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Dana K. White
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I am Dana K. White. I share my personal DES lobification process as I figure out ways to keep my own home under control. I share the truth about cleaning and organizing strategies that actually work in real.
Life for real people. Even people who don't love cleaning and organizing.
Thanks for joining me today. This is podcast number 494 and I think I'm going to call it 52 things I've learned in 52 years. I'm just kidding. Five. Like that's actually the whole title. The just kidding five is also in the title. So it's my 52nd birthday today. Actually, as I'm recording it, it's a few days before that, but this is going to come out on January 22, my 52nd birthday. So I am excited to be here at 52. I actually recently was in a at something around Christmas time and kind of with somebody I was just getting to know and somehow age came up and I said, yeah, I'm 53, y'. All. I hadn't even turned 52 yet. I don't know why that came out of my mouth and it didn't register until like I wasn't talking to that person anymore and I kept going, okay, how do I get back to her and say, hey, remember how I said I was 53? That was not true. I wasn't purposely lying. I don't know what the deal is anyway. Age, whatever, anyway. But I thought I'll share five things, one for each decade. Not like actually lined up with the decade when I learned it, but just as a way to celebrate.
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Dana K. White
So, number one, idealism is a wonderful quality unless it stops me in my tracks. So idealism is a part of my personality and I have learned to celebrate that. But I've also learned that it's not worth it to stay idealistic at the expense of reality. All these things are going to be things that I've learned in this whole decluttering process of my house. But you know, in my first book, how to Manage youe Home Without Losing youg Mind, which came out in 2016, which means 10 years ago, what in the world? In that I have a little idealistic thing at the beginning of each chapter and then a reality check. Because there are all these things that I thought, this is the way it should be, this is the way it should work. This is the way that surely someday I will figure it out and I won't have to, you know, be plagued by dishes all the time. There has to be this amazing way or, you know, there. There's got to be the right organizing system and all that. And that was great. But as I lived and as I grew, I came to the point where I realized I may want an amazingly, I may be drawn to pictures of beautifully color coordinated, elaborate organizing systems. And that could be my ideal. And if that being my ideal gets me there, then that's great. But if that being my ideal and that idealism of I want the perfect system ends up keeping me from actually doing anything, from getting started, keeps me stuck in stuff everywhere and not able to function in my home, then I need to let go of that idealism. And as a 52 year old woman, I will say, oh, it's so much freedom, you know, I mean, at the risk of being that 52 year old woman who's like, let me tell y' all a few things here, I mean, I'm just saying it is so freeing to say idealism isn't actually idealism if it stops me in my tracks. And so even though I do have a, I would say a generally positive personality, I'm sure there are some times when I've done podcasts and you maybe only heard that one and you're like, I wouldn't think she's positive. But I think overall I try to be pretty positive and go with the reality Accepting reality, even at the expense of idealism, is so freeing. It's so, so freeing and. And saying, I love the pictures of beautifully organized spaces. However, what I gotta do now is get rid of the trash. What I gotta do now is put the things I already know where they should go in the place where they go. What I gotta do now is donate the stuff that I wouldn't even want if I did have that elaborate system. Even if I was to get to the elaborate system, the only way to get there is to start in the. Right now, in the nitty gritty. But as long as my whole focus was on the. That's the. That's the only thing that's the best. And so that's what I want. When that was my focus, it kept me stuck because I couldn't look at what was in front of me and have any idea how to get that into that idealistic system, because it wasn't actually possible. But I hadn't started decluttering, and so I didn't actually understand that. So letting go of idealism, when it stops me in my tracks, that's the dividing line. If you're idealistic like me, let's continue to be idealistic, but let ourselves acknowledge the reality of. I think it's the idealism that's keeping me from moving forward, which means I will never get to the idealism. So I have to let go of that and look at what's in front of me and just do whatever I can do right now that's in front of me that I already know has to be done, I'm going to go ahead and do that thing, and that's ultimately going to move me closer to the goal anyway. It's the only way that I could ever possibly get to that goal. But it's that letting go of the idealism, if it's stopping me in my tracks to say, okay, I'm going to let that go and do what's in front of me. And then in general, I found a happy medium on a lot of stuff and said, you know what? It isn't perfect. Life isn't perfect. Spaces aren't perfect. I'm not. Oh, my goodness, of course I'm not perfect. And I like it. I like my space. I like being able to function. I like that. But I never would have gotten to that point if I hadn't said, you know what? I can't think about the idealism. I have to let that go because it's keeping me from moving forward. And what I need to do is move forward. Second thing that I've Learned in my 52 years, doing is more fun than getting ready to do again. This is one of those things that I feel like is just age, you know, doing is getting is more fun than getting ready to do. And I'm not sure at what point I necessarily tipped over into this realization. And I don't know that it was necessarily age that got me there. I think it was decluttering that got me there. The realization of the only way to actually make real decluttering progress in my house is to take it there now. And sometimes that means completing the project, to actually be able to then put it away away instead of in this limbo state of pieces and parts and all that undone part of it was that then understanding the container concept that space is finite, that if I try to keep more stuff than will functionally fit in my space, there is no hope of my space ever being under control. That realization was life changing for me. If this is the first time you've listened to my podcast, welcome. There are lots and lots of other podcasts and videos and in my books I talk about it, the container concept, and just how completely free freeing that was. To accept that there are limits and to accept that accepting limits brings freedom. Because I'm not fighting reality. I've accepted the reality of space. And with that, that grew into me understanding that the first thing that deserves space is the space to function is the space to do the thing. Doing is more fun than getting ready to do. When I didn't prioritize, give the first piece of physical space to the actual area that I needed to be able to do the thing. Then I was constantly stuck in the getting ready to do. Because I was collecting things, I was collecting toys for my kids, I was collecting craft supplies, I was collecting all these different items to be able to do something someday. But because I didn't have the space, because I didn't understand the container concept, I didn't actually have the free open space to do the thing. Then I would just kind of put out of my mind the actual doing of the thing and would continue collecting and collecting and collecting and giving the space to do the thing and then actually doing the thing. That's so much more fun. It's so much more fun. And also the doing of the thing is what helps me realize what I do and don't need. Because when I'm just collecting, I collect all these different oh, well, maybe I'll like this. Maybe I'll enjoy this aspect.
Maybe I'll whatever.
Maybe I'll like watercolors. Maybe I'll like oil paints. Maybe I'll like this. And I bring them all in. But when I actually do the thing, I realize, you know what? Now I don't do the oil paint thing.
Watercolor.
That's what I want to do. But I only realize that from the doing. Also, those are examples that just came in my head. I am not an artist, but they are examples that came in my head that demonstrate the point that I'm trying to make. It makes me so happy when I.
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Exclusions apply number three great ideas are only great ideas if they play out great. The only way to find out if a great idea is a great idea is to play it out and kind of like I was just talking about collecting the stuff to some be able someday be able to do the thing. I also collect ideas. Oh this is a great idea. This is a great idea. I mean I specifically remember when I was a newlywed my husband I taught at the same school and I personally.
Was ready to leave.
Like I would get my stuff done and I was ready to Go home. So. But he was.
I mean, he would take forever.
He would work after school forever. I was always like, are you really work? Anyway, but so I would be at school. And this was in the early days of the Internet. Again, I'm 52. Early days of the Internet. And so I don't think we even had Internet at home. So I would play on the Internet a little bit after I was done working. I was waiting for him to be done working. And, I mean, I was constantly collecting ideas. I would see different projects or, you know, this is before social media, but I would see projects on Food Network or hgtv. And I. I was like, collecting and printing things out that I'm like, okay, I'm going to someday do this. The thing I was going to do, I was going to make this outdoor chair where you built the chair. I shouldn't say this, because some of y' all are going to be like, oh, I want to do that now. You built the chair with hay bales. I think, again, this is not me saying to do this. This is just saying what I remember from 27 years ago. Now, maybe 26 years ago, like, you built this chair out of a hay bale, and then you covered it in cement and put mosaic pieces into the cement. Again, just what I remember, because I lost the piece of paper that I actually did. Anyway, I collected ideas. I had all these ideas of things I was going to do once my real life started. You know, once the next phase of life came along. I mean, I didn't have time to do it at the time. Of course, we lived in an apartment and, you know, all these different. But someday I'm going to do these things. And so I was constantly collecting great, great ideas. And then there was some moments of reckoning as I then got into my real life, you know, which my real life was just as real before. But I was. You know, I'm not in any way saying that wasn't my real life. That's what I realized now. That was real life. And at the time when I lived in my apartment, that was just as real as my life is now. But I was not thinking of it that way. I was thinking of the next phase of life. The next phase of life when I'm going to be able to do this and this and this and this. And then I got there and went, oh, I'm just as messy now, and it's just as debilitating now. It keeps me from doing things now as much as it did when I was in that phase. Of life where I just assumed I had no choice. And, okay, well, it won't be hard anymore. I'll be able to act on my great ideas because I won't be messy anymore in the next phase of life. Great ideas are only great if they play out great. So playing them out is essential. And I kind of shifting here what it was I thought I was going to talk about with this one, but really the main thing I've learned is whatever phase, stage, place in life that I am in, I need to act on whatever great ideas really do fit in that phase of life for what it is. My biggest regrets in life are the fact that in that specific life, phase of life where I was, you know, newlywed and, you know, felt like, oh, this is not our forever home, I wish I would have treated it like our real home. I wish that I would have lived in it for what it was. But I've learned that, okay, I'm not lamenting, I'm not saying, oh, no, I've learned. I learned the hard way that there never comes a time where it's magically easy, except after I've gotten rid of a bunch of stuff, there's never gonna come a time where all of a sudden I've figured out how to have all this stuff be perfect. No, it just needed to leave. And I wish I would have focused more on the things that I could actually do right then, because I think it was that focusing on great ideas that couldn't be done at the phase of my life that I was in that then took up the bandwidth and the brain space and the energy that kept me from actually doing the things I should be doing at that phase of life. I don't know. I don't know. Whatever, you know, it's not a regret, but it is like, well, I mean, I guess it is. You know, like, what would I go back and change? That's what I'd go back and change. I would live for the actual space that I was in and the phase of. I was phase of life that I was in at each phase instead of, you know, if you're new here, what I'm saying, what I'm talking about is my husband, I got married. We had each lived on our own, and we brought everything into the house, and I kept it all. Like, I. We had two toasters and two. All this because I was like, oh, well, in the next house, I don't know which one I'm gonna want, like, once we get into our final house, I don't know. Which one I'm gonna want? Well, you know, we had. We had like, it wasn't a two bedroom. It was called a two. A one bedroom study, but it was basically a two bedroom.
And that second bedroom was piled to.
The ceiling with boxes of stuff that I didn't. I hadn't looked at in years because I'd moved back from overseas at that point. They'd been in storage. I mean, like, that's my regret. My biggest regret is not living in the actual moment when we lived in a temporary situation between our house and the town where we lived before this one. And then our house didn't sell, but we had to go ahead and move here. And so we lived somewhere temporarily for almost a year. And my daughter was born there. I didn't even know I was pregnant when we moved, but she was born there. And there was an actual bedroom for her stuff to be in, but it.
Was filled with stuff.
And I. Those are my regrets. It's fine. She's fine. We've managed, you know, and we've grown so much. But that is probably. Well, that is one of the main things I've learned is go ahead, do the thing for the phase of life that I'm actually in and the space that I'm actually in. Okay. I feel like I kind of got off track on that one, but blah, blah, blah, okay. Valuing stuff doesn't mean I have to keep it in my house. I used to think that I valued things more than other people did because I would see it and I'd be like, that's an amazingly awesome, cool, valuable, sentimental, meaning, meaningful item. And because I think that I should have it in my house, and someone else would say, that's an amazing, cool, awesome item. But then they wouldn't want it in their house. And I was like, well, I'm the one who sees the value of this item, obviously. But then as I decluttered, I uncovered a lot of those really cool, meaningful, awesome items that had been ruined because they'd been shoved somewhere and things had been piled on top of them because I didn't remember that the really cool, meaningful item was the thing at the bottom of that pile. And so I then shifted as I. As I decluttered things, I realized, oh, I didn't value this the way that I thought I was valuing it. I thought bringing it into my house, bringing it into my house was the thing that, that, that verified that I valued this item. In reality, letting something go to actually go somewhere where it has space to live and gets used. That's valuing that item. I can think I can acknowledge that something is super amazing, cool, interesting, valuable and not bring it into my house. And that item is better off for not living in my house. So valuing something does not mean it has to live in my house. If you don't know, I am a.
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Dana K. White
Okay, so this last one that I wrote, I'm realizing I kind of got off on this in the third one. But for my five things I've learned at the age of 52, not 52 things, because nobody wants to be here that long. Stop waiting for a better time. Do what I can do now. You know, when I was talking in the third one about, you know, the phase of life and living in the phase of Life and living functionally in the phase of life that I'm in. This, though, is stop waiting for a better time applies to quite literally everything. My natural reaction when something is difficult or unfun or whatever is. I'm like, there's, you know, I should. I should wait until there's a. It's a better time to do that. I should wait to throw away trash until I have time to really, truly tackle this space that there's clearly trash on. But it's a big pile of stuff and somehow I'm, you know, not doing it. Makes sense to wait. Waiting makes sense. Like I can justify logically in my brain the waiting. That's one of the things I've learned at the age of 52 is stop waiting for a better time. Do what I can do right now. Because I mean, to get into the really existential thing. Of course I'm not guaranteed anytime, you know, once you're. Once you live a while, you know, people who thought they had more time and they didn't. So stop waiting for a better time and just do what I can now. Also, in the day to day, there's not necessarily a better time. Every time that comes along is going to have its own challenges, its own distractions, its own things going on. And so if I can do this thing now, I might as well do it now so that in the future, if there is a better time, there'll be other things for me to do then. So doing what I can do now is incredibly essential for a functional life. So it's funny because there are two different, like, times when people said something to me or just said, I heard someone say something that I look back on these moments as I took that, and it was transformational for me. And with the things that we've been talking about today, it's interesting to see how I didn't apply these to stuff and space until I started decluttering. But one of the things, I was at a high school graduation at a time when I wanted to go to a graduation. I was like, that sounds so fun. Not knowing. Graduations are not that fun unless you're the one graduating. And even then. But I went to this graduation and the speaker said, enjoy each phase of.
Life for what it is.
Don't wish away. And I took that to heart. Like, I truly. I think I was in fifth grade or something when I heard that. And I remember saying, I'm going to enjoy junior high for what it is. I'm going to enjoy high school for what it is. Those Things are not necessarily easy to enjoy for what they are, but I'm going to enjoy this summer that I'm working in this job. I'm going to enjoy it for what it is I'm going to enjoy.
And so I took that to heart.
But I don't think I took it. I didn't understand that the same thing applies to stuff. You know, that stuff is also going to or needs to flow in and out of my life for different phases. And that that's okay. And that part of the enjoying each phase of life for what it is, that just made me go, yes, that is. The thing is made even easier when I view stuff in the same way, which is a way maybe that I take my idealistic personality and move it into that being a way for me to be willing to let go of stuff, to say, these are things that serve me well at this phase of life. And then when I move out of that phase of life, instead of saying, oh no, I wish I was in that phase of life again, instead saying, like I try to do anyway, okay, I'm going to enjoy this phase now. And if I view my stuff in the same way, then it lets me let things go and say, that was a great thing to have at one point in my life, but it doesn't actually fit into the container that is my right now life. My right now life deserves space first. And those are things I learned along the way. The hard way was, you know, I can keep a baby outfit or two or three, whatever, for each of my kids and it be just a lovely memory which is something that serves my right now life. Like my right now life is served.
By the lovely memory of when my kids were little.
But my right now life is made more difficult if I keep every piece of clothing that ever touched their little baby hineies. You know, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. It's what actually serves this right now life. The other piece of advice, very similar, was at my first baby shower, my best friend's mom said, it's gonna be hard. There are going to be hard times, but don't wish any time away. And I have taken that to heart with my kids. I decided to love it when they were babies and to love it when they were toddlers and to love it when they went to school and to love it because it's hard. I mean, yes, it's very. Those transition times when you transition to the next stage and you're like, no, I just decided I am going to not wish any Time away, waiting for the next phase. I'm going to enjoy each phase for what it and in my decluttering process, I would say the same thing. I had the unique opportunity to share my decluttering process with the world. If you've never read through from August, I think it was August 26th or 27th of 2009 when I started what I thought was going to be a temporary anonymous blog about getting my house under control. It was going to take me a couple months and then I, you know, delete that and start something completely different. And here we are now, however many years later. I am thankful to have been engaged and thoughtful all along the way because I think being engaged in that and really paying attention to how much easier my life was with every tough decision made, every thing that left my house, every trip to the donate place, every bag full of actual garbage that left my house, I was paying attention. And because I was paying attention, that kept me going. I enjoyed each phase for what it was. I enjoyed a little bit better. And I think it's very normal to. And I hear this from a lot of you. You're like, I have worked so hard, but there's still so much to do. And just the still so much to do can be so discouraging. But I'm thankful for the fact that I had this weird, unique opportunity to pay attention all along the way and appreciate all along the way. So that would be my encouragement to you is to, as you're decluttering, if you find yourself getting discouraged, pay attention, look for, enjoy the things that you can do now with the amount of decluttering that you have done that you couldn't do before you started. And that is the encouragement to keep going. Because there are going to be more things you can do that you can't even imagine right now that you'll be able to do.
Okay, this one was maybe a little bit preachy.
Sorry about that. But I'm thankful for my 52 years. I'm thankful for all of you. I'm thankful that you have. I mean, some of you have been allow. Been along for the ride since 2009 and I don't want to do math, but if this keeps going for that much longer, for a whole lot longer, I mean, we might get to the point where I've been doing this longer than before because I always say I'm like, well, for the, for the majority of my life, my house is completely out of control. At some point that could shift, I guess. Who knows? Anyway, I hope this was Helpful. I do want to make sure that, you know, if you wanted to get me a birthday present, pre order Winnie's pile of pillows, that would be the best birthday present ever because she will make her way into the world on February 17, which is less than a month away. And I do have the cutest pre order bonuses which are printables of my five step process and of the flowchart which all the principles are the same, but they're adorable. I mean they were cute before, but they are adorable now with Winnie and the artwork from Sarah Jennings, who's my illustrator. Like it is the cutest thing ever. So pre order Winnie's pile of pillows wherever you like to buy books anywhere. If you can't afford it, request it at the library and send us at your local library. Send us an email and let us know that and we'll tell you how to get the pre order bonuses. But all that information is at aslob comes clean.com winnie w-I n n I e and donate it to somebody or give it to somebody in your neighborhood or give it, you know, buy one.
For each of your grandkids.
If you do want to buy multiple ones for grandkids or nieces or nephews or whoever, just friends, God, children, whatever. And you want each of them to get the bonuses, just fill out the form multiple times. And you know, you can use this same pre order number but then you'll be able to put in a different email address for the people that like if you ordered all at one time, you can use the pre same pre order number but you'll be able to put in the the email that you want the the bonus to go to. Because the bonuses are all digital, they are not fulfilled by the actual people selling the book. We don't know where you buy the book or how you do until you come and tell us. This is my preorder information and we provide the digital pre order bonuses. So the only way to get them is to go to slobkemsclean.com Winnie W I N N I E All right, I will talk to y' all later. Bye.
Podcast: A Slob Comes Clean with Dana K. White
Episode: #493 (Released January 22, 2026)
Theme: Dana reflects on her 52 years by sharing five key life lessons—all rooted in her real-world experiences with decluttering, organizing, and embracing imperfection.
In this candid and relatable episode, Dana K. White celebrates her 52nd birthday by distilling half a century’s worth of wisdom into just five hard-earned lessons. Drawing from her personal journey as a self-proclaimed “slob,” Dana’s insights offer motivation and encouragement for anyone feeling stuck in clutter or overwhelmed by the pursuit of perfection. With warmth and humor, she delves into how letting go of unrealistic ideals and focusing on reality can unlock freedom and contentment in home and life.
“Accepting reality, even at the expense of idealism, is so freeing. It’s so, so freeing.” (07:20)
“The first thing that deserves space is the space to function, is the space to do the thing.” (10:00)
“There never comes a time where it’s magically easy, except after I’ve gotten rid of a bunch of stuff.” (20:07)
“Letting something go to actually go somewhere… that’s valuing that item.” (24:57)
“My right now life deserves space first.” (32:18)
“Every time that comes along is going to have its own challenges, its own distractions. If I can do this thing now, I might as well do it now.” (29:40)
Letting Go of Perfection:
“I like my space. I like being able to function. But I never would have gotten to that point if I hadn’t said, ‘I can’t think about idealism. I have to let that go because it’s keeping me from moving forward.’” (08:12)
On the Container Concept:
“Accepting limits brings freedom. Because I’m not fighting reality. I’ve accepted the reality of space.” (09:54)
On Sentimental Items:
“My right now life is served by the lovely memory of when my kids were little, but it’s harder if I keep every piece of clothing that ever touched their little baby hineys.” (32:22)
On Progress:
“With every tough decision made, every thing that left my house, every trip to the donate place… I enjoyed each phase for what it was, a little bit better.” (34:57)
Dana’s signature warmth, vulnerability, and self-deprecating humor shine throughout. She repeatedly encourages listeners by admitting her own struggles and regrets, while still offering hope and practical strategies. The episode feels like an honest, supportive conversation with a wise and funny friend who’s walked the same messy road many listeners are on.
Dana K. White’s “just five” lessons from 52 years reinforce that progress in decluttering—and in life—means embracing reality, acting in the present, and letting go of perfection and excess. Whether you’re drowning in stuff or simply stuck in the “someday” mindset, this episode will inspire you to let go, live now, and enjoy the freedom that comes from doing what you can with what you have, right where you are.