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

Lots of information

I have to be honest. Reading books isn’t my thing. I sit down to read a book and fall asleep. Know what else isn’t my thing? Having an organized house that allows for visitors to pop in any time they want. What can I say? I am a hopeless romantic with a sentimental attachment to even the silliest of objects, and I’m much more inclined to want to play with my kids rather than do chores. I am also creative and love crafting and can find a unique way to use almost anything, so I am never in a hurry to get rid of things. Last summer I discovered Dana’s work in another desperate attempt to dig out from the weight of “stuff” in my home. I watched a video that she did about the container concept (if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and Google it right now!) and it blew my mind. I instantly ordered her first book and read it on kindle. I didn’t fall asleep while reading, and as a matter of fact, I couldn’t put it down. Dana’s writing style is so conversational, relatable, and entertaining that by the time you realize it, you’re halfway through the book! I read her second book and made my way through decluttering some of the more difficult spots in my home during my summer break. (I’m an educator, so I have a lot more time in the summer months.) Life with two young daughters happened, back to school came, and while my house is definitely better, I found myself with a long way to go. When I heard about Dana’s new book, I pre-ordered it immediately, and was honored to be able to be part of the launch team and given an advanced copy to be able to provide this review for other readers like me. Desperate, seemingly claustrophobic people who are trying to dig out from a lifetime of collecting things. Dana’s new book, Organizing for the Rest of Us, does not disappoint! As a matter of fact, it serves as an excellent, to-the-point summary of the methods and strategies presented in her first two books and is even easier to read in the way it is organized. I need reminders and continued inspiration, and this book does exactly that. Dana has a way of peeking right into my brain and says phrases like “you need to empty your dishwasher every day. I know, I don’t like it either, but here’s why.” Dana then goes on to explain away all of the weird rationales I’ve built up in my mind. Did you ever hear of dishes math? Me either. Two things that are not my favorite combined into one. Now it just makes sense. And anyone who uses the words “scale of grodiness” in a book and have it make perfect sense is a genius! My favorite part about Dana’s work is that it’s for real people. People who work and chauffeur kids anywhere and everywhere. Creative people who are busy, fun-loving and sentimental. You don’t need to quit your job or have an entire summer to devote to decluttering. You can start right now during the five minutes you’re waiting for the bus to deliver your children from school, armed with two objects you already have in your house, Dana’s three simple questions, and the strategies provided in Dana’s book. You can do this!

This book is amazing! My house was never clean. Even when I had a housekeeper, she had to first help me pick up before she could start cleaning. I have been listening to Dana's podcast now for several months and along with this book it's transforming my approach to cleaning. It's not only a step by step process, it's a mindset shift. I used to look at cleaning like a 'project' for the weekends or right before company was coming. Now I'm starting to enjoy the benefits and calming effect of having a tidy home (nearly) everyday! So much of the information seems logical, and many are things I grew up hearing but never could understand why it was necessary or couldn't get motivated to do it. But Dana explains it in a way that clicks with my brain and it's working! Plus it's a beautiful book. It sits next to my desk and just begs to be picked up and flipped through. This book is changing my life!

First off, if you're already an organized person, don't read this book. Seriously. It's not for YOU. However! If you know someone who is always disorganized or is overwhelmed with their house, this book is a FABULOUS, non-judgey kind of introduction to Dana's method. Just her method for decluttering without making a bigger mess is an absolute game-changer for anyone who has tried (and failed!) to "finally get organized."Second, for those who are familiar with Dana's work, or have read her other two books and assert there is nothing "new" in this book, here's how it's different: The format. Why is that important?3 reasons:1. It's presented in single-concept, bite-sized pieces. This is ESPECIALLY helpful for people who suffer from a chronic illness or have minimal energy to begin with. She sets the bar so low, (5-Minute Pick-Up, anyone?) that it is DOABLE. It's also easy to leave off reading and come back to again--kind of like a magazine.2. The visual Before & After photos are very helpful in presenting a real-world example of what something looks like. This is especially true of the photos illustrating her Visibility Rule with each of the 5 steps where you can really see the transformation of each step.3. Because of the first two, it's very compatible for anyone with ADHD. The bite-sized information and the illustrations go a long way in guiding someone with attention, concentration or focusing problems.We're all at different stages of our decluttering process. Some people are just getting started and some have been with Dana for years. This is an EXCELLENT resource for someone just starting out. And, even though I've immersed myself in her videos, podcast, and other books, I still found some concepts that were reinforced in a different way.E.g. "No flat surface is safe in my house. I can create a pile of random stuff with zero awareness I'm doing it." Yup! Totally.Lastly, the handy-dandy flowchart that came from the pre-order is a pretty reminder. I printed it out and have it prominently displayed in my kitchen where I see it throughout the day. I wrote on there one of Dana's quotes: "The goal is always BETTER!" That's a motto for our homes and our lives. :-) THANK YOU, Dana!!!

I was not born organized which , in my case, means that I was born a slob. It took me forever just to even become aware of the mess I naturally made wherever I went. I was always too absorbed in my own thinking to see the mess I was making; it was always that very unwelcome surprise and NEVER my intention.Years of reading organizing books and then trying, and unhappily failing, with their various suggestions and schemes followed. That is until I came across Dana K. White.Dana, using her own personal experience of household mess devoted years to blogging (anonymously at first) and through painful trial and error and determined persistence, honing down true, simple strategies that absolutely work in anyone’s real, unpredictable, and messy life,I, at last had found my house keeping guru!This book, Dana’s third one, lays out her every strategy in straightforward, realistic, and, frequently, hilarious fashion. Even many of the pictures that illustrate some of her strategies are laugh out loud funny!I have to admit that it’s possible that her methods may be more easily understood by me already because not only have I already implemented and proven their validity in my own life but because I am so familiar with all of her background reasoning for developing them in the first place. This is because I have read and listened to her other two books/audiobooks, virtually all her hundreds of podcasts and YouTube videos, and bought and utilized her Take Back Your Home video course that she runs with the Minimalist Mom and Cas from Clutterbug.The beauty of this particular book is that I can share it with anyone without there being anything accusatory of sloppiness in the title or book. I loved her “A Slob Comes Clean” book but couldn’t exactly share it with anyone without offending them!This book also has more easy, organizational tips in the last part of the book that weren’t in her other ones. It includes all the strategies from “Organizing at the Speed of Life” which most importantly tells you how to organize without ever making a bigger mess while ONLY making progress! (The biggest failing in my mind of almost all other decluttering methods where you pull everything out, is that life naturally intervenes, and there’s an even bigger, now totally visible, mess than there was before you started, when you inevitably can’t finish that day!)No, this isn’t a book that’s going to tell you to figure out what “sparks joy” or preaches the virtues of “color coding your things like a rainbow”. It just actually and refreshingly works!