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

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Well let me tell you this decluttering book by Dana K White, Decluttering At The Speed Of Life is NOTHING like the “does it spark joy? This book is a must for people who’ve collected a lifetime worth of stuff and are realizing the house, the cabinets, the spare rooms, the garage, the basement and the kitchen just aren’t big enough. 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).

I saw people online mention they liked having it on when they are cleaning or going through the steps in the book. 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. A container isn't just a cute jar you put pens in, or the boxes you use to keep your socks separate from your underwear in the drawer. This is a good decluttering book, though doesn't rise quite to the level some other decluttering books have, that I've read. The main thing I like about this book is that White doesn't make me feel guilty about how little I achieve.Her Youtube channel has a video explaining it, but the TLDW is: your home, its rooms, and storage solutions are containers. However, I put this on hold last August, so when you wait that long for a book to come through on the Libby app…. As the older generation needs to downsize, having some tips on how to help them through the process is welcomed.

I stumbled on her podcast a while back while looking for a decluttering podcast to try - my very first podcast! them with my favorite books first, and then, once they were full, I got rid the books that didn't fit. But then I saw your blog and decided that if Decluttering at the Speed of Life worked for you, then I should read it. Some of her advice is familiar - the three different piles - one to keep, one to trash, one to donate.Well, (pats self on the back) I was already doing most of that with out the snazzy labels and steps and it was working. In my tier list, this book might actually get placed at the top cheese tier of "Popular for a Reason". 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. The whole book, every chapter and every strategy, helps you make real progress in whatever amount of time you have available. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform.

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. Ask, "If you needed this _____ (hairbrush, spatula, bottle of paint), where would you look for it first? I was drawn to it during a difficult season in my life, health wise and relationally, when distracting myself with “stuff” was easier! So, for years we had a Bible study at our house and we served dinner, for sometimes up to 22 people. She helps identify procrasticlutter--the stuff that will get done eventually so it doesn't seem urgent--as well as how to make progress when there's no time to declutter.I gave this a 4 because I ended up actually cleaning my closet of all the 90's clothes/shoes/bridesmaid dresses I had been holding on to. When she talks about having to give up on the dreams and the things that represent who you were or wish you were - that stuff really hits home for me right now. None of my mother's keepsakes, none of their baby books, none of the scrapbooks, none of the pictures of people they never saw before, nor ever will meet because they’re all passed from this world. 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. Starting with the most visible areas, White goes through a series of simple steps, room by room, to help you achieve this.

My only complaint is that the second half or so of the book is just her repeating the same things over and over again, with very minor details changed to reflect a changing of rooms (kitchen instead of bedroom, friend's house instead of family member's house, etc. I cannot imagine why anybody would have socks in their living room, or take a single clean cup out of the dishwasher instead of unloading the whole thing, and the idea of cleaning up because somebody is coming to my house is repulsive to me - why would anybody care to judge my living space?Once all our clothes were clean consistently, we chose to wear certain things again and again and again. 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. We use the Container Concept all the time now in our small house with my hubby, kids and even myself to help us make decisions about stuff.