How to Keep House While Drowning
"Care tasks are morally neutral."
— K.C. Davis, How to Keep House While Drowning (2022)
Introduction
| How to Keep House While Drowning | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full title | How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing |
| Author | K.C. Davis |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Housekeeping; House cleaning; Self-help; Mental health |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Self-help |
| Publisher | Simon Element |
Publication date | 26 April 2022 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paper over board); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 160 |
| ISBN | 978-1-6680-0284-1 |
| Website | simonandschuster.com |
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Simon Element hardcover edition (26 April 2022; ISBN 978-1-6680-0284-1).[1][2][3]
⚖️ 1 – Care tasks are morally neutral.
🎁 2 – Kindness to future you.
🚫 3 – For all the self-help rejects.
🧼 4 – Gentle skill building: The five things tidying method.
🧠 5 – Gentle self-talk: Mess has no inherent meaning.
🔧 6 – Care tasks are functional.
🫶 7 – Gentle self-talk: find the compassionate observer.
🗂️ 8 – Organized is not the same as tidy.
🌧️ 9 – Susie with depression.
🎯 10 – Gentle skill building: Setting functional priorities.
♀️ 11 – Women and care tasks.
🧺 12 – Gentle skill building: Laundry.
🌳 13 – You can't save the rain forest if you're depressed.
🔵 14 – Drop the plastic balls.
🍽️ 15 – Gentle skill building: Doing the dishes.
🧍 16 – When you don't have kids.
🚿 17 – When it's hard to shower.
❤️🩹 18 – Caring for your body when you hate it.
🫂 19 – Gentle self-talk: "I am allowed to be human".
✅ 20 – Good enough is perfect.
🛏️ 21 – Gentle skill building: Changing bedsheets.
😴 22 – Rest is a right, not a reward.
🤝 23 – Division of labor: the rest should be fair.
🛁 24 – Gentle skill building: Bathrooms.
🚗 25 – Gentle skill building: A system for keeping your car clean.
🧑🦽 26 – When your body doesn't cooperate.
🧰 27 – Contributing is morally neutral.
🧸 28 – Cleaning and parental trauma.
🗣️ 29 – Critical family members.
🥁 30 – Rhythms over routines.
🧹 31 – Gentle skill building: Maintaining a space.
🔒 32 – My favorite ritual: Closing duties.
🧩 33 – Skill deficit versus support deficit.
🚚 34 – Outsourcing care tasks is morally neutral.
🏃♂️ 35 – Exercise sucks.
🪶 36 – Your weight is morally neutral.
🍎 37 – Food is morally neutral.
🔄 38 – Getting back into rhythm.
☀️ 39 – You deserve a beautiful Sunday.
Related content & more
YouTube videos
CapSach articles
References
- ↑ "How to Keep House While Drowning". Simon & Schuster. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ↑ "Table of Contents: How to keep house while drowning". Schlow Centre Region Library. Schlow Centre Region Library. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ↑ "How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing". Google Books. Simon & Schuster. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2025.