TEXAS LIFESTYLE | HABITAT

Inspiring Secret Slobs Everywhere! How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind By Autumn Rhea Carpenter

Texas native Dana White, author of How to

Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House’s Dirty Little Secrets and self-

proclaimed slob, wrote a book from the perspective of someone who understands what it’s like to be completely overwhelmed and not know where to begin in the organization game, inspiring secret slobs everywhere.

failed at every method she tried. Success came when she put her energy into specific non-negotiable daily tasks. "I finally gained control of my house.” When White began her de-slobification blog journey in 2009, she had no intention of making it a public experience. “I created a fake name and email address, so no one could trace the embarrassing pictures back to me,” she said. Eight years later, and using her own name, she's now helping others. "They know that I truly understand their starting point and can give them courage to begin this challenge." White’s journey included tackling a new habit each week, making her choices according to what drove her the craziest. “I realized that going ahead and tackling a problem was much more helpful than analyzing that problem and never actually getting started.”

“ I ’ m a n i d e a l i s t wh o analyzes situations and researches solutions, but White’s de-slobification Dana White, author of A Slob Comes too often, I can’t live up to helped her learn about Clean, debuts her latest organization that expectation in real life,” herself. It was enlightening book, geared toward creative said the Dallas resident. to realize that she wasn't a thinkers and problem solvers. For all of her adult life, failure because traditional she treated housekeeping organization advice as a project without realizing it. "I would doesn’t work for her. "I simply needed to clean like a maniac, get it perfect, and then find solutions that work for my personality.” be shocked when it was a mess three days ASLOBCOMESCLEAN.COM later." Desperate for lasting change, she'd

36 Texas Lifestyle Magazine | Spring 2017

Spring Cleaning Tips 1. Spring brings a renewed (yet fleeting) cleaning energy, so use it wisely! Perform the non-glamorous, basic cleaning jobs first, including cleaning the kitchen, bathroom and living areas. 2. Next, focus on more detailed tasks, like washing curtains or floorboards or dusting walls or window blinds. 3. When you feel the itch to de-clutter, the natural tendency is to tackle the junk drawer, linen closet or another hidden space. Don’t start there! Follow the visibility rule and focus on cleaning a space that you see everyday, but have stopped noticing. 4. When purging unnecessary items, get rid of the easy, non-emotional items first. Once you experience living with less clutter, it’s easier to get rid of items that you once believed were impossible to live without.ichotomy of glitter and grit.

Photos courtesy Dana White

rganization is an evasive, impossible dream for many people. They purchase books that promise by the last chapter a nirvana of alphabetized book shelves, color-coordinated closets and clutter-free desk drawers will be found. Unfortunately, most of these books are penned by Type A, innately organized authors who don't relate to the segment of the population who sees the world as one big project.

Photo by April Pizana

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Dana White— a self-proclaimed slob— encourages people to organize their homes with realistic, achievable strategies