I will be sharing reviews of many of the books that I read during my Read 100 Challenge this year. I would also love to hear about books that you are currently reading! Reply in the comments with any suggestions that you have for books I might enjoy.
I had been looking forward to reading Crystal Paine’s latest book Say Goodbye to Survival Mode for months, and it did not disappoint. If you are feeling tired, burned out, or overwhelmed right now (did I just describe most of the moms in America?), then this book is for you!
I have followed Crystal on her wildly successful blog Money Saving Mom for years and have learned so much from her. Couponing? Learned it from her. Goal setting? Learned it from her. Making a morning and evening routine? Well, you get the idea.
In Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, Crystal offers practical tips for the overwhelmed–specifically for moms, though the principles could apply to other populations as well. I found two principles particularly helpful.
Saying Yes to the Best
Many of us complain about our overcommitted schedule without realizing that we are the ones who made that schedule. Crystal points out that when we say yes to one thing, we are saying no to something else. Yes, we’ll help with the PTA bake sale, but that means that no we can’t read one more book with our kids before bed when we have ten dozen brownies to bake. If, however, we have a strong sense of our priorities in life, we can examine each potential commitment to see if it is in line with those priorities. If spending relaxing time with our families every weekend is important, we should say no to commitments that call us away during that time.
I have often struggled with saying no. Say Goodbye to Survival Mode reminded me that it is ok to say no to some things. It means that I will be able to say yes to what is best for my family and fits with my goals.
Tame the Clutter
Clutter stresses me out. When I see a room filled with kids’ toys, books out of place, and knick-knacks everywhere, I become overstimulated and feel claustrophobic. A messy house makes me feel overwhelmed faster than anything else.
Crystal offers some simple solutions to help tame the clutter monster and eliminate household stress, which allows us to focus more on completing tasks that bring us closer to achieving our goals.
This is an easy read, as the writing style is very straightforward and simple. Don’t let the simplicity fool you, though. There are many gems inside.
Have you read Crystal Paine’s Say Goodbye to Survival Mode? What did you think?
What books are you reading now?
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