Unf*ck Your Habitat

No cover — Emily Woo Zeller, Rachel Hoffman: Unf*ck Your Habitat (AudiobookFormat, 2017, Tantor Audio)

audio cd

Published Jan. 3, 2017 by Tantor Audio.

ISBN:: 978-1-5159-1218-7

(1 review)

Finally, a housekeeping and organizational system developed for those of us who'd describe our current living situation as a “fcking mess” that we're desperate to fix. Unfck 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; …

Finally, a housekeeping and organizational system developed for those of us who'd describe our current living situation as a “fcking mess” that we're desperate to fix. Unfck 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.

4 editions

Matt B Gets Lit reviewed Unf*ck Your Habitat by Emily Woo Zeller

Review of "Unfuck Your Habitat"

4 stars

I finished this book a couple months ago, but I have been a bit too busy with other things to write a review… which may be why I wanted to read this book in the first place.

"[Traditional housekeeping and organizational systems] assume that everyone is married with kids, with one spouse at home with a lot of time to devote to housekeeping. They tend to ignore single people, or people without kids, or students, or people with pets, or people with roommates, or people with full-time jobs or classes or other shit going on. They ignore people with physical or mental illnesses or other limitations that don't allow for complicated, involved housekeeping on an inflexible schedule. They forget about people who live in apartments, or rented rooms, or a small space in someone else's home. They forget that people live at home with their parents, or in dorm rooms …

I finished this book a couple months ago, but I have been a bit too busy with other things to write a review… which may be why I wanted to read this book in the first place.

"[Traditional housekeeping and organizational systems] assume that everyone is married with kids, with one spouse at home with a lot of time to devote to housekeeping. They tend to ignore single people, or people without kids, or students, or people with pets, or people with roommates, or people with full-time jobs or classes or other shit going on. They ignore people with physical or mental illnesses or other limitations that don't allow for complicated, involved housekeeping on an inflexible schedule. They forget about people who live in apartments, or rented rooms, or a small space in someone else's home. They forget that people live at home with their parents, or in dorm rooms with total strangers. They forget that not everyone fits into a narrow mold of circumstance and ability, and they forget that sometimes ... you just don't feel like it. Basically, they ignore a whole lot of people who live in the real world."

This book description bumped this title right to the top of my "Want to Read" list. I feel like I'm always falling behind on chores and clutter, and I feel bad because it shouldn't be that hard, right? It's just the two of us after all, so how messy could it get?

I'm a caregiver for a disabled spouse, so our housecleaning needs aren't covered by most of the "expert" blogs out there.

I think the book is about 45% how-to, 55% pep talk, but I still enjoyed it. I appreciated that this book understands that not everyone has the same resources or capabilities. As other reviewers said, there is nothing groundbreaking here, but it's still validating to see the ideas in print.