This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.

Unf*ck Your Habitat

Summary: Finally, a housekeeping and organizational system developed for those of us who’d describe our current living situation as a “f*cking mess” that we’re desperate to fix. Unf*ck Your Habitat is for anyone who has been left behind by traditional aspirational systems: The ones that ignore single people with full-time jobs; people without kids but living with roommates; and people with mental illnesses or physical limitations, and many others. Most organizational books are aimed at traditional homemakers, DIYers, and people who seem to have unimaginable amounts of free time. They assume we all iron our sheets, have linen napkins to match our table runners, and can keep plants alive for longer than a week. Basically, they ignore most of us living here in the real world.

Interspersed with lists and challenges, this practical, no-nonsense advice relies on a 20/10 system (20 minutes of cleaning followed by a 10-minute break; no marathon cleaning allowed) to help you develop lifelong habits. It motivates you to embrace a new lifestyle in manageable sections so you can actually start applying the tactics as you progress. For everyone stuck between The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Adulting, this philosophy is decidedly more realistic than aspirational, but the goal is the same: not everyone will have a showcase of a home, but whatever your habitat, you deserve one that brings you happiness, not stress.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Listen, I’m not a slob. Or a hoarder (well I do like my books!) But a couple of years ago, I was having my bathroom re-done and during that time I had the brilliant idea of hiring someone else to do several things to my house ( most specifically- giving me a Carrie Bradshaw style closet from Sex and The City: The Movie). Because I knew people were going to be in and out working, etc I decided to start downsizing some books and other assorted things. As I interviewed person after person, got prices, etc it became clear to me that no one in my area was interested in doing this job or if they were interested, they wanted to charge the price of a fully loaded SUV. So, I put that idea on the backburner.

However, the appeal of having a place that was eye-catching, comfortable and most importantly… RELAXING still appealed to me. Here is where Unf*ck Your Habitat came in.

After seeing this book on Netgalley, I was hoping for something that would light a fire under me, get me motivated to make my place the best possible version. I was also hoping for some Sarah Knight-ish laughs and wisdom ala The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck.

While Rachel did not provide the laughs, I was hoping for- she did have some ideas and methods that I have been using and they really do make sense.

I adore Rachel’s 20/10 plan (clean for 20 minutes, rest for 10- adjust the numbers if need be!) And I liked her reassurance that your house doesn’t have to be Southern Living ready to be clean, organized and relaxing.

Her ideas are not ground-breaking, but they are common sense-type ideas to give you the motivation to get things how you want them. There is also notes on how to not resent the roommates, etc that might be standing in your way of having the house you envision and how to help a friend who needs help.

Bottom line: While not funny as I had hope, Rachel Hoffman does give you a good foundation of rules for getting your area in shape!

 

*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T