Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-31 11:20:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dana K. White
- ISBN：1713651599
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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 is 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 7 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！
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 is 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 7 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！
Reviews
Constance
，
I've been a Dana K。 WhiteFan for about 5 years， AND THERE'S ACTUALLY NEW STUFF IN THIS BOOK！ I couldn't understand why her words w/ definitions were so important in this book until I got to "Just Declutter，" which is thankfully near the beginning。 Then I couldn't put it down， mostly because I want EVERY shortcut I can get to clean this place， uh， my living space。 Being a fan， I can't be totally objective， but she really hates doing this stuff， and I don't think she'd mind me telling anybody that I've been a Dana K。 WhiteFan for about 5 years， AND THERE'S ACTUALLY NEW STUFF IN THIS BOOK！ I couldn't understand why her words w/ definitions were so important in this book until I got to "Just Declutter，" which is thankfully near the beginning。 Then I couldn't put it down， mostly because I want EVERY shortcut I can get to clean this place， uh， my living space。 Being a fan， I can't be totally objective， but she really hates doing this stuff， and I don't think she'd mind me telling anybody that。 I hope that comes across in the book， but I dunno。。。She finally decided to embark on her career journey because people were thanking her for her advice， not because she loved cleaning and decluttering （I have to admit， I think she grew to love the decluttering part）。 I disagree with some stuff: I insist on soaking dishes。 If they aren't shiny， I don't want to use them; but she's right， I am one of those people who have difficulty establishing the do dishes daily habit， and my two step method is probably the reason why。 And if you have moths， put the spices in the refrigerator （which will encourage you to BUY LESS refrigerated food （Yay！）。 The exterminator INSISTED we try the sticky paper with the hormone thingy inside next to the spices， and it was full of moths when he came back， so I have PROVED MY ADVICE， even though I haven't read that elsewhere。。。Anyways， I volunteered to read the book ahead of the release date， and I was delightfully surprised it was great！ 。。。more
Girl
，
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。If you've read Dana K。 White's previous books， this one won't really hold any surprises。 It's full of relatable advice on how to keep your house clean and operational。 Sadly， there isn't any magic trick to it: just habits。 Things you do daily， or almost daily。 One thing that really struck me is to start cleaning with what is visible - not a hidden drawer full of junk， but your entryway， or the living room table， I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。If you've read Dana K。 White's previous books， this one won't really hold any surprises。 It's full of relatable advice on how to keep your house clean and operational。 Sadly， there isn't any magic trick to it: just habits。 Things you do daily， or almost daily。 One thing that really struck me is to start cleaning with what is visible - not a hidden drawer full of junk， but your entryway， or the living room table， something that will make a visual difference once it's decluttered。 It's a very effective book that keeps you motivated to have your house under control。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Dana K。 White’s Organizing for the Rest of Us is a treasure of a book！ By providing organization tips in simple doable tasks， White helps even those of us who are constantly reorganizing finally get organized by decluttering our homes。 A must read for those who would finally like to get organized！
Sarah Wolfe
，
"Your house isn't a project， and treating your home like one does more harm than good。 There's no beginning， middle， or end。 *There's definitely no end。* The project mindset lends itself to putting off starting until there's 'time' to really do things right。 While you wait for that ideal time， the house gets worse， which means cleaning it up will require even more effort， so you put off starting even longer。 It becomes a vicious cycle。"This is a thorough and basic guide to decluttering and keepi "Your house isn't a project， and treating your home like one does more harm than good。 There's no beginning， middle， or end。 *There's definitely no end。* The project mindset lends itself to putting off starting until there's 'time' to really do things right。 While you wait for that ideal time， the house gets worse， which means cleaning it up will require even more effort， so you put off starting even longer。 It becomes a vicious cycle。"This is a thorough and basic guide to decluttering and keeping your house manageable， including detailed and practical cleaning tips。 I've discovered it's particularly good for people with ADD/ADHD or who just find themselves "messy people"。If you're a big DKW fan there isn't much new here， but it's packaged really practically， prettily， and reasonably concisely。 A good addition to the bunch。 And new readers if you aren't familiar with her， get on over to YouTube and enjoy her great videos！ 。。。more
Rachel
，
Organizing is not something I struggle with， but still enjoy reading up on。 I love thinking about how other's think about and approach organizing and clutter。 Dana is very approachable and fun。 This book is a great gift book or a quick read for those needing just a little pep in their organizing step。 Her methods are easy to understand implement。 I was allowed an advanced reader copy by the publisher and NetGalley。 All thoughts are my own。 Organizing is not something I struggle with， but still enjoy reading up on。 I love thinking about how other's think about and approach organizing and clutter。 Dana is very approachable and fun。 This book is a great gift book or a quick read for those needing just a little pep in their organizing step。 Her methods are easy to understand implement。 I was allowed an advanced reader copy by the publisher and NetGalley。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Alex
，
This was… fine。 I found a couple of useful hints in this， but overall it seemed just not that helpful。 The photos weren’t professional， and I think that could have been an easy fix by including quotes or basic drawings。 I wanted to like it more because it was a normal person giving normal ideas， but it just felt all so unenlightened。 Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy。
June Price
，
Would it surprise you to read that I've spent some serious time following the tips Dana White share on how to get your house clean and organized。 We've all felt overwhelmed by our homes clutter， dust， and general lack of organization at some time and based on my own experience utilizing not just White's tips but the encouragement she gives throughout， this book should be on everyone who's ever looked at their house and wondered where to start。 She has the answers and the start with clutter。 Dail Would it surprise you to read that I've spent some serious time following the tips Dana White share on how to get your house clean and organized。 We've all felt overwhelmed by our homes clutter， dust， and general lack of organization at some time and based on my own experience utilizing not just White's tips but the encouragement she gives throughout， this book should be on everyone who's ever looked at their house and wondered where to start。 She has the answers and the start with clutter。 Daily chores and actual cleaning come after。"Decluttering has to happen for a house to look clean， stay clean， and be clean。" Clutter is anything that gets out of hand。 While many of us suffer from what White calls "procrasticlutter"， the idea that we'll worry about it later， she addresses that and points out that the next two steps toward an orderly house can't happen until our clutter is out of the way。 Of course， she tells us sympathetically how to go about that task， reminding us basically that what we're doing isn't a simple project with a beginning and end。 Keeping out homes clean is an ongoing one with daily and routine chores that need doing。 Those daily tasks， the dishes， cleaning up after the children or pets， putting things away have to be done regularly， sorry。 Only then can we thoroughly tackle the third step in her organization plan， the actual cleaning。 Don't worry， White walks us through the entire process， offering personal insights and encouragement almost like she's looking over our shoulders。 Not only did I see myself in her descriptive， informative， and， yes， helpful book， but I liked it。 I'm betting that if you're like me and you've allowed things to pile up， ignoring daily chores， and groaning in frustration that for some reason you just can't keep your house clean， you'll benefit from this book。 Okay， back to decluttering for me。 Thank you #NetGallery and #ThomasNelson for the ARC （not to mention for giving me motivation via this book to get my act together）。 。。。more
Ramona Mead
，
This is a basic， manageable guide for anyone looking to better organize their home。 The author's core concept is "the container rule"， meaning you have different containers for items and when it's full， you can't keep anything else。 This container can be a bucket for markers or on a larger scale， your living room is a container and so is your whole house。 I like this concept and can see how it will help me tame the clutter in my house。 The author's tone is positive and encouraging， her tips make This is a basic， manageable guide for anyone looking to better organize their home。 The author's core concept is "the container rule"， meaning you have different containers for items and when it's full， you can't keep anything else。 This container can be a bucket for markers or on a larger scale， your living room is a container and so is your whole house。 I like this concept and can see how it will help me tame the clutter in my house。 The author's tone is positive and encouraging， her tips make sense， and her writing is straight forward。 I highly recommend this for anyone looking for guidance on organizing their home。 。。。more
MookNana
，
This was not only useful， but a genuinely enjoyable read！ The author is fun， lighthearted， and funny while still dispensing some great tips that I hadn't heard before。 I liked that not only were there practical ideas， but readers were also coached in how to think about the concept of organizing and decluttering， so they could apply the principles to their own unique situations。There are some very helpful photos， including one step-by-step of how to declutter a cabinet that will be great for visu This was not only useful， but a genuinely enjoyable read！ The author is fun， lighthearted， and funny while still dispensing some great tips that I hadn't heard before。 I liked that not only were there practical ideas， but readers were also coached in how to think about the concept of organizing and decluttering， so they could apply the principles to their own unique situations。There are some very helpful photos， including one step-by-step of how to declutter a cabinet that will be great for visual learners and people who benefit from seeing what "done" looks like。 The author's thoughts on time management， including the suggestion to time tasks to help avoid distortions （As in her example。 I always think unloading the dishwasher is going to take way longer than the 3-5 minutes it actually does。） were very practical and effective。 This is an easy， straightforward， well-organized guide that almost anyone could benefit from reading。 I definitely found some things I'm inspired to try！ Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review！ 。。。more
Bakertyl
，
This book reads like a collection of Instagram posts。 Not necessarily a bad thing， but a little annoying to read。This book is a great resource of how I can imagine someone starting to "adult" better and get their home in order。 With a focus on "getting rid of" rather than "make room for"， everything is practical and cheap。My only real complaint is how White organizes her week， with a day for Laundry， a day for Mopping， etc。 This only works for stay-at-home parents， and she doesn't offer any othe This book reads like a collection of Instagram posts。 Not necessarily a bad thing， but a little annoying to read。This book is a great resource of how I can imagine someone starting to "adult" better and get their home in order。 With a focus on "getting rid of" rather than "make room for"， everything is practical and cheap。My only real complaint is how White organizes her week， with a day for Laundry， a day for Mopping， etc。 This only works for stay-at-home parents， and she doesn't offer any other solutions besides what works for her。 Fair enough， but makes her suggestions less effective for many readers。 Most of the advice will work for everyone。**I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lindsey
，
I needed a kick to do some decluttering and this is just what I needed - a nonsense， simple approach。 I appreciated her sense of humor and that she also identified herself as having behaviors that she mentioned （e。g。 not realizing how much time has passed since you last cleaned something， getting distracted in the middle of cleaning， etc。）。 Not only did I see myself in those descriptions， it felt like we were sharing tips as equals。 I really liked her container concept as a way of controlling cl I needed a kick to do some decluttering and this is just what I needed - a nonsense， simple approach。 I appreciated her sense of humor and that she also identified herself as having behaviors that she mentioned （e。g。 not realizing how much time has passed since you last cleaned something， getting distracted in the middle of cleaning， etc。）。 Not only did I see myself in those descriptions， it felt like we were sharing tips as equals。 I really liked her container concept as a way of controlling clutter: don't buy more containers to contain， find a clutter threshold by appropriately filling containers and use one-on-one-out principles。I also appreciated the ways that this was the opposite of the empty everything out to declutter policy - she provided a more realistic way to tackle clutter slowly without destroying your house。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC。 。。。more
Alicia Bayer
，
I read a lot of organizing and decluttering books and Dana K。 White's are always my favorites。 I generally get one or two good points from an entire book and I take those with me。 With Marie Kondo， it's the whole spark joy thing。 With Dana， it's the container concept that's always stuck with me （you have a container for each type of thing you have and when it's full you need to get rid of the things that are not your favorites -- whether it's a bookcase or your sock drawer or your living room， d I read a lot of organizing and decluttering books and Dana K。 White's are always my favorites。 I generally get one or two good points from an entire book and I take those with me。 With Marie Kondo， it's the whole spark joy thing。 With Dana， it's the container concept that's always stuck with me （you have a container for each type of thing you have and when it's full you need to get rid of the things that are not your favorites -- whether it's a bookcase or your sock drawer or your living room， don't get more containers， just keep the best of your things）。 That was in her other books too （Organizing at the Speed of Life and another who's title I forget） and that's in here， along with some of her other takeaways like start with the place you see first because it inspires you and don't take everything out Marie-style but take one thing at a time and deal with it immediately。This book is 100 tips in large print format。 Each tip takes a page or two， but they're spaced large so this is sort of a gift book format （there's even a page in the front for you to write your name as a present， though I wonder if some people might take offense at getting a gift book telling you how to declutter your house）。 There are some photos of her and her spaces but they seemed to be ones she already had from her blog。 Sometimes they were cool and helpful， and sometimes she explained something with just words and I thought this is where you really could have used one of those photos。 Most of the photos are sort of stock images like rolled towels， but some are obviously from her cleaning her own bathroom sink and such， which I always enjoy。Dana is likeable and fun， and she writes from the perspective of someone who could never keep her house clean and organized until she developed these systems so it's relatable for those of us who were not born to clean。 I'm not sure if I recommend this one over her other books， but if you like reading tidbits it's a good pick。 It's also nice in that it doesn't tell you the same principle 15 times in a different room each time， which lots of organizing books do to fill up a whole book。 This also covers cleaning jobs and not just decluttering and organizing， so it's helpful there （slip a pillowcase over your ceiling fan to collect the dust， etc。）。Well recommended。I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review。 。。。more
Susie
，