Get Your Shit Together

by Sarah Knight, Lauren Harms (Illustrator), Jeannet Dekker (Translator)

Get your sh*t together van Sarah Knight gaat over uitvinden waar je wel f*cks om wil geven, de kracht van negatief denken, minder uitgeven en meer besparen, je angsten managen, tools om je sh*t op orde te krijgen, een einde aan de bullshitcyclus maken, vermijdingsgedrag voorkomen en megaveel andere goeie sh*t. Een krachtige, grappig geschreven, nuttige gids om eindelijk je doelen te bereiken door te focussen op waar je echt om geeft.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Personal Development, Humor, Psychology, Productivity

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 27, 2016

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another TRULY terrible book from Sarah Knight. Kicking myself at having wasted £12.99 on this absolute trash.

The introduction goes on for about 13 pages. The first chapter then regurgitates the introduction in slightly different wording. The second chapter paraphrases the first chapter, and so on. The book is padded out SO much, it's unbelievablable.

The first bit of practical advice was as follows, as to how to 'get your shit together' on p30:

1. Set a goal
2. Set aside time to complete the goal
3. Complete the goal

Now where are the complete idiots sitting around that don't realise that to complete a task you need to first decide the task, find time to do it, and then finish it.

I really can't get my head around all of the positive, glowing reviews on here.
If you want to read a book full of crappy anecdotes and completely obvious 'advice', then buy this book.

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knight is an acquired taste, but I generally enjoyed Get Your Sh*t Together. Her self help books are full of useful tips, profanity, and irreverent humor so don't pick this title up if you're easily offended. If you know someone who seriously needs to get their you-know-what together, this could be the title you've been waiting for!

Knight keeps it real from the first page: "(This book) is more of a let-me-help-you-help-yourself-help book, with "me" here to "help" when your "self" gets in the way. Let's face it- if you could help yourself, you'd have done it by now, right? Also, unlike many traditional self-help authors, I am going to use the word sh*t 332 times (including several sh*tmanteaus of my own invention), so please do not go on Amazon saying you were expecting sunshine and kittens and got sh*tstorms and sh*ttens." loc 31, ebook. And so on, and so forth.

I've also enjoyed The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don't Have with People You Don't Like Doing Things You Don't Want to Do and I felt as if Knight shared more of herself in this offering than that one. We learn that she had/has anxiety attacks and had to pull her life together because it was falling apart. Not many self help authors display their humanity and imperfections like that and I really appreciated her honesty. Plus, readers get to reap the benefits of her hard won wisdom and we know it works because she got her stuff together enough to write the book.

I really like Knight's various life philosophies, which she sprinkles throughout. Here's one of my favorites: "In my book- and in the Game of Life- you're competing exclusively against yourself. Not other players, not even the computer. ... Winning is getting what you want out of your time on planet Earth, whatever that entails. It could be the house, job, car, partner, or hairstyle of your dreams." loc 502, ebook. Be the best you that you can be and forget about the rest. Good advice.

Knight also gives a 'nod' to Marie Kondo's internationally best selling title and Knight's thoughts about it may appeal to more readers than the original material: "At this point, we're living in a post-tidying society. ... People get their tidying groove on for a few months, or even just a few weeks, and then... kinda lose the thread. ... Why is that? Well, I submit that if they had their sh*t together in the first place, the tidying bug would have stuck." loc 2547, ebook. Sound familiar to anyone?

Among the many life issues that Knight tackles, her thoughts on perfectionism struck particularly close to home for me: "When you accept that failure is an option, you move it from the realm of anxiety-inducing anticipation into a reality that you'll deal with when (and more importantly, IF) that ever happens. Your energy is better spent on accomplishing goals in the here and now than on worrying about failure in the abstract." loc 3049, ebook.

Recommended for people who need self help but don't like reading self help, probably 18+ because of the language. Sarah Knight will give you some life changing tips and along the way, you may learn some unique new uses for the word: sh*t. Some further reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don't Have with People You Don't Like Doing Things You Don't Want to Do, The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place: The Art of Being Messy, and How to Be Dull: Standing Out Next to Genius.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a free ARC of this book!

[Noah Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

This insubstantial book would've been a lot more enjoyable if the author could have refrained from being an overbearing and self-centered blowhole. As it stands, this typical "effort" comes off as a rushed one and Knight rambles on and on about herself (we get it; you're successful) to the point of distracting annoyance. There are better options out there. Two stars—I guess—for not being broken. Whatever. People like Sarah Knight are laughable...throwaway fads; needlessly cussing to try and be edgy, then referring to their use of dirty language like they're these rock star rebels. How retarded! Give me substance!! Will readers even remember her flash-in-the-pan fame ten or twenty years from now? Probably not. But if they DO look back at her work with fondness, well, they're dumb.

[Raluca · Rating 2 out of 5]

To achieve the advice in the title, you must have an overarching goal, split it into smaller, manageable tasks, and go through them one at a time, in order of priority and urgence. If your to do list is still too crowded, consider which things you can abandon and which you can delegate, for a fee if necessary. There. I saved you 300 pages of repetition and one exaggerated chipmunk analogy. You're welcome.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like the author tried way too hard to be funny.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll save you guys money and time you would have spent on this book and summarize Sarah's self-help book.

BIG TASK = BREAK THE TASK INTO SMALL PIECES

Examples:

Big renovation project? = BREAK THE TASK INTO SMALL PIECES
Want to find a new job? = BREAK THE TASK INTO SMALL PIECES

Other advice includes: SPEND MONEY ON PROFESSIONAL HELP IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO DO IT YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO - perfect for people who have money to fix problems :)

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS? = I'm not a therapist but let me tell you what I know

In conclusion, this book was a whole lot of words with no real help and it's clearly a money grab because Sarah was successful with one of her self-help books.

[Elishea Khan · Rating 1 out of 5]

So shit I couldn't finish it.

[Sara Dahaabović · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Also, unlike many traditional self-help authors, I am going to use the word sh_t 332 times (including several shitmanteaus of my own invention), so please do not go on Amazon saying you were expecting sunshine and kittens and got shitstorms and shittens." LOL

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Sarah Knights first book and loved it and this is terrific too! I will write more about it soon!

Here are some of my favorite parts of this book -

Sarah's advice about being the best partner you can be. She talks about having a relationship relay to see "who can be nicer, more helpful, or more loving on any given day."

I also like the section titled Selfish is not a four-letter word. "You can't give of yourself to others if there's nothing left of yourself to give." "Happiness is a goal in and of itself."

"Accept that failure is an option. Your energy is better spent on accomplishing goals in the here and now rather than worrying about failure in the abstract. And if you do fail, it's not the end of the world."

One of the most important parts for me, is the section that's called Just say no to being perfect. I'm a perfectionist and I struggle with this all the time. Sarah lists Twelve steps for defeating perfectionism on page 242.

I really liked this book. Now my goal is just to remember her advice and put it into practice!

[Sorento62 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part of this book is the repeated encouragement to not give a f*ck about things that aren't truly important or that you really don't have time for. Other than that it is mostly the mechanics of goal setting and following through on working toward a goal, pretty elementary stuff. If it were that easy, there wouldn't be so many books about it.
I think the problem is that the author has no difficulty driving herself to complete a goal once she sets herself to it. She burned herself out by being so good at it. Thus, her best insight is just DON'T devote yourself to goals that are not worthy of your precious heart, soul, life, and time. She has little to offer on the emotional side of how to follow through on goals you really care about but find yourself stuck on, making little progress.
The intended audience seems to be people younger than 30 who enjoy a bit of snarky flippancy.
I prefer Awakening in Time: Practical Time Management for Those on a Spiritual Path by Pamela Kirstan.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with The Life-changing Magic of Not Giving A Fuck, Sarah Knight manages to convey an important message with wit & personality like no other! With both of these books it's about getting control of your life. It's in your hands but you can start small & learn to control the steam roller of everyday life before it crushes you. With these helpful tips that had me snort laughing out loud you get a better view of the big picture. Flow charts don't hurt either.

Thanks to Sarah & Little Brown for this copy in exchange for review!

[✰ Liz ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed another book full of wisdom by Sarah Knight. This book focuses on how to organize your life and not allow yourself to become overwhelmed. I truly enjoyed the read and highly recommend it to anyone looking for help with getting your shit together!

*I listened to the audio version of this book.

For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:

[britt_brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alert! I’m on f*ck overload. No, it’s not as fun as it sounds. 🙃 I give way too many f*cks, often about things that really aren’t all that important. Hilarious and frank, Sarah Knight has encouraged me in a way that the self-aggrandizing Rachel Hollis could never. This book about prioritizing is exactly what I needed while in the midst home renovation. I haven’t read her other books yet, but I will! And I have to say the foul language works for me.

[Weaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Parts of it were funny, there's some interesting and potentially useful advice in here, but overall... somehow I suppose I expected more substance from something with such an ambitious subtitle. Knight offers a strategy and consistently applies that one strategy to a variety of scenarios one might encounter.

For me, though, it always comes back to the fact that any advice that boils down to "just do it" (as Knight's does, especially in her last step of commitment) is basically useless. How do I make myself do it? How do I make myself finish what I need to do?

Not terrible, not necessarily a waste of money, but definitely a disappointment.

[Emma Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this so much I might buy her first one, even though, like this, it's not available for Kindle in New Zealand.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some useful tidbits in this book but my god do you have to wade through a lot of self-indulgent prattle to find them. Very much reads like someone desperately trying to hit a word count. And did you know the author quit her soul-sucking corporate job and moved to the Caribbean? Because she hardly ever mentions it.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dip into savings means spending more than you should. Then you're allowing money to build a prison around you and make you its bitch. Don't be money's bitch.

Better take some Advil if I'm going to keep patting myself on the back so hard.

Coworker help = quid pro quo.

Impulse control should not be confused with distraction.

Early-onset rigor mortis.

Happiness is a goal in and of itself. Giving fewer, better f*cks is an exercise in selfishness and there's nothing wrong with that.

GYST:
Saving or not spending money
Being on time
Taking one step toward a goal
Prioritizing
Controlling an impulse
Delegating
Being selfish in a good way
Exerting willpower
Not losing your mind
Not being an insufferable prick

[Henry Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't usually read a self-help book, and I think I need to make it a hard rule. The good thing about the book is that you can basically sum up the whole book in one sentence. Maybe just read the first 50 pages and the last 50 pages if you are still going to buy the book. Also, the author keeps referring to her first book which is "The art of not giving a fuck", and it is so annoying. There is nothing new and exciting content-wise. Sarah was trying really hard to be funny and cohesive in her writing but it is an epic fail in my opinion. This is more like a "hey, I succeeded I love talking about it and teach people to do the same by repeating the obvious for 5000 times" scrapbook sort of thing rather than an actual book. I gave it 2 stars because she mentioned chipmunks :)

[Camille McCarthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is marketed as being for people who are really struggling with day-to-day things, but it is actually a book for type-A personality overachievers who need to chill. A lot of the book is really an advertisement for her other, more well-known book, the Subtle Art of Not Giving a F---, which gets a little annoying, especially as I was listening to the audio version of this book, read by the author, and she mentions her other book any chance she gets.
She devotes some sections of the book to people who have a hard time with organization and being on time and similar things, but she is kind of judgmental about them and you can tell she really wants to focus on people like herself, who are stressed out and say 'yes' to everything and try to be put together in every way at all times. It is understandable that her book would be geared more towards people like herself, because she would know the most about how to help them, but I wish she had been honest about that and clear that this book wasn't for people who literally can't get motivated to do anything and have executive dysfunction problems.
Knight is not a psychologist and seems to have zero qualifications for being able to help people who have serious problems getting organized and staying on top of things. Some of her advice is helpful, but it's sandwiched in between a lot of things that are only helpful if you are in a privileged position and random anecdotes about her life which made me feel like a complete loser because her main problems were feeling stressed out and one time, staying in an icky Air BnB. I was surprised that she went into her bulimia later in the book but still includes harmful advice like talking about a food journal and how to use "the power of negative thinking" to stop being "fat, lazy, and broke." There was definitely a fat-shaming undertone to this. And I couldn't believe she was giving the advice about saving money by skipping your morning cup of coffee - just seems really out of touch right now, though I understand that this was written a few years ago when people weren't quite as desperate as they are now.
She also mentions "Willpower" as one of her secrets to success, and I'm sorry but that is not helpful. Setting yourself up for success by having your environment geared towards it is way more helpful than just expecting yourself to resist temptation. Her answer to every problem seemed to be to make lists of things to do to tackle that problem and try to break it down further, and I just felt like it wasn't very helpful.
Any self-help book that cheerfully goes along as if it's normal for people to have trouble functioning day-to-day in our society without at least mentioning the unrealistic standards we have built up for ourselves thanks largely to capitalism and the alienation and exploitation it causes is just not something I can take seriously these days. What would it be like if we had a self-help book that focused on solving certain problems collectively? Finding creative ways to save time as a community or a family unit rather than expecting one parent to put together better and better to-do lists and shuffle their schedule so they can shoulder even more responsibility? People are struggling to do basic things, and maybe we should question why everything is so difficult in the first place before placing blame on people for not "getting their shit together."
If you're looking for a book to help you change your habits and build a better life over time, I strongly suggest "Atomic Habits" because the advice is very practical, it lays things out in an easy-to-understand manner, and that author actually knows what he's talking about. He still came across as a highly-motivated type-A personality, but at least he understood that not everyone had the same abilities and was able to convey his methods to people who had very different realities.
I also find Arcadia Page's book "Idealist Dreams" to be really helpful for organizing myself a little better, and way more suited to people who genuinely have trouble following through on things and staying on top of to-do lists.
I do not recommend this book.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good (if irreverent) advice for getting your sh*t together. Although there is really nothing here that isn't obvious, it is good for those who need a blunt breakdown of how to tackle today's most common obstacles to living your best life. I did find the book to be a bit repetitive and skimmed much of the last part.

Overall: just ok.

[Vikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hilarious, thought provoking book by Sarah Knight that had great advice but not sure if can apply all. Feels like a lot of planning but then you actually have to do and that is where people fail. Same old advice about breaking big tasks or projects into smaller tasks and making sure to prioritize tasks everyday to the need to items get done. The funny makes you think it is possible and want to give it a try.

[Entre Páginas by Jacky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primera Lectura Club Entre Páginas | Enero 2023
Libro: Arregla tu Desmadre
Autora: Sarah Knight
Calificación: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Formato: Físico
Género: Autoayuda

Sinopsis:
Hoy te espera un gran día, el sol brilla, todo está bajo control... Pero te levantas, ves el montón de trastes sucios, recuerdas tu deuda con el banco y te angustias por lo mucho que has vivido y lo poco que has logrado. Se te apaga la chispa, esa gloria mañanera se desvanece frente al caos. Pero no, tu vida no es un gran desmadre; son muchos, pequeños y silenciosos desmadres que nunca terminas de resolver. Este es un manual para detener ese tren descarrilado.

Opinión:
Desde que inicié en el camino de la lectura he dicho que todos los libros tienen algo para enseñarte, y sin duda este no fue la excepción. Iniciamos el 2023 con la lectura de este hermoso libro en mi club de lectura, sin duda fue la mejor elección que pudimos hacer. Arregla tu desmadre no es el típico libro de autoayuda, lo catalogamos como las palabras de una amiga platicando con nosotros en cada página.

De las enseñanzas que se pueden resaltar de este hermoso libro son:
❤️ TEORÍA ATD: LLAVES (ESTRATEGIA) + TELÉFONO (ENFOCARTE) + CARTERA (COMPROMETERTE) = DESMADRE + ARREGLADO.
❤️ Priorizar: hacer a un lado lo no urgente. Enfocarme en lo que realmente debo hacer.
❤️ Procrastinar: posponer acciones . Procurar que sean solo las de baja prioridad.
❤️ Fijarte metas no es aspirar a lo que quieres ser, sino ponerle fin a lo que no quieres ser.
❤️ Establece objetivos realistas basados en lo que te molesta de tu vida, no basados en las medidas de alguien más y comienza el proceso de barrerlo debajo de tu puerta.
❤️ El secreto para manejar tu tiempo no es acelerarse o calmarse. Crear una estrategia y enfocarte.
❤️ La priorización es la mejor amiga de la estrategia.
❤️ Sin importar la complejidad de la situación, siempre puede ser partida en tareas más pequeñas y manejables.

Y mucho más... te invito a que lo leas.. No te arrepentirás!!!

#autoayuda #desarrollopersonal #arreglatudesmadre #sarahknight #relax #bibliophile #bookaholic #booklover #books #bookcommunity #booknerd #bookgram #booklove #bookstagramespañol #librosenespañol #librosrecomendados #reading #literature #newbooks #bookchallenge #bookquotes #annotatedbooks #bookannotations #bookishfeed #libros #amoleer

[Miro Cosic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although Sarah has some good pointers on organizing your life, mindest, and thoughts, the way she does that is kind of shallow or superficial.
Most of us already know what we have to do. Doing it is the problem. Mental patterns in our brains are sometimes very old and run very deep. Takes a lot of work to break through them.

Anyways, seems to me that book is kind of ok, message is there, but the popularity of the book comes from good marketing, the image of heroine writer, living on a tropical island, sipping cocktails and not giving a fuck.

There are better books and heroes that will help you get your shit together.
Don't buy everything that the book industry sells you.

[Dalal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have an hour left of this and I am pushing hard to not ditch it.
You know what? I am getting my shit together and ditching it. See what I did there? ha ha I am so funny.

Life is too short to read/listen to books that serve nothing.

[Théo d'Or]

I could start doing what I want to do, even not knowing what I should really do, I have done mostly what most men do, but I don't recall if I wanted to, though I'm worried about what I need to do when I know that is nothing I can do, and I do, I do, but once in a while, I cross the line and I think of you, why you don't start doing what you want to do, it is so easy, even not knowing what you should really do, because it is nothing you can do.

[Yesenia Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very good, she fit the bad words in there perfectly well it wasn’t too much cursing. After listening to this I realized I’m now as fucked up as I thought I was.

[Aether Real · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Great tips for organizing your life. Must own.

[Ceri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every year for the past bajillion years one of my New Year's Resolutions is to be more organised. I thought I'd give this book a go. I read it in audio. It's narrated by the author, which is something I like.

On the whole, I didn't find a lot to take away from this book. There were a couple of good suggestions, for example, if you struggle to estimate time well, time yourself doing something, so in future you are able to estimate it better, or that over-preparing, for example, anticipating things that could go wrong while you're on leave from work, and preparing for it is a waste of time.

In general, though, it boils down to:

Decide what is wrong with your life and how you can change it. - Plan
Split this big goal into smaller goals - Focus
Schedule the time to do the smaller goals - Commit

If it were THAT easy wouldn't we all be doing it already? Like many people I can plan fine, and split it into smaller tasks, but my difficulty is actually doing it. I can schedule it into my phone as much as I like, but that doesn't make me do diddly squat. It gave zero guidance on how you could overcome poor motivation. If you are not a person with good motivation I don't think this book would help you at all.

As you can guess from the title, there is a bit of swearing, which I can take or leave. I felt the author tried a bit too hard to be funny. A lot of the cultural references passed me by, as somebody who isn't from the US, perhaps if you got those you'd find it more amusing, but I found that these wordy digressions made me lose focus on the points being made. This may be less of an issue in written word, but I was listening to the audio.

On the whole, unless you're a particular fan of this author I wouldn't bother with this one. There are better books out there.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this had focused a little bit more on mental health, especially given the author‘s own history with it but overall a great read. I listened to the audiobook but I can definitely see myself getting a physical copy to reread stuff and actually integrate some of the advice into my life!

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not likely the target audience for this book. Based on the rapid fire chatter-like writing style, I am probably older than the target audience and I mostly have my shit together.

Nothing in this book is surprising, but it does help to have someone point out the obvious at times and remind you to stay on task. The key steps are repeated multiple times throughout the book, yet at some points she falls back on saying “just do it,” which isn’t really helpful. Her suggestions to break everything down into small, manageable chunks and to prioritize using a calendar may make tasks feel easier and more organized for many people, particularly for younger people or those that struggle with time management.

Take-aways…

Key Steps:
strategize - set a goal, make a plan using small, manageable tasks to attain said goal
focus - plan out time to accomplish each chunk on your way to your goal
commit - actually complete the tasks so you can check them off

*Make a to do list.
*Prioritize the items on your to do list by due date.
*The items that need to be done immediately become your must due list and all other items can wait or be completed as time allows.

- Figure out how much time it really takes you to do things, so you can plan accordingly - time yourself.
- Use a calendar. Everyone needs one.