approach made it tangible and realistic. Now I just need to really start utilizing the advice in it.
Rating: really liked it
Quite possibly the best book on decluttering that I have ever read. Not to mention, she's funny so it makes the subject matter that much more entertaining.
This author gets it. She's a mom. She has family and a busy life and other obligations. She doesn't have 2 weeks to dedicate to doing nothing but decluttering the entire house. You do what you can with the time you have, and as long as you are getting stuff out of your house, you are making progress.
I love her concept of determining your clutter threshold. And her process of starting with trash and easy stuff, then moving on to the things that require decisions. And starting with the visible areas, that was a big "aha" moment for me, and it makes so much sense. I loved this book and am planning to go back and purchase her first book. Plus, she has a podcast that I've already subscribed to!
Rating: really liked it
Right now we have five large boxes in the car to be donated to our local thrift store. Last week we took three boxes. This is after reading Dana White's book, DECLUTTERING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE. With wry humor and down to earth common sense, the book was the kick in the "you know what" that finally got the ball rolling in our house.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.
Rating: really liked it
Who hasn't read a book on decluttering? And organizing, feng shui, how to clean everything, etc. From the Sidetracked Home Executives to Peter Walsh's psychological approach to the Queen of Clean, everywhere you turn someone has advice for you. I have read them all, and had some short term success. The difference with Dana is she gets it! She knows how I think. She understands how a person can see future potential in any object.
"Future potential" That is the key and she address the mindset as much as the steps to a less cluttered room.
If you cringe at a friend or relative's style of "housekeeping" or of you are the one who never allows anyone into your home, this book is a wonderful place to start.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley to review.
I am doing and redoing the process.
