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The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place: The Art of Being Messy

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The anti-clutter movement is having a moment. You may have heard about a book—an entire book—written on the topic of tidiness and how “magical” and “life-changing” it is to neaten up and THROW AWAY YOUR BELONGINGS. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s time to fight that ridiculousness and start buying even more stuff and leaving it any place you want. Guess what, neatniks? Science shows that messy people are more creative.*


Being a slob is an art, and there’s a fine line between being a consumer and being a hoarder. Don’t cross that line. This book shows you how to clutter mindfully and with great joy. The results are mind-blowing. Your plants will stop dying. Your whiskey bottle will never run dry. Your drugstore points will finally add up to a free jar of salsa and some nice shampoo. You’ll go shopping and discover you’ve lost weight...


It's time to take back your life from the anti-clutter movement.  


*As well as smarter and more attractive.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2016

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About the author

Jennifer McCartney

19 books129 followers
Jennifer McCartney is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the author of numerous books including The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy, the novel Afloat; Cocktails for Drinkers; The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place; and Poetry from Scratch. Her writing has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and appeared in The Atlantic, Vice Magazine, Teen Vogue, Curbed, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly, among other publications. Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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5 stars
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377 (28%)
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439 (33%)
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168 (12%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
Profile Image for dirt.
348 reviews24 followers
July 20, 2016
I lost this book briefly behind a stack of other books that are on the floor because there is no more shelf space on my bedside stand, so I think I am doing alright.
Profile Image for Heidi.
1,397 reviews1,540 followers
September 20, 2016
I laughed, but I'm not proud of myself. This satire for fans or non-fans of the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō, takes no prisoners in its scathing examination of the minimalist movement. As it clearly states in the intro, this is not a self help book. As a librarian, I'd add that it is under the Dewey Decimal classification 818s (humor) rather than the 130s (self help), so that claim would be true.

First, let's make one thing clear, I've loved 'de-cluttering' various rooms in my house and finding those objects that 'spark joy.' But, I couldn't help but laugh at the process of it through the lens Jennifer McCartney provides. Here's what she has to say about 'life changing magic': There's nothing wrong with wanting to improve your station in life or making changes to things you're unhappy with. I guess. But be wary of neat slogans and books that promise life-changing magic. The only real magic in the world is from unicorns and the high you get from poppers. pg 19

I've never felt like a failure at the 'tidying process' but Jennifer's book should appeal to those who do. Here's her advice for how to 'Be Free': "Let go of caring, let go of guilt and feelings of failure. Breathe in good messy, breathe out boring tidy." pg 28

In her book, Marie Kondo writes about thanking her small purse for its service at the end of every day. Jennifer has different ideas about the care and functionality of your handbag: "...you should always purchase the biggest purse you can carry. Here's a good purse test: Can it fit a bottle of wine? No? Move on. Yes? Buy it." pg 75

At times, Jennifer is downright dismissive of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing's teachings about every object having a "spirit" and she's particularly vitriolic about the way Kondo rolls her socks. If that is going to bother you, you may want to skip this one.

A humorous read alike: 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 by Sarah Knight. Warning: contains approximately a billion f-words.
Profile Image for Karen.
507 reviews94 followers
March 31, 2021


This little gem is something I picked up at BookExpoAmerica this year. I grabbed this book early on day 2 and read it while I was standing in lines. I liked it enough to share the funnies with some other bloggers in line. The Joy of Leaving You Sh*t All Over the Place is hilarious. I am so glad I got a chance to read it.

This book is written in an easy-to-digest format. The sections are pretty short and include art, loads of humor, and small charts. This book basically focuses on a retort to those books and methods being sold to the masses telling people that the need to get organized and throw their sh*t away. You know, those books that say this:

“Tidy is in. Messy is out. Thanks, Minimalism. Thanks, unprecedented household debt. Thanks KonMari Method.”

The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over The Place rebuts that with this:

“Messiness is easy. It comes naturally to everyone. You’re born fucking messy and you die messy but somplace in between you get brainwashed into thinking you should be tidy. No one likes tidy people. They are boring. Basically even writing a book about being messy is pointless because it is so fucking easy. But here we are.”

I love this rebuttal. The author basically tells everyone to chill the f*ck out and stop being so uptight.

A break down of the chapters:

Reset Your Life By Vowing Never to Tidy
The Clutter Blame Game
Leave Your Sh*t All Over the House
Dealing With the Actual Sh*t In Your House
Leave Some Sh*t Outside and In Cyberspace
Cherish Your Stuff But Do Not Hoard

There is also six quizzes in this book, a handy clutter checklist in the back so you can maximize your clutter potential, and a list of useful resources where you can find more stuff.

I have to admit this book had me laughing out loud on almost every page. The author is witty and down to earth. The kind of person I would want over for a bar-b-Que, if I had a grill anyways. (it is on my list of sh*t to buy). I don’t subscribe to everything she says in this book (it is a f*cking parody!), but I totally get what she is saying. This was a very entertaining read.

My Favorite Quote: “Books are not clutter no matter what some book about getting organized may tell you. Literally, no one has ever walked into a library and been, like, what a fucking mess. Also, it’s difficult to judge people properly who don’t own any books”
Profile Image for ❀angela.
126 reviews104 followers
July 25, 2016
Obviously, this is a parody of Marie Kondo's book. It's supposed to be humorous, tongue-in-cheek. I just didn't find it very funny. Maybe because I don't want to be messy? Maybe because I really liked Marie Kondo's book? I know, I know. This book is supposed to be a joke. But you have to understand, in my household, being messy wasn't something we could really joke about.

My grandmother was a hoarder. She had nine chairs in her apartment but nowhere to sit. My mother never throws anything away. Whenever I had friends over, my dad would be furious. He was so embarrassed when guests were in our living room, where boxes and junk and clothes and trash are piled up to the ceiling.

It's really stressful living in our house. We have no hallways but the walking path is always narrow. You must always have a the light on, because who knows what you'll trip over. You can't ever find anything. You keep buying stuff you already have because you can't find them buried in your mountains of junk.

My sister and I try to keep our rooms clean to stay sane. Not only does it take up time every day, it's hard because we are naturally messy people with hoarding tendencies in our blood and pack rat mentalities ingrained in our system.

This book just repeats everything negative already said about Marie Kondo.

And for the record, I'm not saying you should throw EVERYTHING away or start talking to your socks. I'm saying that it's a good thing to be organized.
Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author 6 books31.9k followers
October 7, 2016
"Breathe in good messy, breathe out boring tidy."--Jennifer McCartney

I read this book sort of simultaneously with 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 by the f-bombing Sarah Knight. Both books parody The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō, and both find it eminently parody-able. So this is not self-help; it is parody. McCartney goes for the laughs a little bit more than Knight, as in

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to improve your station in life or making changes to things you're unhappy with. I guess. But be wary of neat slogans and books that promise life-changing magic. The only real magic in the world is from unicorns and the high you get from poppers." Right?!

She includes lots of examples of messes she loves or isn't bothered by. Shoes everywhere. Messy hair, messy desk. She includes lists of stuff Kondo would have you get rid of, that she gets why you won't part with, such as those wine charms, or that ugly spider plant or all the stones form all the beaches you have collected. A beer stein you got in Germany (in my case 40 years ago). Stuff like that. Nah, I'm keeping that. What, you would get rid of the pewter candlesticks your grandmother gave you?! What kind of a person does that, just for neatnik sake?!

She even ends in a self-help way, with a quote from Emerson about being yourself.

Since I am a clutterer, a book hoarder, I felt validated.
Profile Image for Cindy.
400 reviews7 followers
July 29, 2016
I couldn't make it through. At first this book was hilarious and made me "spit-out-coffee" laugh. But after a few chapters it became just like the book it was spoofing. The same words over and over again. I just couldn't invest more energy into it. It definitely was humorous, but more on the length of a blog or magazine article. There's just isn't enough to make it a whole book.
Profile Image for lauren.
317 reviews4 followers
June 21, 2016
I would welcome a witty parody of The Magical Art of Tidying Up, but this was not it. I love swearing, but this book gives credibility to the argument that swearing is a cop-out for poor writing. Also just about every punchline is booze or cats. What entertaining material there is in here would have made a great short article, but dragging it out into book form was just beating a dead horse- or cat.
Profile Image for Emily.
1,955 reviews37 followers
June 24, 2016
This read like a long bit during a stand-up routine. It's a sarcastic, sweary reaction to The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up and its ilk, and it made me smile. She's saying the same thing all the way through, but she's funny, and the book is short, so I didn't mind.
A fun bathroom book to give to friends who don't mind messes or swear words.
July 13, 2016
Yes, it's a parody, I've also got that Konmarie book, but this one makes more sense. For some people, empty rooms of white on white with white accessories works, not me. I love my crafting, my books, my souvenirs, the memories of my and Dave's mom, my son's school and church ornaments and art. I'm not going to empty my purse at the end of the day, and thank it for it's service before folding and placing on the shelf. This books separates the hoarding from the untidy, creative atmosphere in a respectful and humorous, non-judgemental way. One of my fav books this year, and i plan on reading it again.
Profile Image for Zane.
396 reviews8 followers
April 7, 2020
It was a short, humorous audiobook that is playing against the trend of "must get my shit together" thinking. It was refreshing to hear that - it's ok to have some clutter in your living space, but other than the "all people are born messy" there's not much to cling to in terms of message. American-style humor, so I'm just gonna mark it as read and move on. Thanks for the background noise while cleaning my kitchen (take that!) :D
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,930 reviews34 followers
December 9, 2016
I really enjoyed this parody of books such as

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up &
Spark Joy An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondō Spark Joy

This book is full of gems:

- Own lots of cats. Why? "Because they are fluffy and quiet and everyone likes quiet, fluffy things."

- Own lots of books.

Any trip to a place that sells books of any kind requires you to purchase one. You could be eight months behind on your rent, and if you don't buy a book at a used bookstore, you're basically a bad person who doesn't love to read.


A good way to tell if you should buy something is to ask yourself: Do I want it? If the answer is yes, then buy it. Whatever it is. Life is short and you've earned it. You're a nice person, probably, just doing your best.



Pop Sugar’s 2016 Reading Challenge - A book that’s under 150 pages (128 pages)
Profile Image for Jeanne.
1,401 reviews
July 26, 2016
Laugh out loud funny because it is so true. Sure you can join the latest minimalist fad and be tidy and thank your socks for their service, but your house will get messy again. So embrace it and stop fretting.
I have a fail-proof method of how to minimize. Move out and leave all your stuff behind. You won't be able to afford new stuff. It's a simple one step minimalist method.
Profile Image for John.
54 reviews5 followers
July 7, 2018
I like good parodies, but this book was not. Overly crass, redundantly repetitive and boring.

The book could have been reduced to 4 words: "Have liquor. Keep junk."

The only good suggestion was to rip your favorite pages out of books and throw the rest away.

For a comedy book that isn't funny... throw it in the trash.
Profile Image for Daphne.
353 reviews7 followers
January 26, 2019
This is satirical, but much more my speed than the KonMarie method. I have stuff, I like stuff and I get rid of the stuff I don't want, can't use or if it is broken. No thanking things for their usefulness, or folding a certain way...
Profile Image for Kathy.
323 reviews4 followers
May 31, 2016
This book was written by a drunken slob(Just kidding) . This could never happen. I love being neat and its ok!
Profile Image for Sandy.
1,223 reviews20 followers
January 9, 2021
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)

Profile Image for Marsha.
Author 2 books35 followers
January 11, 2022
This is billed as a humor book not one of the self-help variety. This slender hardcover scoffs at the notion that being tidy will somehow make you happier, smarter and improve your sex life.

With copious swearing and gleeful thrusts at any attempt to tidy, Ms. McCartney provides a robust antidote to all those people who complain because you’ve left your clothes in a messy pile, those books that promise to declutter your home in four months and that bizarre method that recommends you talk to your socks. (Yeah, I thought that was silly, too.)

Along the way, it has pertinent advice (no hoarding; you don’t want to become a headliner because your desiccated body was found buried under a load of egg timers) and short multi-choice “tests” probing what you’d do in certain circumstances. It’s a daffy, dippy, fun read that will appeal to the chronically messy, disorganized, sloppy procrastinators out there.
Profile Image for amber.
77 reviews4 followers
January 17, 2019
This book was a welcome relief given social media currently. I read the tidy book we shall not name a few years ago. It wasn't my favorite book. I like the idea of paring down and got more into The Minimalist than Marie. This book gave me a wonderful laugh and really spilled wine all over the minimalist approach. It was funny, messy, and delightful. If you can't laugh with this book then you haven't really sparked joy. My only complaint was the repetition. The schtick gets a little tired about half way through. Still worth it, even if you're skimming the pages by the end. It's a dollar menu item kind if book. It's not helping but it really scratches the itch for a moment.
Profile Image for Cateline.
300 reviews
July 13, 2016
I love the idea behind the book, and the author does have a wicked sense of humor. And, since I'm a fairly messy person to begin with I appreciate much of what her tongue-in-cheek message imparts.

I'm not going to get on my soap box, and goodness knows I can cuss like the proverbial sailor when driving. But, really, to have f*ck every other word (almost literally) is just too much. If not for the proliferation of obscene language, I'd have rated it higher, 'cause I laughed throughout a lot of the book.

Profile Image for Suzanne Taylor.
195 reviews
March 20, 2019
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.
Profile Image for Thing Two.
986 reviews49 followers
March 14, 2019
Good book to buy for your friend who binge watches Marie Kondo.
Profile Image for Kerri Burr.
58 reviews2 followers
March 28, 2019
Started off amusing but then just felt like a joke that needed to end ten minutes ago. No desire to finish this one.
Profile Image for Louise Niva.
46 reviews
January 15, 2024
Litt repetetive vitser, men også litt morsom. Terget min mor, litt meg og, men ikke fullt så mye. Interessant å se det fra dette perspektivet selvom det er satire.
Profile Image for Kelsey.
60 reviews3 followers
May 20, 2020
Go read this. I laughed out loud and now I want to buy something random.
Profile Image for Kristina .
1,384 reviews
May 13, 2020
I've had this one on my to-read list forever and it was quite amusing when I finally read it.

I don't mind the Kondo approach, but the author was spot-on in mocking some of her go-to approaches. I'm still bad about *thanking* my purses when I retire them from day to day use.

Also, I like any author who asks readers to "promise yourself to f*cking cool it with the tidying." :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews

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