How to Keep House While Drowning
A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing
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Narrated by:
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KC Davis LPC
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Dr. Raquel Martin
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Written by:
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KC Davis LPC
About this listen
An NPR Best Book of 2022
USA TODAY Bestseller
This revolutionary approach to cleaning and organizing helps free you from feeling ashamed or overwhelmed by a messy home.
If you’re struggling to stay on top of your to-do list, you probably have a good reason: anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or lack of support. For therapist KC Davis, the birth of her second child triggered a stress-mess cycle. The more behind she felt, the less motivated she was to start. She didn’t fold a single piece of laundry for seven months. One life-changing realization restored her sanity—and the functionality of her home: You don’t work for your home; your home works for you.
In other words, messiness is not a moral failing. A new sense of calm washed over her as she let go of the shame-based messaging that interpreted a pile of dirty laundry as “I can never keep up” and a chaotic kitchen as “I’m a bad mother.” Instead, she looked at unwashed clothes and thought, “I am alive,” and at stacks of dishes and thought, “I cooked my family dinner three nights in a row.”
Building on this foundation of self-compassion, KC devised the powerful practical approach that has exploded in popularity through her TikTok account, @domesticblisters. The secret is to simplify your to-do list and to find creative workarounds that accommodate your limited time and energy. In this book, you’ll learn exactly how to customize your cleaning strategy and rebuild your relationship with your home, including:
-How to see chores as kindnesses to your future self, not as a reflection of your worth
-How to start by setting priorities
-How to stagger tasks so you won’t procrastinate
-How to clean in quick bursts within your existing daily routine
-How to use creative shortcuts to transform a room from messy to functional
With KC’s help, your home will feel like a sanctuary again. It will become a place to rest, even when things aren’t finished. You will move with ease, and peace and calm will edge out guilt, self-criticism, and endless checklists. They have no place here.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 by KC Davis, 2022 by Katherine Davis. All rights reserved (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.You may also enjoy...
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When Allie Casazza first became a mom, she found herself struggling to make it through each day. She battled fatigue, depression, and the unsettling feeling that she didn't have what it took to do "this mom thing" well. When she realized the root of her burden was the overwhelm of physical clutter, she got intentional about what took up her space and time. The path she carved brought her and her family greater contentment and more abundant living, and she shares it in her much-anticipated first book, Declutter Like a Mother.
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Just a pitch for her expensive program
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How to Clean Everything
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- Unabridged
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How to Clean Everything is full of genuinely useful tips and tricks, and advice about not just what but also what not to do. Covering everything from laundry to accidents, and cleaning room by room, this audiobook also contains sections on more general household maintenance, particularly useful for renters or anyone living away from home for the first time. Ann's approach is realistic, reassuring and easy to follow, whatever your circumstances.
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She's so wholesome and knowledgeable 😭
- By Jeremiah nie on 2022-09-02
Written by: Ann Russell
What listeners say about How to Keep House While Drowning
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- .Deanna Mock
- 2022-10-19
very good for the overwhelmed...
it was good for someone younger..
..mouth didn't apply to me unless I got sick..🤷♀️
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- Dara Barbour
- 2022-10-19
well done.
loved it. very compassionate. just what i needed i would like to hear more from this author.
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- Ashley Gillingham
- 2022-05-01
fantastic!
loved this! it was my first full audio book- the chapters are short and to the point. so it was easy to pause and come back to without feeling like I missed something.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2022-05-03
Thank you KC Davis!
This is a wonderful book! KC Davis speaks from experience, and is compassionate, empathetic, and realistic in her approach. This isn't a one-size-fits-all book with a strict program. Instead, KC offers up advice based on her own experience that can easily be adapted to suit anyone's needs. I found myself nodding a lot with her experience, had a lot of AHA! moments, and cried hard in the intro with how relatable it was. This is a must read for everyone, no matter how much or how little the struggle to keep house.
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- Yvette
- 2022-08-07
Fantastic!
Excellent for anyone who struggles with not meeting societal expectations and all of those "I shoulds" we tell ourselves, especially when dealing with neurodivergent brains, mental and physical health issues.
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- Heather Chappell
- 2023-03-20
If you're struggling it is a must-read/listen!
I'm so thankful for this book it's very validating, KC has been a saving grace for me in my struggles with executive function 🙏🏽
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- Joanne
- 2024-06-06
Incredibly Helpful With Chronic Illness
I was expecting another self-help book that would make me feel worse about myself because they never seen to take my limitations and challenges into account. This book is AMAZING!! It really helps alleviate the guilt associated with not being able to live up to what I feel others expect of me, or what I *should be. Finding a book whose author understands that sometimes even brushing teeth is a struggle was so validating. I have four children, very limited energy and very few resources to work with and there are lots of strategies in this book that I can still apply in my own life and derive a lot of benefit from. It's a rare gem of a book. If you're a REAL human who struggles to keep up with everything you need to get done, don't hesitate to get this book.! You won't regret it!
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- Lee l.
- 2023-06-01
Great Read!
Short and sweet. I like to listen to this book when I need a friend who understands what I am going through. I love it and it really help changed my perspective of myself and my life.
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- Tanya
- 2022-05-30
Listen
Great advice for everyone with problems. I am 53 years old and I love it.
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- Tara Anderson
- 2022-06-05
Yes, functional is perfect!
Yes, it's okay to have mess. This book has taught me how to approach coping with managing our household with a kinder inner voice. I listen to this audio book when I am feeling unmotivated to tackle mountains of housework. It works for me! It's nice to hear real solutions for tackling those overwhelming feelings when confronted with oceans of stuff.
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