Tidying the Abyss A Practical Guide to Cleaning and Organizing While Exhausted and Overwhelmed

By: Amanda Dodson

Published by Grand Central Publishing, 2025-11-11

A gentle, hands-on resource offering mental health-sensitive, disability-informed advice for those who do not have the privilege, bandwidth, or access to keep their home--and life--in a perfectly-ordered state.



Amanda Stuckey Dodson prided herself on her ability to maintain a peaceful, clean home: there wasn't any mess that couldn't be fixed by plastic organizing bins, spreadsheets, and a can-do attitude. When her life was upended by chronic illness, leaving her unable to maintain her elaborate cleaning systems, she learned that the hardest part wasn't becoming organized, it was staying organized. Facing an unusually messy home, she knew she needed a different approach.

Tidying the Abyss is a gentle, step-by-step guide to keeping house when everything around you is falling apart. Dodson, a clinical social worker turned professional organizer, advocates for the abandoning of perfection to make room for creative, livable solutions. No matter where you fall on the spectrum of being chronically ill, neurodivergent, or hopeless at home maintenance, you need more than just organizational tips- you need a practice. Within these pages you'll find guidance for:

• Managing motivation and overwhelm;
• Addressing your basic needs with systems for trash, kitchen & dishes, and laundry;
• Creating order in your most-used spaces (think bedroom and bathroom); and
• Common life complications like pet-related chaos or managing housework as a caregiver or as a parent

When the dishes, the laundry, and the bills mercilessly persist, piling all around, Tidying theAbyss empowers you to face the chaos and define new standards for your home. With a little bit of compassion and patience, any mess can be cleaned up, one piece at a time.