• Home
  • Get Started!
  • Speaking
  • Blog
    • Cleaning
    • decluttering
    • organization
    • All posts
  • Podcast
  • Books
    • Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Messy House
      • Get a Discussion Guide
    • Organizing for the Rest of Us
    • Decluttering at the Speed of Life
    • How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind
  • Video
  • Shortcut Solutions
    • 14 Days to Opening Your Front Door to Guests e-book
    • Make Dinner Happen
    • The 5 Day Clutter Shakedown Video Course
    • Printable Checklists E-Book from A Slob Comes Clean
    • Teaching Kids to Clean e-book
    • Giving God the Worst of Me - free e-book
    • My Book Publishing Journey
    • Take Your House Back
  • Decluttering Coaches

Dana K. White

A SLOB COMES CLEAN

Reality-Based Cleaning, Decluttering, & Organizing

 

  • About
  • Contact
  • TV & Media

  • Home
  • Get Started!
  • Speaking
  • Blog
    • Cleaning
    • decluttering
    • organization
    • All posts
  • Podcast
  • Books
    • Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Messy House
      • Get a Discussion Guide
    • Organizing for the Rest of Us
    • Decluttering at the Speed of Life
    • How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind
  • Video
  • Shortcut Solutions
    • 14 Days to Opening Your Front Door to Guests e-book
    • Make Dinner Happen
    • The 5 Day Clutter Shakedown Video Course
    • Printable Checklists E-Book from A Slob Comes Clean
    • Teaching Kids to Clean e-book
    • Giving God the Worst of Me - free e-book
    • My Book Publishing Journey
    • Take Your House Back
  • Decluttering Coaches
Videos
Blog
Podcast
Products & Courses
Books
About
Decluttering Coaches

Finding Hope in the Deslobification Journey

April 6, 2020 By Dana White | 7 Comments

  • 118shares
  • 40
  • 0
  • 78

A Reader Finds Hope in Her Deslobification Journey at ASlobComesclean.com

I don’t have much to say to introduce this one, other than that stories like this one make all of this crazy made-up job worthwhile. I’m so thankful for the hope I found and the hope others can find.

Hi Dana,

I’ve been mentally writing this email for the last year. 🙂
I’ve known about your blog for many years and occasionally stopped by from time to time, but I always told myself that when I was “ready” I would sit down and read it systematically so I could learn everything the “right way” and change for good. (Ha!)
A year ago I met a new friend who unexpectedly came over to my house (in all its Slob Glory) one day. I was mortified and wondering what she must think of me. Before she left, she invited us over for lunch at their house after church that Sunday. As we sat at her kitchen table a few days later, she confessed, “I never have people over, but when I saw what your house looked like the other day, I knew I could have you over at ours.” I mentioned your book to her and that I still hadn’t read the copy I’d owned for a year (or two?). She was intrigued and we decided right then that she would get a copy and we would read through it together. Neither of us thought it would really make a difference.
We started texting each other every day with “Slob Reports” including pictures of every area in our houses. We sent each other quotes from your book and your blog. Over and over, we reminded each other, “The difference this time is that we aren’t giving up!” That was last November, I think. I’ll spare you most of the play-by-play (you’re welcome), but there are some things I think you should know:
Until I met my friend (and you through your book) I had never known another Slob. Everyone else I know is Normal. As I read through each chapter, I laughed (a lot) and cried (occasionally) and nodded enthusiastically because someone finally “gets” me and, not only that, but she’s actually successful at this whole Deslobification thing!
Dana, you gave me hope. I’m not just talking about “hope that there will be clean underwear in my drawer” (which there is, thanks to you), but real, fearlessly-moving-forward-with-my-life hope.
(Nutshell Back Story: My husband left us 6 years ago, when I was pregnant with our 4th child. It’s been a rough ride, but I’m so thankful for how our family has seen Jesus’ sufficiency in such tangible ways.)
For the first time in my life, I feel like a capable adult and I am enjoying the freedom to pursue projects (like freezer batch cooking, and teaching theater, and homeschooling my kids, and being in a play with all of them and . . . life) that would never have been possible, much less relatively stress-free before my Deslobification journey.
My house still has days (and occasional weeks) of being in Disaster Status, but now I know where to start when it’s time to get things back under control. Speaking of…I need to go do the dishes now. 🙂
THANK YOU.
Finding Hope in The Deslobification Journey Decluttering at ASlobComesClean.com

Related Posts:

Read Newer Post 250: Decluttering with Chronic Illness and Exhaustion Podcast
Read Older Post 249: How to Clean Your Bedroom Podcast

Filed Under: reader stories | 7 Comments

Comments

  1. Lydia Van der Veen says

    April 13, 2020 at 9:44 am

    This is a perfect example of how you have helped to many of us, Dana. We all have our back stories, and how we came to discover you and your deslobification ways. You are our inspiration!!! Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Karen Butler says

    April 13, 2020 at 10:11 am

    Love the pictures, because they look so much like my house. Love the actionable steps, because they help me see the way through all the stuff. Love the encouragement, because it helps me get started and keep going: one item, one step at a time.

    Reply
  3. Julia Irvin says

    April 13, 2020 at 1:13 pm

    Love this.

    Reply
  4. Susan says

    April 15, 2020 at 9:47 am

    Here’s an analysis for you:

    You’re sitting in a darkened room watching a scary, scary movie…the ominous music is growing, Growing, GROWING….and BAM! From behind you in the shadows OUT JUMPS the creepy, stalking, bad guy! You SCREEEEAAAAAM and pop your feet up under your bum and pull the covers over your face. Just then….someone flicks the LIGHT ON……AND ALL FEARS DISPEL.

    yeah….that’s what the life of a slobber is like until the AH HA! moment of reading your books. The clutter cree eee eeeeps up on you, slowly, slowly, slowly until you hit your hip on the desk piled with papers, pictures and laundry (I have a digital scale on my desk right now…haha- kinda funny- but that’s actually where I keep it) …and BAM! The CLUTTER-MAN JUMPS OUT AT YOU and you suddenly realize just how badly your entire house looks…you SCREE EAAM! because you know it’ll will either KILL you immediately or you will die a slow, painful death from suffocation…and your family will, too. And then FLICK! Someone turns on the light and says, “Okay, now that I got your attention, go wash the dishes.”
    And you’re like, with perspiration dripping off of your pale face, “Oh. Oh! Okay, yeah, I’ll go wash the dishes! yeah….I’ll simply start there. Think how happy people will be to have a clean dish! Yeah…I’ll go wash the dishes….but I’ll keep the LIGHTS on and lock the kitchen door behind.”

    Reply
  5. Sabrina says

    April 18, 2020 at 11:04 am

    Dear Dana,

    thank you so much for sharing stories like this one. Reading your blog and listening to your podcasts makes me feel less alone with my struggles. I can totally relate and I LOVE your methods.
    Unfortunately, many “normal” people around me don’t understand and keep telling me that someone of my age/intelligence/education/… shouldn’t be struggling with household chores. Total bullsh*t! You and other people around here prove that being a slob doesn’t mean you are stupid, uneducated or immature.
    You taught me self-acceptance and effective methods to deal with my slobbish ways. Many thanks for that!

    Reply
  6. Sarah says

    May 29, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    I’ve done pretty well
    Myself ie alone (thanks to you and realizing I’m not the only one)

    But it would be really nice to connect with this kind of friend. Who understands how our minds work and help
    Each other out…

    Reply
  7. Geena says

    April 9, 2024 at 11:17 pm

    Dear Dana and readers, thanks for the hope you give. I’m in my 70’s and STILL fighting the “why can’t I keep my house under control?” ogre. My biggest challenges are paper (stacks and stacks and BOXES of it), clothes and books. But after reading your blog posts, I am holding on to hope that SOMEDAY, I will get a handle on it all. And, yes, I need to go do the dishes…
    But first – a couple of situations that have contributed to my discouragement:
    In our 1st house, my close neighbor and dear friend was a HOME EC major. She kept her house in order in spite of having 4 children 5 and under. I couldn’t manage to do that with just 1.
    In our current house, my next door neighbor keeps her house like a museum. She is a professional ORGANIZER! Being around these 2 ladies just made me feel like more of a failure. But you have given me hope, and the tools to succeed.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Want solutions to your biggest decluttering problems?

Get my newsletter and we'll start by teaching you how to declutter without making a bigger mess.
* = required field

Popular Posts

Why-I-Have-To-Run-My-Dishwasher-Every-Single-Night-at-ASlobComesClean.com sidebar
Five Truths about a Clean Kitchen even without a dishwasher at ASlobComesClean.com sidebar
How to Clean a Messy House at ASlobComesClean.com sidebar

Topics:

blogcast Cleaning daily checklist decluttering failures figuring myself out kitchen laundry Menu Plan Monday organization parenting podcasts progress random stories reader stories recipes sponsored posts Uncategorized

  • PR/Advertising
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Website Terms and Conditions
Search

  • About
  • Contact
  • TV & Media

© Dana K. White | Site by Little Leaf Design