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Loading... How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing (edition 2022)by K.C. Davis
Work InformationHow to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by K.C. Davis
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. There are so many aspects of this book that gave me comfort. A lot of it is common sense, but when a person is overwhelmed for whatever reason, their common sense is unavailable. Many people struggle with self care and the inability to "keep house" at various times. This short book not only contains many suggestions for simplifying housekeeping duties, but also provides many supportive messages to help maintain (or recover) a sense of self-worth. This little book is a quick, easy read and sure to be the most personally relevant self-help book I’ve ever read. I found KC Davis via someone else’s IG account, and watching some of her TIkTok videos nearly brought me to tears. I have struggled with housework for *years*, due to both disability and work schedules, and needed this kind, compassionate counselor to tell me that household chores are morally neutral and having a messy house does not make me a bad person, along with numerous practical strategies for making my house functionally clean. Many Amazon critics of the book complain that the book is too short or that the information is already available in her TIkTok videos. I’d respond by saying that many of us struggling in this way don’t really want to read a long book! Also, yes, much of material is available in her videos — but (a) I found several gems of information that were new; (b) there is value I having it organized and searchable (I read the Kindle version. Well worth the money, for me. —- Edited to add review of new edition, April 27, 2022 Today I finished reading the expanded version of this book, published April 26, 2022, by Simon & Schuster. I stand by my previous review AND recommend this revised edition even more strongly. Davis’s message that care tasks are not moral acts is reinforced throughout, along with a great deal of practical advice and compassion. “Care tasks exist for one reason only . . . to make your body and space functional enough for you to easily experience the joy this world has to offer.” [ch. 41, loc. 1435] This expanded edition includes new chapters on body neutrality and on equity in care tasks and rest; in the latter Davis provides a unique and empowering perspective on dividing household chores by making rest fair and equitable, rather than the conventions of gender or paycheck contributions. If I were still teaching, this material would be new required reading in my gender and communication courses. Five stars again, with thanks to #NetGalley for this advance copy. This is not a book about housekeeping. It is about developing a healthy sense of self-worth for those who lack that. In addition, this is very repetitive and far too long. The author clearly struggles with caring too much about the opinions of others, and assumes everyone shares that same struggle, so that's primarily what she's addressing here. Davis actually states that she doesn't believe laziness exists. Unfortunately, it does exist. There are those struggling with depression or other mental issues who need tangible help, and grace to accept their current limitations, yes. But there are also truly lazy (yet perfectly capable) individuals who make excuses for their behavior and don't need any more enablement. Lumping everyone together is not helpful for anyone. It was frustrating (and a bit horrifying) to hear Davis advocating throwing in the trash virtually everything that's "too hard" to deal with. Dishes, laundry, you name it, she throws it away. Being kind to the planet is not a goal in and of itself, but rather, being kind to the planet is a way of being kind to the living creatures, including humans, on the planet. She didn't seem to get that. The author includes some racist, classist, and anti-religious ideas. There's a lot of profanity here, including God's name misused. And while there are a couple actual tips that are helpful, they can be more easily found online. Interestingly, Davis never really touches on the power of habit, which I think is helpful for all people. This is the most helpful book I've read all year. I highly recommend who anyone who struggles with organization, cleaning, motivation, procrastination, self-esteem around any of these topics, or just is exhausted or overwhelmed. KC Davis breaks task down in a managable way and tackleds difficult topics such as self-esteem and gender and familial expectations around cleaning. Thank you for writing this book! no reviews | add a review
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"For anyone tired of staring at the same mess every day but struggling to find the time and willpower to fix it, popular therapist and Tiktok star KC Davis presents a revolutionary method of cleaning to end the stress-mess cycle"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)648Technology Home and family management Housework (Cleaning, Moving, Organizing)LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I laughed, I cried, I felt seen, I felt known without feeling called out.
Favorite part: when I paused at the chapter about cleaning your car because I wasn’t mentally ready to think about cleaning my car… and when I came back to said chapter… well, just read it. Or better yet, listen to it. I found the audiobook to be like a good friend and/or helpful big sister patting me on the shoulder and giving me the encouragement and permission I’ve needed for years, i.e. my entire adulthood. Seriously, best book to start the year, or anytime. ( )