I’ve struggled with clutter all my life, and reading advice from born organizers hasn’t helped me much. Dana K. White is the blogger behind “A Slob Comes Clean.” When I discovered her blog and podcasts several years ago, I realized I wasn’t alone in my battle against disorder. Dana exemplifies the idealistic, creative, project-brain personality so many of us have. And she’s funny.
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In her latest book, “Decluttering at the Speed of Life,” her discussion of valuing space over stuff rang true for me. As she began getting rid of clutter, she started enjoying her home more. She loved seeing just a few carefully selected items on a shelf, reaching into her kitchen cabinet and easily finding what she needed or sitting down to work at a desk.
Dana writes, “Life was easier when there weren’t piles or boxes everywhere. I started valuing a lack of stuff.”
When I clean off surfaces and purge drawers or cabinets, I get a similar feeling of delight. A few months ago, I decluttered a drawer in my kitchen. It still gives me a little jolt of joy when I can find those tongs in a flash.
How to build decluttering momentum
For those of us who are drowning in clutter, she encourages us to follow “the Visibility Rule.” Start with the most visible areas of your home or room to build decluttering momentum.
Dana identified a paradox I find in my own life:
“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.”
One promise she makes with her method is that your decluttering session won’t make a bigger mess, whether you spend five minutes, five hours or five days. The key is following her two decluttering questions and not having a “Keep Box.” Take things where you decide they belong right away. I’ve had “Keep Boxes” get buried in the corner of a closet and temporarily lost something I really needed.
She systematically goes through different areas of the home and discusses how she applies her method. Dana also carefully addresses dealing with loved ones’ clutter in a way that won’t damage your relationships.
For anyone who gets overwhelmed when faced with their clutter, this book will teach you how to make real progress. Dana’s mantra is to forget perfection and focus on “less” and “better.”
Reading her book makes me want to go attack my clutter, even if I have just a few minutes at a time. I want to follow her example and develop a lifestyle of decluttering. Following her advice, five minutes a day is a great place to start.
I received an advance copy of this book after I pre-ordered it on Amazon. In my opinion, it was totally worth the money and the time invested in reading it. She “gets” me, and I find her advice soooo helpful and encouraging.
I got to meet Dana several months ago. She loved how I’d plastered sticky notes on the pages of her first traditional book, “How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind.” Here’s my review of her first book.
I met Dana at the Dallas Pinners Conference. She loved how I’d loaded her book with sticky notes to keep track of helpful tips.