While I didn't take action on a lot of the items in this book yet, I really enjoyed reading the experiences detailed in the book. The air of grace given throughout the book was refreshing. ( )

This book turned out to be a great way to start off my reading for 2017. I had expected it to be quick, light read-through, but as it actually contained some practical strategies and advice, I read it slowly and followed several of the activities to help me identify my focus for the year.

In chapter one, I wrote down a list of 'Personal Priorities', which chapter two then got me to expand to a 'My Best Stuff List'. Then I finally narrowed it down in chapter three to a list of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals that I want to focus on this year.
Chapter two also encouraged me to write down a basic morning and evening routine, which has helped me be a bit more deliberate with my time.

Later chapters on finances, home management, dealing with failure, making a difference and looking after yourself were well laid-out and had lots of good advice, which I will be revisiting at a later date.

Each chapter was interspersed with little one-line quotes from other people (writers/historical figures/etc.), which I will definitely look at again when I feel the need for an inspirational quote.


Quotes from the book (actual quotes from Crystal, not the ones from other authors)
-----------------
"Nobody and nothing was obligating me to do anything except me!"

"I'd rather do a few things well, have my priorities in order, and enjoy life than try to do two hundred things poorly and have a stressed-out, exhausted, passionless existence."

"If you want to be more productive, you need to become the master of your minutes."

"Change must come from within. You have to believe you can change. You have to want to change. And you need to have something worth changing for, like an inspiring, audacious goal. The bottom line is: if you're not willing to put forth effort, you're never going to get very far in life."

"...if you stop focusing on your goals or where you want to go in life, you'll never make any progress.
So dream big dreams. Stick with your goals. Don't give up hope. Don't believe for a second that a small step in the right direction is a pointless exercise. As long as you have breath in your body, opportunity is waiting for you somewhere"
( )

I bought this book primarily to support the author, because her blog was a source of helpful information and ideas when I was going through a rough time. Probably because I had been reading her blog for so long, I didn't find a lot of new information here, and the things that were going to work for me were already things I was doing. However, I can imagine that someone who didn't follow her would find a lot of helpful information and ideas. ( )

I'm on page 70 of 256 of Say Goodbye to Survival: You know when Pinterest goes beserk and people are organizing their boxes for organizing things by putting them in organizer boxes? That's what this book's advice sounds like so far. "Micromanage every single moment! Have a spare minute? You should do the laundry instead of enjoying it!". This is so at odds with the advice in Overwhelmed - and I'm inclined to trust that one more.


I read the entire book and my opinion has not changed - much. The author goes back and forth between suggesting: "Do you have short five-minute windows of time here and there? Don't just twiddle your thumbs... Do something productive" (47 - 48). She then provides a list of things to do, including writing a thank-you note, cleaning the kitchen sink or bathroom toilet, do twenty-five sit-ups, wipe down the kitchen counters, etc. Elsewhere, however, she cautions people to relax and not hurry themselves. So the question is, when are you supposed to be wringing every possible productivity out of a few minutes and when should you relax?

As for the Pinterest comment, I stand by it. She suggests setting goals, which is awesome. Then she suggests breaking these goals down into manageable chunks, which is also a great idea. But then she suggests breaking these goals down and presumably every second is accounted for in a mad, punishing schedule. I imagine this is much like the quote about humor being a frog - if you have to dissect it, the frog is dead. I think my goals would be very much dead if I dissected them to this degree.

She does, however, have some great things to say about finance (though most of them seem to be "Read Dave Ramsay's book!", so maybe you should just read that instead) and a few on giving to others. These are fine, but it felt more like I was reading a personal story about how she did it, rather than an idea of how to do it myself, even despite the "activities" listed (most of which boiled down to writing goals and then little to no ideas for implementing them beyond, "Keep trying!", which is inspiring but not very helpful).

The final problem that I just could not get past is that she mentions her religion all the time. I am a Christian, and even I was getting tired of the constant reiterations of, "I need to make time for prayer", "My husband and I prayed about it", and my personal favorite, "I was washing dishes one day and wrestling with what to do about the offer when I felt God speak to me in my heart: Give it all away, Crystal. Take the book deal, but give away all your proceeds."

Even her "guest" writers, who have excerpts sprinkled throughout, talk about being a clay vase for their Maker, etc.

Listen, I have no problem with religion, and I have no problem with religious books. But this is not a religious book. It's supposed to be a book about decluttering and organizing your life. Mentioning God occasionally is fine - after all, it's part of who the author is - but this was incessant and felt very preachy and, quite honestly, turned me off of the entire book. I wanted a book on how to go through my closet, not how to find Jesus in there. There is even an entire section on "Plug in to God and His Word". While I think maybe there could be a section about rediscovering your spirituality, focusing it solely on Christianity, and particularly her beliefs, is off-putting. She could have made it more general and therefore more applicable to people of other denominations or even faiths.

And, of course, this book is ultimately aimed at moms who own their own home. Childless singles who rent need not apply. Just one, publishers, can I just get one with ideas that don't involve rotating toys or ask your husband to help out or destroy your security deposit by punching giant holes in the walls?

Until then, I would advise another, better organizing book, like [b: Get it together Girl! A 28-Day Guide to Practical NOT Perfect Home Organization|8606935|Get it together Girl! A 28-Day Guide to Practical NOT Perfect Home Organization|Karyn L. Beach|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432784990s/8606935.jpg|13477153] by [a: Karyn L. Beach|4126406|Karyn L. Beach|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] or [b: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up|22318578|The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up|Marie Kondo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418767178s/22318578.jpg|41711738] by [a: Marie Kondo|5589647|Marie Kondo|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1434934964p2/5589647.jpg]. ( )

This book has many interesting tips and suggestions for all the areas of your life: like home, family, work, finances, fitness, goal setting and self-care.

I really liked the way the book is structured. Each chapter deals with one area, Crystal writes about her own life and experiences, there are tips and ideas how to improve that area for yourself. There are also suggestions for further reading, lists, Q&A letters, and input from other people.
This makes the book easy and fun to read. It's not a boring "how to", but rather like a girlfriend telling you about her own experience (good and bad) and then giving you suggestions for your own life.

I didn't like that the book is so heavily focused on God, faith and church. It's just not my thing, and that's why I didn't give it 5 stars.

Even if you are not Christian you can still enjoy this book and get a lot out of it. ( )