Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control
- Downloads：5162
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-10 05:21:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Dana K. White
- ISBN：B08ZVWJJ2H
- 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 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 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 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 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
Christy Compeau
，
If you’ve read one of her other two books， this is basically a rehash。 There is no new information to be gleaned from it。 I listened to the audio version。
Shelli
，
Need a quick guide to get your stated on decluttering and simplifying your cleaning routines？ This is a great book for that。 Personally， I like her other books more because they go more in depth， but for people wanting a cliff notes version of those books this is a good choice。 Additionally her youtube channel is a wonderful resource https://www。youtube。com/c/DanaKWhite。 Need a quick guide to get your stated on decluttering and simplifying your cleaning routines？ This is a great book for that。 Personally， I like her other books more because they go more in depth， but for people wanting a cliff notes version of those books this is a good choice。 Additionally her youtube channel is a wonderful resource https://www。youtube。com/c/DanaKWhite。 。。。more
Moose
，
I am not a naturally clean person。 I do not enjoy tidying up， and I am capable of living in disaster areas that horrify most people。 However， I own a home now and am trying to respect the space that I have， and want to keep house better。 Enter Dana K White。 This book is clearly not meant for people who are already cleaners， or have houses that can withstand surprise visits from people。 This book is for people like me， who dread the thought of another human being witnessing my out of control envi I am not a naturally clean person。 I do not enjoy tidying up， and I am capable of living in disaster areas that horrify most people。 However， I own a home now and am trying to respect the space that I have， and want to keep house better。 Enter Dana K White。 This book is clearly not meant for people who are already cleaners， or have houses that can withstand surprise visits from people。 This book is for people like me， who dread the thought of another human being witnessing my out of control environment。 I'm still not quite the target demo， but I was so relieved reading this book。 The author never made me feel stupid for not knowing how to declutter my house， what my daily tasks should be， or even the basics of a well-honed laundry routine。 This book is filled with truly basic advice that is still somehow a complete mindset change， and I appreciate that greatly。Where this book fails a bit， for me， is that the audience is very clearly stay at home housewives with children and a husband。 I understand that's where the author is coming from， and who a large percentage of her demo probably is， but single people， men， nonbinary folks， etc， all need to clean， too。 Some of the tips relied on your kids helping out， or were written in such a heteronormative way I just had to laugh。 Lots of "he/she" written out instead of just "they，" always defaulting to "she" when referring to the one doing primary cleaning， and cisnormative ideas about who's making messes of the toilet all irked me。 That being said， this book really did help me。Fairly detailed review of a simple cleaning book so anyways- very helpful， somehow a bit heteronormative。 Still really recommend。 。。。more
BookofCons
，
Organizing is something I struggle with all the time。 Especially with two young kids running around。 This book offered great， realistic tips on how to declutter and maintain your organization。 I loved that the author wrote about tackling one small area at a time。 If you try to take all the areas on at one time， that can be very overwhelming。 Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for a copy of this book， in exchange for an honest review。
Lauren
，
This had some handy tips in here for those of us whom decluttering doesn’t come naturally。 I liked the “container theory”—whatever doesn’t fit in the container （which can be anything from the cup you store your pens in to the house itself） then it needs to go！ I also put just about anything in my dishwasher or clothes washer to clean it！ But I disagree with the only doing laundry once a week—that’s way too overwhelming。
Lauren
，
Having read both of White's earlier books， this is kind of like a cliffs-notes combination of both。 Might be a good starting point if you haven't read her work before！ Having read both of White's earlier books， this is kind of like a cliffs-notes combination of both。 Might be a good starting point if you haven't read her work before！ 。。。more
Kaley
，
I don't usually read books - or blogs， or anything else - about cleaning， because it seems like it's a pretty straightforward task; what I need is motivation， not information， right？ Wrong， apparently。Organizing for the Rest of Us includes helpful mindset shifts， like embracing better instead of done， as well as specific tips， like timing how long it really takes you to empty the dishwasher （not as long as you think！）。 And unlike other popular decluttering methods， White encourages us not to use I don't usually read books - or blogs， or anything else - about cleaning， because it seems like it's a pretty straightforward task; what I need is motivation， not information， right？ Wrong， apparently。Organizing for the Rest of Us includes helpful mindset shifts， like embracing better instead of done， as well as specific tips， like timing how long it really takes you to empty the dishwasher （not as long as you think！）。 And unlike other popular decluttering methods， White encourages us not to use emotions when deciding what to keep or get rid of （since for many of us， that's just an excuse to hang onto everything）。My one caveat: I won't be embracing an e-reader anytime soon！ 。。。more
Jennifer Philbrook
，
I am a huge fan of Dana K。 White。 Her easy， practical approach to decluttering is very effective。 This book is a quick， condensed version of her other books and YouTube channel。
Winnie
，
I enjoyed reading through this book to glean some hints， strategies， and tactics for getting control of the clutter and problem areas of my house。 Although much of the book tackled areas I don’t have problems with， such as laundry and dishes， there were many hints and ideas that I can use to make my home more livable and inviting。 I particularly liked her mindset for getting rid of the clutter we don’t need by gradually and continually removing excess things。 This seems a much more doable and no I enjoyed reading through this book to glean some hints， strategies， and tactics for getting control of the clutter and problem areas of my house。 Although much of the book tackled areas I don’t have problems with， such as laundry and dishes， there were many hints and ideas that I can use to make my home more livable and inviting。 I particularly liked her mindset for getting rid of the clutter we don’t need by gradually and continually removing excess things。 This seems a much more doable and non-overwhelming strategy for me。 White’s light-hearted and sensible approach appealed to me。 I feel like many people could use at least some of her advice to help them gain control of their life。I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy through NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Julie Martinchick
，
Great tips！ Easy read for anyone， great reminders from her previous books。
Maureen
，
There isn’t a lot in this book。 It feels like a rehash of her other books/blog posts。 I have not read her others so maybe it is or it isn’t。 There really was one main idea and that is the idea of thinking of things （a room， a closet， etc） as a container。 If it doesn’t fit， you need to get rid of something to avoid clutter and disorganization。
Shannon S
，
Great tips！
Zissi Kulchitsky
，
i really like how it had pictures to emphasize the points， it was short and sweet and had a lot of good tips。
Stacia
，
In times of stress my mind candy reading is decluttering books。 They're just so mentally soothing。So， the other day， I somehow stumbled across Dana K。 White's book Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control。 I meant to download a kindle sample but accidentally did an instant purchase download。 （I think my last few brain cells left the building a couple of weeks ago。） I know I could have returned it but I figured what the heck， I like her writing （I've In times of stress my mind candy reading is decluttering books。 They're just so mentally soothing。So， the other day， I somehow stumbled across Dana K。 White's book Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control。 I meant to download a kindle sample but accidentally did an instant purchase download。 （I think my last few brain cells left the building a couple of weeks ago。） I know I could have returned it but I figured what the heck， I like her writing （I've read her other two books How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House's Dirty Little Secrets & Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff） & I am certainly spending plenty of hours looking at/navigating a hoard at a relative's house while I am over there helping for hospice care。 Realistically， my sister & I will be the ones tackling much of the stuff in the upcoming months。 Being there makes me want to come home & literally chuck everything。 Lately I've been pondering Amish （？） style where I own two wooden chairs that I would hang on chair hooks on the wall when not using them。 That amount of stuff sounds about perfect right now。 Of course， the reality of my own house is waaaaay different than that， as I have more than my fair share of clutter。 （And here I sit typing on my computer rather than chucking stuff left & right。） But， I have had a lot of time recently to ponder the realities of aging， caregiving， & massive amounts of stuff。。。 things that those left behind have to handle usually。 I guess you could say I've been thrust into the deep end of thinking about the Swedish Death Cleaning mode & similar things related to getting older， downsizing， cleaning out after death， legacies， etc。White's book was a perfect， easy read for my （currently） addled brain。 It has 100 tips （meaning: short， easy pages） about decluttering & organizing。 If you've read her other books， this is not really new info。 Still， I found it pleasant -- a book that put me in my （mental） happy place。 。。。more
Donna
，
If you grew up with hand-maids， bed chambers， a governess， and butlers and you have recently been disinherited， then this is the book for you。 Seriously though， if you are in the weeds， live in clutter， are clueless on how to do your own dishes and when to do them， then by all means， I would highly recommend this book to you。 I've read this author before and I found her a little irritating but still gave her books 4 stars。 This one also gave me that same feeling but even more so， and it wasn't a If you grew up with hand-maids， bed chambers， a governess， and butlers and you have recently been disinherited， then this is the book for you。 Seriously though， if you are in the weeds， live in clutter， are clueless on how to do your own dishes and when to do them， then by all means， I would highly recommend this book to you。 I've read this author before and I found her a little irritating but still gave her books 4 stars。 This one also gave me that same feeling but even more so， and it wasn't as useful。 I often felt like I was 8 years old and told to go wash dishes and do the laundry for the first time。 I had a hard time thinking the info in here was useful for adults。 Because of tone， I kept thinking， "Is this for kids？" Then my next thought was "No。 That would be inappropriate。"Anyway， this was not for me （or even my young adult children）。 So 2 stars。 。。。more
Alissa
，
This book is basically a shortened version of her other two books。 And she even says over and over "for more on this， read my other books" Haha。 It's a nice little refresher though。 This book is basically a shortened version of her other two books。 And she even says over and over "for more on this， read my other books" Haha。 It's a nice little refresher though。 。。。more
Jeanne
，
This is a great book for me！ I really like the focus on ‘better’。 It keeps me from getting discouraged if I don’t get as much decluttering done as I planned。 It breaks things down into manageable tasks and admits it isn’t easy at first。I received a review ebook and purchased a physical copy。 Now I need to get rid of other， less useful ones。Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy （ARC） copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review。
Kendra Van de Venter
，
ExcellentA little deeper than the other books。 Great strategies！ Loved the wit and humor and how to go about looking at specific spaces。 Definitely something that can be done with little pockets of time。 Progress is progress and leaving it better than I started。 It has been a game changer at my house！
Terri Koch
，
Short， concise examples The short， concise examples in this book were easy to understand and follow。 After reading， A Slob Comes Clean， I felt there wasn’t much new information to be gleaned from this book。 However， If one is struggling with decluttering and organizing， this just might be the book for you。
Sylvia Mollers
，
Great book！So I have read other books by Dana。 I’m also a member of Take Your House Back。 This condensed things in an easy to read version。
Marisa
，
Dana is my spirit animal。 She shares practical tips for people like me for whom a clean and organized house does not come naturally。
Brenda
，
AudiobookThis book had a lot of great ideas。 I think having the actual book （not audiobook） would be better to go back and refer to some of the tips。
Carolyn Bragg
，
This book is a realistic and refreshing view of a work flow issue。 It isn't about personal faults or procrastination。 The primary problem is a feeling of being overwhelmed and not feeling there is space to sort through things to find the treasures--without having some overly helpful and well-meaning people come in and "throw it all away，" which is exactly what my relatives declared repeatedly needed to be done。The steps are 1） Common Sense， 2） Practical，3） Logical， and4） Gradual。Not regimented a This book is a realistic and refreshing view of a work flow issue。 It isn't about personal faults or procrastination。 The primary problem is a feeling of being overwhelmed and not feeling there is space to sort through things to find the treasures--without having some overly helpful and well-meaning people come in and "throw it all away，" which is exactly what my relatives declared repeatedly needed to be done。The steps are 1） Common Sense， 2） Practical，3） Logical， and4） Gradual。Not regimented and harsh。 This book is written from the perspective of the author; she found herself in a cluttered house， had tried a lot of methods， but they didn't work for her。 So she found out what worked for her--by changing her perspective--to remove the mental and behavioral barriers。 Dana's strategies make sense to me。 I have some differences， like dyslexia and other challenges， that make my thought processes "weird" to my brothers and sisters。 I don't always learn or do things the way they do。 I can't。 But after all these years， it still doesn't make sense to them。Dana is also funny。 We all have our blind spots; things we choose not to look at closely， so we can continue to believe the fantasy （good or bad）。 Dana's fantasy was the agonizing length of time it took to empty the dishwasher。 She was convinced it took 15-20 minutes。 It was really about 4 minutes。 I have the same illusion about something else。 With some prep， I could make it faster。 I push myself to do it "So I don't have to think about it anymore！" My favorite thing！ Whatever works， right？I'm reading this advanced copy to review the book， but I'm the type of person who will need to have it with me， highlight， take notes， make a list， etc。 The photos are very helpful as well， because I'm more of a visual learner。The only problem I can foresee for some readers is the small stylized font。 It's a bit difficult to read， so some people may need magnification。I feel like I have finally found strategies and methods that make sense to me， and won't push me to sacrifice my creativity so other people will be happy with my space。 I need to live for me。 Not a celebrity， or expert， or relative！5/5 StarsMany thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the preview of this ebook！Note to publisher: Font could be larger and easier to read。#OrganizingfortheRestofUsBook #NetGalley 。。。more
Gina Way
，
Simple， easy， step by step guide to help keep things under control
Laura
，
There's a lot here that many folks may have learned depending on their domestic lessons。 I'm sure many of these tips also exist in Pinterest and various blog posts。 I didn't even agree with all the tips （I guess our laundry system works for us right now）。 Yet I think there is plenty of helpful advice here， especially if you are overly sentimental or you need to break it down to "the facts。" Your space will be tidier and easier to clean if you don't have as much stuff。 Boom。 There it is。 How do y There's a lot here that many folks may have learned depending on their domestic lessons。 I'm sure many of these tips also exist in Pinterest and various blog posts。 I didn't even agree with all the tips （I guess our laundry system works for us right now）。 Yet I think there is plenty of helpful advice here， especially if you are overly sentimental or you need to break it down to "the facts。" Your space will be tidier and easier to clean if you don't have as much stuff。 Boom。 There it is。 How do you declutter， purge， edit， etc？ This book will help with that。 I do wish there was more in this book about sharing the mental load or communicating clutter thresholds with partners and significant others。 It seemed clear this book's target audience was women and mothers， and it made me sad that so much of this domestic work was put on a woman or mother。 I didn't want any one reading this book to feel like a failure if their home wasn't clean and perfectly ready to be photographed。 I don't think that was the author's intention either， but how does one distribute these tasks or involve others in this work so it doesn't add burdens and mental stress？ 。。。more
Arathi Nobles
，
Quick easy read。 Very little new material if you have read her other books。 Great as a quick refresher。 Would not buy again。
Darin
，
This book serves best as either a quick introduction to White's theories of cleaning and organizing your home。 If you're starting from zero， I'd recommend that you read her other two books first （or if you got this one first and didn't follow some of the reasoning）。。。 First on cleaning， then on organizing。 But if you've read them both， this one is a great refresher and summary of both books along with some specific tips for areas of your house。 This book serves best as either a quick introduction to White's theories of cleaning and organizing your home。 If you're starting from zero， I'd recommend that you read her other two books first （or if you got this one first and didn't follow some of the reasoning）。。。 First on cleaning， then on organizing。 But if you've read them both， this one is a great refresher and summary of both books along with some specific tips for areas of your house。 。。。more
Apilrain
，
I loved this one as well， there's something very comforting about hearing do your dishes。 It's become my default when I'm stuck。 This book added some tricks I hadn't thought of before。 A game changer for me was storing food storage containers with the lids on in the cupboard。 It sounds counter productive until you try it :） I loved this one as well， there's something very comforting about hearing do your dishes。 It's become my default when I'm stuck。 This book added some tricks I hadn't thought of before。 A game changer for me was storing food storage containers with the lids on in the cupboard。 It sounds counter productive until you try it :） 。。。more
Laura Kiernan
，
I love Dana's practical advice and sense of humor about boring stuff like chores and decluttering。 I read her other two books on the Kindle， but wanted something I could refer back to - so I ordered the hard copy of this book， which is a great quick read that summarizes many key points of her other two books。 If you need the motivation to clear the crap from your house， you can't go wrong with Dana！ I love Dana's practical advice and sense of humor about boring stuff like chores and decluttering。 I read her other two books on the Kindle， but wanted something I could refer back to - so I ordered the hard copy of this book， which is a great quick read that summarizes many key points of her other two books。 If you need the motivation to clear the crap from your house， you can't go wrong with Dana！ 。。。more
Emily Roach
，