Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff

This was really great! Simple and straightforward I now have a direction. She makes it as easy as 1, 2, 3. I love that she shows how to take the emotions out of decluttering. Can't wait to get started on my own home!

First of all, Dana is a delightful lady. I've read her entire blog back to front two different times, just because I enjoyed spending time with her so much. Once I had done that, I just had to read her books, to spend more time with her! She is the fun, free-spirited, creative type of woman, and she's hilarious, too!Besides that, Dana is an expert who has actually been there, done that. She knows what she's talking about, because when she began her own decluttering journey, her house was bad. Like, actually, really, shockingly bad. She figured out how to get stuff out of her house, in a way that worked for her, and didn't even make a huge mess, or require putting her life on hold for a week. Her method lets you do a little at a time, as you can, and it also keeps emotions out of the decision making so you don't get stuck.I enjoyed this book and found it very practical, and I also love Dana as a person. I recommend it!

*I preordered this book, but also got to read an advance copy as part of the launch team.*I am still reading this book, but so far am loving it - here's why:1. I have followed Dana White's blog for a couple of months and her podcast for a couple years now, so a lot of the mindset ideas aren't new. That said, I still connect to many of them in a deep way. And it is so vital for me to hear again and again - because changing the way I think and perceive the world around me takes time. And it takes effort. And it takes intentionality on my part - intentionality as I immerse myself in materials that help me to change my mindset. And this book is one of those materials for me.Some parts I connected to:"When I tried to declutter, I examined each item, attempting to assess its value to my current life, my family’s current life, and our future life as a whole. I analyzed the importance of each and every item, trying to predict how much I’d use it if I kept it or how much regret I’d feel if I purged it."Yep. Definitely have done that. And felt so frustrated at how draining it is to go through, item by item, trying to assess that value before deciding whether I can possibly live without it."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."So true! It's amazing how easy it is to ignore the messes. And yet, when it's clean, it feels so good!"Every time I decluttered kids’ clothing, I ended up with an entire bed covered in piles. And no one could help me because I was the only one who understood my nuanced system...Worst of all, my effort often made my home look worse. Piles and stacks sat in the open, waiting for their Ideal Decluttering Method to happen."And once again, it's like she's lived my life.2. Also, I love Dana's humor. Here are some examples of parts that made me smile, or even laugh out loud:"Some data is real, but most is experiential...Unless I specifically say where I got that number, I probably made it up...I taught theatre arts, so numbers mostly serve as dramatic effect for me.""Here’s how it works. The only supplies you need to start decluttering are a black trash bag (black, so people living in your house won’t be able to see what’s inside and suddenly remember why they totally need it), a donatable Donate Box (the box itself has to leave the house along with the stuff inside), and your feet (in most cases, attached to the ends of your legs)."3. Finally - and most importantly - her tips just make sense. They are practical. And they actually help me get stuff out of my home."The decision became, “Do I like this more than that?” Favorite things got first dibs at container space. Things I liked (but weren’t favorites) could totally stay, guilt-free, as long as there was space. Things that didn’t have a current purpose or need didn’t get to stay, and I didn’t even feel bad about that. There simply wasn’t space.""Shouldn’t I use my decluttering energy on real decluttering instead of on these tedious daily things?Yes, except this daily stuff is clutter because you haven’t been dealing with it daily. If you dive into the tough decluttering stuff and ignore the procrasticlutter, you’ll feel like your efforts were wasted even though you worked all day. The room will still look messy.""Here’s the thing I’ve realized as I have decided to use things instead of store them: once I use things, I use them up, and then the pain of decluttering isn’t so harsh."Like I said above, I haven't finished the book yet. But I would still wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who has felt like they've tried to declutter, tried to organize, tried to get their home looking presentable, and just haven't felt like their efforts have made a lasting difference.

I've been on my decluttering journey for a couple of years. I've never been a collector at hoarder levels, but there are definitely areas of my life that need decluttering as I can tend to want to hang on to items "just in case". Books are by far the biggest offender for me and as I start to take a critical look at my print library, I decided to read Decluttering at the Speed of Life. I've seen a few of Dana K. White's videos on YouTube and someone I follow on social media had recently read this book, so I picked it up on Kindle Unlimited.Ms. White's process is pretty simple. And she repeats it over and over during the course of the book so that it sinks in. Get rid of the trash, donate the "duh", put things in their place and if it doesn't have a place would you know you have it. If not, get rid of it. Then she talks about the container being your limit for your stuff... such as, you have a sock drawer, if it's comfortably full, then you need to get rid of a pair of socks to put in a new pair. That sort of thing.I'll be honest, I knew most of this going into the book. However, I found Ms. White's writing quite humorous while tackling what can be a quite serious issue. And while reading, I kept thinking about the areas in my place that still need decluttering, like my books, and how I can use these techniques to finally get the process done.Decluttering at the Speed of Life was a pretty quick and easy read. There were a few chapters that I skipped, such as tackling a loved one's house, since it doesn't pertain to me in this season of my life. And while the information was repetitive, it was helpful that various examples were given as she moved from room to room around the house. I'd totally recommend this book if you're looking at decluttering, not organizing, your space.

I loved the lighthearted yet knowledgeable approach. No checklists, no guilt trips, no soul-searching, and no hauling everything out into a pile! This book is great, and Dana's approach works whether you have 5 minutes at a time, or all day to tackle the mess. Just what I needed.

Having reached a point of having no space for "stuff" despite being a minimalist, I found myself in emotional torment. I have no issue decluttering and i don't have a lot of items in reality, but in some ways that makes it harder. I don't have draws and cupboards rammed... so when each item feels necessary but things are all feeling a bit too "full", i don't know what to cut- especially when it comes to childhood drawings etc. This book really gave me a light bulb moment and already I feel like the internal conflict around what seemed like an impossible task has lessened. Not only is the book easy to grasp, practical and actionable, it is also so well written... like a conversation speaking to you as a friend. As your own inner thoughts. I love this book so much I've ordered her other one...

A good read for those who need a little help to tidy up their homes. If you’re looking to dig a little deeper and try to release some stuff BEYOND physical clutter and change your behavior towards consumerism, this is not what this book is about… unfortunately for me.

Me identifique con cada uno de sus ejemplos, tiene gracia y te inspira a empezar ya. Gracias a sus libros he comenzado a ver cambios en mi hogar.

I love this book! Yes - the author has five decluttering steps, which she explains in the beginning and the keeps on repeating for each room in your house. So the book is quite repetitive. But repetition is learning, right? It’s very easy to read and it’s fun. I loved the book and the tips. And the title is amazing - Decluttering at the Speed of Life... Yes!