Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control

by Dana K. White

So you want to keep your kitchen counter clean but you aren't ready to toss the toaster? You want to be able to find your kids' socks but aren't looking to spend your 401(k) on clear bins? You long for a little more peace but minimalism isn't sparking joy? Decluttering expert and self-proclaimed recovering slob Dana K. White offers sustainable ideas to simplify and manage your home in Organizing for the Rest of Us.

Traditional organizing advice never worked for Dana K. White. Is it possible, she wondered, to get organized without color coding my sock drawer? As Dana let go of the need for perfection, she discovered the joy of having an organized house in the midst of everyday life.

In Organizing for the Rest of Us, Dana teaches us how to make great strides with minimal effort in organizing every room of our home. Here she offers 100 organizing tips to help us understand:

• Why changing how we think about clutter is the first step to getting rid of it
• The basics of organization for people who don't like to organize
• Why you need to get a grip on laundry and dishes before getting organized
• How living with less clutter is better for the environment, our spiritual lives, and our relationships
• Why real-life decluttering requires fewer hours and less emotional bandwidth than we imagined

Organizing for the Rest of Us includes colorful photos, a presentation page, and a ribbon marker, making it a thoughtful gift or self-purchase for anyone:

• Doing spring cleaning
• Making New Year's goals
• Downsizing their own home or their parents' home
• Decluttering and organizing for their own peace of mind

Fans of Dana's podcast, A Slob Comes Clean, which has been downloaded 9 million times, will treasure this book as a resource. With her lighthearted approach, Dana provides bite-size workable solutions to break through every organizational struggle you have--for good!

• ISBN10: 1400231434
• ISBN13: 9781400231430
• Publish Date: 17 February 2022 (first published 11 January 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thomas Nelson Publishers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control is a well written and accessible guide to no-nonsense livable organizing strategies with understanding and allowances for personal hobbies and variations written by Dana K. White. Due out 11th Jan from Thomas Nelson, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a collection of bite-sized techniques for decluttering and organizing our homes and keeping spaces clean and clutter-free. The author (a former self-confessed slob) has tested and refined the techniques and distilled the testing into what has worked for her, and importantly, why it has worked. Much of the information is self evident (frequent tasks need to be done frequently), but a fair bit wasn't obvious to me and makes a heck of a lot of sense (don't start decluttering with the junk drawer which nobody sees, do the entryway and open *visible* areas first then build on that momentum).

The book can be read front to back, or the tips and strategies can be plucked out and read as and when the reader needs a boost. The chapters are arranged thematically - but the chapter headings are so vague as to be almost useless when trying to find a specific bit of info. There is no index included in the pre-publication ARC provided for reviewers.

I liked that there's no "Kondo-ing" because there's no way in the world I'm ever going to be able to have 30 books or fewer in my house, and let's politely ignore the Everest sized stash of yarn and crafting supplies. The vibe of the book really *is* for regular people who do have too much stuff and she does a good job of explaining how to find a threshold readers can live with and operate inside.

The graphic look of the book is simple and breezy, there are some photos, but not many (most of them are before/after comparisons). The publisher is a Christian publishing house, but there is no overt messaging in the book. One odd thing which struck me about the book is trivial - but there's a gift bookplate inscribed on the front endpaper: A Gift For _______ From ______ and Date_____. I've been wondering who should gift this book and in what circumstances? Kids to a parent? Parents to a kid (moving out?), Mother-in-law to the not-fave daughter in law? Friends honestly worried about a hoarder friend or family member? I have to know!

Anyhow, just as stated on the cover, it does seem to be a book for the rest of us who are struggling with daily mess and clutter, relayed by the author who has, in her own words, been there herself.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.