KC Davis, a TikTok sensation and author of 'How to Keep House While Drowning,' dives into the stigma around housework. She emphasizes that messiness isn’t a moral failing, urging listeners to view chores as neutral tasks rather than obligations. Davis shares practical strategies for rethinking domestic expectations, stressing self-compassion over perfectionism. Her mantra, 'Your space exists to serve you,' encourages a more relaxed approach to maintaining a home, ultimately promoting the idea that personal well-being should take priority over societal standards.
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insights INSIGHT
Space Serving You
KC Davis, the guest, emphasizes the importance of making your living space serve you, not the other way around.
This involves creating systems that are functional for you, rather than adhering to traditional paradigms.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Prioritize Function
Consider functionality over traditional norms when organizing your home.
If a pile of laundry on the floor works, embrace it!
question_answer ANECDOTE
Bed in Living Room
A couple moved their bed into the living room for better cuddling while watching TV.
This unconventional solution prioritized their comfort and bonding.
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Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be
Rachel Hollis
Girl, Wash Your Face is a self-help book that combines memoir, motivational tips, Bible quotations, and common-sense advice. The book is structured around 20 lies that the author, Rachel Hollis, once believed about herself and how she overcame them. Each chapter focuses on a specific lie, such as 'I'll start tomorrow' or 'I am defined by my weight,' and provides personal anecdotes and practical strategies for overcoming these obstacles. The book emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility, self-reliance, and living with passion and purpose. It also includes elements of Hollis's own life experiences, from her family background to her career and personal relationships, making it a relatable and motivational read for many women[1][3][5].
How to Keep House While Drowning
A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing
KC Davis
This book by KC Davis offers a gentle and compassionate guide to managing home care despite the challenges of anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or lack of support. Davis shares her personal experiences and practical strategies, such as cleaning in short bursts and using creative shortcuts, to help readers transform their homes into functional and peaceful spaces. The book emphasizes letting go of perfectionism and fostering a healthier relationship between the individual and their home.
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Today we’re talking about an often overlooked source of suffering— housework. There are so many ways in which housework can be a bummer. Maybe we’re feeling guilty about the fact that our place is always a mess. Maybe we’re driving ourselves crazy with obsessive cleaning. Maybe we have relatives who are overly critical about the state of affairs in our home. Maybe gender politics with our spouses and partners is a source of strife.
Our guest today, KC Davis, helps deconstruct these often rigid and daunting cultural norms that surround the concept of domestic bliss. As a self-styled anti-perfectionist, Davis has garnered a huge audience on TikTok with more than 1 million followers. She has also written the book, How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing. On today’s show, she offers a ton of practical tips that are rooted in self compassion and the dogged determination not to use shame as a motivator when it comes to our domestic lives.
In this episode we talk about:
One of KC’s slogans,“You don’t exist to serve your space, your space exists to serve you”
The difference between what’s “normal” and what’s “functional”. For example, why that pile of laundry on the floor is just fine if it works for you
Why it’s important to think of house work as morally neutral. For example, why doing dishes has nothing to do with you being a good or bad person
Why she doesn’t believe laziness exists
The power of what she calls “category cleaning”
Breaking the clean/not clean binary
And achieving equitable division of labor around the house
10% Happier with Dan Harris 
