Remember when I mentioned I planned to declutter my slobbish closets and cabinets during my one year plan? I was inspired by this book: How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind by Dana K. White. I met Dana two years ago when we became Swiffer Fanatics and was impressed by her story. She began her site blogging as “Nony” (short for anonymous) in an attempt to become organized. “Sure,” you might be thinking, “Another mildly disorganized person telling me how to clean and declutter.” That’s where you are wrong. Dana is a self proclaimed slob. She admits her friends in college were shocked to discover how messy her apartment was and they were theater majors, used to being able to hide their facial expressions. It was bad enough she broke her toe tripping over something in her apartment. Now she shares her tips to help the chronically messy and disorganized.
Dana’s plan is not a “quick fix.” She realizes that, to begin to keep a cleaner home, one must develop cleaning habits. She devotes a portion of her book to a 28 day plan to utilize four steps that, when practiced daily, will keep your home cleaner and the clutter reduced. The four steps, implemented one a week, will gradually take only a few minutes a day, rather than hours of needed cleaning if you use procrastination techniques.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the section on “getting rid of clutter.” I admit, my house looks okay. But my closets? That’s a different story. Bryan recently told me to clean my closet before buying any more clothes. And, this is completely true, but embarrassing, I bought a new pair of boots because I couldn’t find my old ones. Luckily, they are a great style I am getting plenty of use out of, but still… embarrassment. Worse, I traveled for six weeks and arrived home to find my house “messy.” Brittany told me, “Mom, the house looks much better if you are home.” It made me realize how important a daily 4 point cleaning system is to have!
I love how relatable Dana is while sharing her story. Reading the book is like chatting with a friend. She’s funny, she’s not condescending or judging, and she offers good advice. Dana’s book will arrive in bookstores on November 8th, but she has a great preorder special, including the e-book 14 Days to Opening Your Front Door to Guest, Printable Habit Reminders, and an exclusive 4 week book club. If you’ve struggled with getting the house clean and need real advice, this is the book for you. You can also check out Dana’s blog and podcasts at A Slob Comes Clean.
What is your least favorite cleaning chore? Do you have a favorite tip that makes cleaning easier?
I’m always trying to de-clutter. I am just not an organized person. I call it organized chaos
This would be a nice gift for Christmas. I want one so I will have to check it out.
It sounds like an amazing book and it will definitely be something that a lot of moms can relate to! I really appreciate your review of the book! I’m thinking about getting one for myself.
Boy do I need this. I just had a service come over to clean up. It’s way too overwhelming. It would be a lot cheaper to do it myself though.
Now this sounds like a book I could defnitieyl stand to read and get some useful tips from!! Great post!!
I think I need this book! That is if it’s not too late, I don’t know how much of my mind I have left lol.
I loathe all cleaning, particularly bathrooms and dishes. Ugh! I dont really have any tips and need this book desperately.
with two kiddos, i need all the help i can get decluttering. this look like a good fun book, with lots of useful suggestions!
I agree it really is nice when someone is relatable to read. It’s easier to take out of the ordinary for you advice too, if you enjoy the author’s perspective.
This seems like awesome book, I know what I do to keep my house organized to write everything down and to make sure I follow things on my list, but leaving room for any unforeseen things.
My least favorite cleaning chore? All of them! I especially hate de cluttering because I’m kind of a pack rat.
So…. I basically need this in my life. I feel like I am fighting an uphill battle every day!
Oh, sounds like a nice read. Managing a home without losing your mind is kinda impossible!
Sounds like a great book. I love to vacuum the rugs and furniture. It looks so nice when I am done.
I like the looks of this book. My husband (believe it or not) would probably like to read it, as he is in charge of the cleaning in our household.
I’m not a real messy person but I have a few piles. When I don’t know what to do with something I stick it in pile to deal with later. Babe hates that.
Oh man, I so need this book! I find it impossible to manage my house without loosing my mind. Unless I just don’t think about it 🙂
That books sounds really amazing! I really need to have one! 😀
What a good book and the title made me laugh so hard. With 3 teenagers and two dogs I know the feeling!
Sounds like a good book for me. I always want to maintain our cleanliness of our home
I need this and bad. I lose my mind over clutter so bad!
So, would you classify this book as self-help? I mean, yeah it shows you how to clean up, but it also shows you how to maintain your sanity while doing it. That sounds better that any Tony Robbins book on the market!
This book sound great. Cleaning can be so overwhelming.
This book could not be more perfectly timed. The holidays are here and I need to do some serious cleaning in my house!
I have OCD and find satisfaction in staying organized, but I am always open to learning new tips and techniques. This book sounds extremely helpful.
This sounds like a great book!! The house can get hard to maintain when you are working and have a house full of kids as well!
Staying on top of cleaning duties takes a lot of work and dedication. It can be really difficult not to fall behind especially when the kids keep making messes faster than I can clean it up.
I need to get this book. I’m pretty sure I lost my mind about three years ago, but maybe with this I can get it back.
I need to de-clutter. That is the biggest issue I have with our house. I swear there is clutter everywhere!
What a fab sounding book – I loose my mind at clutter, I don’t get where it all comes from it is crazy! x
That book looks like a great idea! I can tell you right now that cleaning my home makes me crazy! I do need to get started on that before we go absolutely crazy in this house.
You mean we’re not supposed to lose our mind when trying to declutter? Dang, I’ve been doing it ALL wrong! LOL. This book is a little late for me though unfortunately! I moved to a smaller apt from my home and have already gotten rid of over 75% of my stuff. I either trashed, donated, sold or gave away. And good riddance! I am so much happier with not having as much clutter in my home 🙂