Can I be honest with you? I have a problem with clutter. Not stuff. I'm ok with stuff. I don't mind getting rid of things that I'm not using. Moving after years and years of not using something cures you of caring about stuff. Nope, my problem is with clutter.
In her book Decluttering at the Speed of Life, Dana White defines clutter as anything I can't keep under control. Decluttering isn't cleaning. It is the process of deslobification. Yep, that's a real word in this book.
Dana White is the blogger at A Slob Comes Clean. She's is completely open and honest about her issues with clutter. She offers methods that make it easier for chronic clutterers to declutter. They are straight, forward, and easier than you think.
It's not that I never learned how to put things in their proper place. My mom taught me that as well as how to clean our house. I was the duster and bathroom cleaner while my mom vacuumed and did lots of other things. I just put stuff down and never pick it back up again. Then put more stuff down. Then someone else puts something down. And, you get the picture.
I have to admit that Decluttering at the Speed of Life was the first book (or any explanation for that matter) that really hit home for me. Do something. Start somewhere. It doesn't all have to be done in one day, one week, one month...BUT it HAS to be done!
White explains that everything is a container that can only hold so much - your closet, your car, your cabinets, and even your house. Those containers can only hold so much stuff (or people). Stuff can be books, scarves, craft stuffs, or anything that overtakes its container. This container concept is amazing once you wrap your head around it.
Once you really understand the container concept then you have to learn what you value. What you need to value is space over stuff and over money, as White explains. She then walks you through the layers of a clean house and how you need to start the process.
I can't recommend Decluttering at the Speed of Life enough. It's a book I intend to keep and read regularly to help me walk through my clutter difficulties. To encourage you, I admit that I was able to donate bags of stuff in the less than 1 hour of decluttering. I need to get back at it but I've made a start and it felt really good.
I received this book from Thomas Nelson--W Publishing for free in exchange for an honest review.
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