Reviews
The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place: The Art of Being Messy by Jennifer McCartney
abookishbarista's review
4.0
This book made me laugh all the way through. It sounds like my internal monologue while looking at the mess that is my room after someone has commented on it and I've had a beer. The line between hoarding and clutter were clearly defined. This book is for all of us who think that owning only one plate and not having a junk drawer (or five) sounds utterly ridiculous.
sandylovesbooks's review
5.0
This book is absolutely incredible. I have to say right off the bat that I hated The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Just because being tidy works for some doesn't mean everyone should be tidy and neat. That's not how some people function. A lot of people can function and live happier lives when things are messy and are how they want them to be. So neat freaks - get off our backs!
Here are a lot of notes while reading this book:
Author's note - this is the best author's note I have ever read in any book.
page 11 - foot note #1 KonMari method - it's about talking to your socks. Exactly.
page 12-13 - "Everyone likes to buy things and inherit things and collect things, and have said things around." There are even scientist studies that prove having a lot of stuff makes you more creative.
page 14 - Reject the KonMari mindset; it will only bring shame and guilt upon your household when you ultimately fail.
page 14-15 - Tidy people? How about Patrick Bateman, the serial murderer from American Psycho. Mussolini and Ted Bundy. "What kind of company do you want to keep?"
page 15 - Some of the KonMari guidelines should make you shudder (if you're a person who is alive and not susceptible to cults, anyway)
page 16 - There is a chart. The first line of the chart is about books. Books that you love to read - under the "Fatally Addicted to Purging group it reads - Books are clutter. Tear out only the pages you like and keep them in a file. Recycle the rest. Under the Free style - Don't be a fucking idiot.
page 24 - "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?" -Albert Einstein
page 39 - Don't overthink it. Your stuff doesn't have feelings.
All of chapter 2. - All of it.
page 47 - Box with lid. Now I love me some plastic bowls with lids. Boxes with lids and all manor of containers with lids.
page 52 - "A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it....That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out a get more stuff." - George Carlin
page 64-65 - Oh yes, the old doom and gloom people. Hoard everything! All the cans!
page 65 - The bedroom. I'm there with you. It's my bedroom, office, dining room, storage, closet, dressing room, den, and library. And anything else that I need it to be.
page 74 - "If it's elastic, it feels fantastic."
page 75 - "Your purse should have everything you need if you have to leave the country. The KonMari method, on the other hand, advocates emptying your purse every night, folding it, and thanking it for its service...I'm telling you right now that's the road to insanity." Really! How long is it going to take you in the morning to fill it up again? You know you will forget something important.
page 79 - On your death bed, will you be like, "Super glad I always got mad about shoes?" Or will you remember the feeling of freedom as you lived life free of society's restrictions?
page 85 - Ok now the important thing. Books! "If you are a book person, you already inherently know this: Books are important, and it's ok to own thousands of them and never get rid of them." This is so good. I'm on my way with my 381 physical books. Not including my Nook and Kindle. Plus the ones I check out from the libraries. Yes, libraries. Plural.
page 86 - Books are not clutter, no matter what some book about getting organized may tell you.
page 116 - "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
What an amazing book and one that I need to buy and put it with all my other stuff. It is perfect.
Jennifer McCartney please write a sequel to this book. (You know just like what's her name)
Here are a lot of notes while reading this book:
Author's note - this is the best author's note I have ever read in any book.
page 11 - foot note #1 KonMari method - it's about talking to your socks. Exactly.
page 12-13 - "Everyone likes to buy things and inherit things and collect things, and have said things around." There are even scientist studies that prove having a lot of stuff makes you more creative.
page 14 - Reject the KonMari mindset; it will only bring shame and guilt upon your household when you ultimately fail.
page 14-15 - Tidy people? How about Patrick Bateman, the serial murderer from American Psycho. Mussolini and Ted Bundy. "What kind of company do you want to keep?"
page 15 - Some of the KonMari guidelines should make you shudder (if you're a person who is alive and not susceptible to cults, anyway)
page 16 - There is a chart. The first line of the chart is about books. Books that you love to read - under the "Fatally Addicted to Purging group it reads - Books are clutter. Tear out only the pages you like and keep them in a file. Recycle the rest. Under the Free style - Don't be a fucking idiot.
page 24 - "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?" -Albert Einstein
page 39 - Don't overthink it. Your stuff doesn't have feelings.
All of chapter 2. - All of it.
page 47 - Box with lid. Now I love me some plastic bowls with lids. Boxes with lids and all manor of containers with lids.
page 52 - "A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it....That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out a get more stuff." - George Carlin
page 64-65 - Oh yes, the old doom and gloom people. Hoard everything! All the cans!
page 65 - The bedroom. I'm there with you. It's my bedroom, office, dining room, storage, closet, dressing room, den, and library. And anything else that I need it to be.
page 74 - "If it's elastic, it feels fantastic."
page 75 - "Your purse should have everything you need if you have to leave the country. The KonMari method, on the other hand, advocates emptying your purse every night, folding it, and thanking it for its service...I'm telling you right now that's the road to insanity." Really! How long is it going to take you in the morning to fill it up again? You know you will forget something important.
page 79 - On your death bed, will you be like, "Super glad I always got mad about shoes?" Or will you remember the feeling of freedom as you lived life free of society's restrictions?
page 85 - Ok now the important thing. Books! "If you are a book person, you already inherently know this: Books are important, and it's ok to own thousands of them and never get rid of them." This is so good. I'm on my way with my 381 physical books. Not including my Nook and Kindle. Plus the ones I check out from the libraries. Yes, libraries. Plural.
page 86 - Books are not clutter, no matter what some book about getting organized may tell you.
page 116 - "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
What an amazing book and one that I need to buy and put it with all my other stuff. It is perfect.
Jennifer McCartney please write a sequel to this book. (You know just like what's her name)
samilly's review
3.0
She reminds me of that one quirky aunt we all have who owns a cup that says something like, “Wine Diva”.
Definitely a funny read and makes a lot of good points that made me feel a little less bad about my messy habits.
I still can’t completely decide how I feel.
Definitely a funny read and makes a lot of good points that made me feel a little less bad about my messy habits.
I still can’t completely decide how I feel.
suzemews's review
4.0
This is a satire of Mari Kondo's book, and boy is it hilarious! Honestly, it's not supposed to change your life for the better, but it can serve as a reminder that you're a human being with stuff. Give yourself a break.
kellylynnthomas's review
2.0
I wanted to like this, but I just didn't connect with the humor. I mean, I leave my shit all over the place like a champ. But I felt pretty meh about this book.