The title may sound familiar if you’re familiar with Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
Well, Sarah Knight is, and after reading it herself, she decided to write her own version of the book; one that she’s labeled “a practical parody.”
I first found the book whilst prancing around on Amazon.com last December, right around the time the book was originally published. I was on the hunt for a new book to read, having already finished Furiously Happy, People I Want To Punch In The Throat, and F*ck Feelings (I swear I’m not an angry person. Also, all books I would recommend). I stumbled upon this gem in my Amazon “Suggestions For You” box and was delighted as I thought it might be a funny read.
I wasn’t wrong. But I was surprised to find that this book was actually helpful and dare I say…life-changing? Knight touches on the fact that, no, you do not under any circumstances have to give a f*ck about the things that you do not want to give a f*ck about. And she tells you exactly how to do it.
1. How to identify the things you’re wasting your time on
Knight introduces her own version of Kondo’s method of tossing out things you don’t need. Kondo’s version includes holding items you don’t use anymore and tossing them if they don’t immediately bring you joy. As you throw them away, you’re encouraged to thank them for the memories they brought. Knight’s version includes sorting through your “mental barn cluttered with f*cks” and listing them out into categories, and then ceremoniously crossing off the ones that annoy you instead of bringing joy with a big fat black magic marker and whispering a quiet “f*ck you” as you do it.
- How to get out of doing things you don’t want to do
Knight holds the secret to getting out of all the things your friends or family want to do, but you’re less than thrilled to hop on that bandwagon. The key? Making it a matter of difference of opinion. Now I won’t say too much because the book itself is really quite worth the read and Knight delves much further in depth in each of her theories, but they make sense. If you’re making it that your opinion is that musicals just aren’t your jam, no one is going to be mad at you for sitting it out when the gang hits up the latest musical in town.
- How to not feel bad about not giving a f*ck
The way Knight lays it out, it just makes sense to put yourself first for once. Too many people get caught up in how their not giving a f*ck affects other people and Knight points out that it’s really not your problem whether or not they give a f*ck about you not giving a f*ck. She’ll teach you some good ways to get your mind to quit thinking about it!
- How to accomplish all of this without being an asshole
This is the big one, the one true reason anyone should read the book, even if you stopped giving a f*ck along time ago. I even said to my good friend the other day, “Rob, you need to read this book.” Upon inspection, he promptly said, “I already don’t give a f*ck,” and then asked me if it can teach you how to do it without being mean. You bet your sweet ass it will! He was sold, asked to borrow my copy, and one less f*ck was given that day.
You might be thinking, “WTF? You read this book a year ago and you’re just now writing about it?” Well, good sir or madam, I have read this book twice since then, and that’s another one of the reasons I think you should buy this book because it’s good to read over and over again, whether you want a good laugh or if you’ve forgotten how to not care about things you don’t want to care about. If you do one good thing for yourself in 2017, buy this book. Also maybe buy a Massage Envy membership because you’ll never hate yourself for that but that’s none of my business. Take care of yourself, buddy.
Sarah Knight’s sequel “Get Your Sh*t Together” is also now available on Amazon.
Feature image via Kait MacKinnon
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