How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind

Dealing with Your House's Dirty Little Secrets

By: Dana K. White

Narrated by: Dana K. White

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Bring your home out of the mess it’s in - and learn how to keep it under control.

Do you experience heart palpitations at the sound of an unexpected doorbell? Do you stare in bewilderment at your messy home, wondering how in the world it go this way again? You’re not alone. But there is hope for you and your home.

In How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, Dana K. White explains, clearly and without delusions, what it takes to get - and keep - your home under control.

With understanding, honesty, and her trademark humor, Dana shares her field-tested strategies including:

• Exactly where to start to tame the chaos
• Which habits deserve your focus and will make the most impact
• How to gain traction in your quest for a manageable home
• Practical tips you can implement and immediately to declutter huge amount of stuff with minimal emotional drama

Cleaning your house is not a one-time project but a series of ongoing premade decisions. Start learning Dana’s reality-based cleaning and organizing techniques - and see how they really work!

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2016 Dana White (P)2016 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Where is the pdf of the appendix????!!!

She does run on quite a bit on the cleaning kitchen/washing dishes but overall I really like her style. However, she keeps mentioning this appendix and I'd really like to get the pdf version of it as I can with other similar books I've purchased from Audible. If you've purchased the book (even the audio version) you should have access to checklist/appendix that she references quite a bit in the book. Frustrating!! Overall though a good book and great motivation to get things in order.

No PDF attachments :(

LOVED the audio book! I will listen again and again for motivation.

The only, and I mean the ONLY complaint I have is there are not any PDF attachments for the pages in the appendix. So, I don't have the following pages for reference:

28 days to hope for your home
Not for the mildly disorganized
Develop 4 Habits over 4 weeks
Find hope for real change in your home
Day by day guide

A gold star plan for de-slobification

I was spell-bound listening to this. Yep, 2 chapters on washing dishes. No complaints. 2 on laundry? I get it. And that 28-day appendix. That illustrates the sameness of starting de-slobification? I listened. Even though the author had some well reasoned warnings about using eBay to declutter, I was somehow called to it. $700 + later, I'm finishing up the decluttering. I loved this book. Great performance. This woman's "12-step" program is gold. Thank you!

Some great MUST DOs to keeping a clean home

I actually read Dana's "Decluttering at the Speed of Life" before this one, and had it been reversed, I would have probably given this one 5 stars on everything, but I found the other to be written in a more organized way - well at least for my brain. I still recommend this read. I definitely took away some "keeper concepts" that weren't in the other. Chapters 18 and on were really where I found the gold.

I'm so grateful for both books and for my fellow Texas gal, wife, Momma, and slob. I feel you on all accounts. I'm just 3 weeks, I have made huge strides in my home, like where I want to invite people over just for fun. And I really want to them to stop in unannounced, so I can feel even more proud.

listen the whole way through

There were times when the author seems to harp on a subject. For a while I was thinking, 'that's unrealistic'. But listen the whole way through. If you're struggling with mess and clutter you've found a friend for the path. You've found your people. She's flexible, but you have to hear her out. This approach will change how you do things.

Years ago I set out looking for The organizing book. You know the one - the one that will make it All make sense. Once you've read it, you won't have a single mess left to clean up.

But experience is the best teacher. This author takes that on with humor. Things get clean because we clean them. We learn what works for us by experience. There will be one or two of her methods you have to adjust to your own unique circumstances. For the most part, this is that book. But as much because she honors that experience will always be the best teacher. She has great methods. She has great advice. She also has the wisdom to give ideas for how her advice might need to be tweaked for unique needs. Good book. I highly recommend it.

Such a great book!

I have been following Dana's blog (and particularly podcasts) for a few years, and I listen while I try to clean... this made the book an essential buy for me. Dana is just like me, and is hilarious, and makes me feel like I'm not alone. This stuff doesn't come naturally to everyone. I finally have hope though - and I am seeing little successes. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who feels overwhelmed by their home. I'm starting to actually enjoy mine, now that it is becoming more manageable through simple tasks like doing the dishes. Looking forward to the next book :)

Chose her other book instead!

I can sum this book up in one sentence, "Do your dishes!" If you're on the fence about which book of hers to buy, choose "Decluttering at the Speed of Life" instead. I have listened to that book over and over, without ever getting tired of it. This book did not live up to my expectations, at all. I laughed out loud a couple times, but overall it didn't teach me anything. I doubt that I will listen to it again.

Must Read for Would-Be Homemakers

Awesome! This is the BEST information on keeping a home that I've ever read! It is pratical, informative, relatable, and funny all at the same time. I finally feel like I have a roadmap for daily success at home and I have already seen results. I am truly glad to have found a kindred spirit who decided to share her experience and strategies for success. Two thumbs up!!

READ THIS BOOK!

Dana you rock! This book is honest, open, hilariously perfect with all of life's imperfections that you shared. Simply marvelous. This is a well done "must read". Totally worth the listen. Glad you narrated it yourself. Can't imagine anyone else capturing it all the way it deserves. READY FOR YOUR NEXT ONE!

Love it!

It was so good. Dana recorded it beautifully and is so motivating and expiring. Thank you!

Entertaining but useless for its purpose

I have to admit I loved listening to it and I preferred it over other books in my library which were currently on my playlist. I listen to books mostly before sleep so this one is very easy listen if you are tired and nice cheer up saying you're not the only one who still after years of struggle doesn't get it. However if you are looking for a complete cleaning system similar to fly lady this is not the book. There is very little about cleaning in this book after all. She uses literary only these strategies wash your dishes every evening and rid of all extra dishes and plates which don't fit in your cupboards (same like shine your sink concept). Don't treat washing up as once a week project. Well nothing new. There is one new concept to pick up a day of a week for washing up all your laundry. Well it might work for the author if she really has to make only 5 loads a week but it really doesn't work for larger families with small children or with messy children in general or perhaps she has 20 kg washing machine but i only have 5 kg so this is fail. One load a day concept in fly lady makes more sense even if it means two loads a day in my case. I tried to apply it to mopping as she suggests but I really don't have energy or time to mop all house as I don't have any carpets at all in one day a week and secondly the floor doesn't stay clean enough for toddler for the entire week, its better mop two rooms every day so second fail. Decluttering is another strategy in this book. Well for this one she deserves credit as she made me realize why moping my house is so exhausting and its because I have to move so many items on my floors and it takes forever so keeping only stuff which fits into any wardrobe and not expanding storage boxes etc is the key to make my life less struggle. She says it doesn't matter what's in the wardrobe declutter visible places first well another fail rather Id suggest first declutter these wardrobes and storage rooms so you can store these things you have to move around the house in there. I decluttered my storage room and it made much faster change than konmari method because she starts with all clothes, then all books and I gave up in there because I have to sort the real life mess and don't really care what's in my library at the moment. there are more urgent things I must clean but I never have time or energy to clean them so I'm looking for cleaning method to use my time and energy more wisely. so far I didn't find any suitable cleaning methods for mothers with fussy newborns. I still feel I need hire a housemaid even after reading this book. so I can't rate it any higher. I gave it three stars only because its funny narrative.

Great to get going with

This book is great to reinforce that suspicion that you have too much stuff, gives you the encouragement you need to get rid of it, and helps you to realise the majic of daily habits. I found listening while I tidied/cleaned/decluttered helped me to keep motivated.
Also I found Dana's American accent not in the least bit annoying- even endearing. Or maybe I have just listened to so many American books that I am now immune! Thank you Dana White

A good read

Even if you do your dishes every day clean your kitchen floor do read this book.
It is for readers who are not very organised.
If you need ideas to organise your closet and how to make your house Pinterest worthy than this book is not for you.
I love one thing about this book is it changes your mindset.

A funny and realistic coaching session for failed housewives

Dana K White is a very funny writer and podcast broadcaster
. Her tone is encouraging and humble. Her goals realistic and simple.

My home may never be magazine worthy, but my mind is no longer overwhelmed and anxious, which is most important.

This is not a book full of technical checklists and exhaustive plans. I think it's better for it. I'll listen to this again and again while I'm cleaning or decluttering.

I'm so glad, too that the author read the book. Her voice is lovely both here, and on her podcast.

At last

After 74 years of livingin a muddle (I was born like it) I am finally starting to make progress and feeling there is a way through. Dana made me laugh and made me do the dishes. Simple. Try it.

Fantastic.

This book could have been written for me. Every single word resonated so strongly.

It takes you through the probable reasons that, despite your best efforts, your house is always disorganised and messy.

It does not provide an exact prescription for how to do everything but instead gives a loose framework which can be adapted for your lifestyle and circumstances.

I imagine that some of the points made again and again would grate if you already knew them - but then if you knew them you probably would not be reading a book with this title.

Perfect for impractical perfectionists, cuts through the thinking which was holding me back.

Best thing I have listened to for a long time.

Wonderfully simple

This surprising find reminds you that action is at the core of success when it comes to housework, but it also offers sensible strategies to deal with the emotional debris that gets in the way. Beautifully read by the author herself it is full of wisdom and common sense.

loved it!

I have read a lot of self help books and those on getting organized and clean at home. This is in my top 2 (alongside the secret art of tidying up - Konmari). I identified with so much of what she said - having a different brain to tidy people! and most importantly I am actually implementing some of the stratgies and getting somewhere in my house!

Dana got inside my head

Dana calls me out on all my limiting grand ideas and enlivens painful, boring adulting.

if you didn't get Marie Condo. read this. love it

I loved this book. it spoke to me (litterally - yes. but it spoke to me). I am a slob. I'm off to do the dishes