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Summary of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

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Save 12 Hours of Note-Taking and a Lifetime of Forgetting What You ReadHave you ever spent 10, 20, 30 hours reading a book, only to forget what you learned from it?

Do you avoid writing all over the insides of your brand new books just so you can keep them in perfect condition?

How much effort does it take for you to extract all of your notes, post-its, highlights and dog ears from your books and eBooks?

And when was the last time you reviewed and of those notes that you spent all that time making, anyway?

So many people had been having the same problem. After talking to many lifelong-learners, it's been said that we completely forget (Google the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, seriously) 90% of what we read within a couple of weeks on average.

It turns out, though, that there are ways to slow down the rate of forgetting and sometimes even eliminate forgetting altogether if we take some simple actions.

Real learning doesn’t occur on the first read of a book. Real learning doesn’t even happen on the 2nd or 3rd review of our book notes. It happens only when we take action.

We all have heard that key to success in learning and memory is repetition. And in order to save 10, 20, 30, or 100 hours of precious time (that we all don't have) reading and reviewing long books, it’s important to have good notes to review that will give you the key points of a book and sum everything up for you in a short window of time.

CompanionReads has helped over 50,000 people with learning. We’ve saved people a ton of time making notes and summarizing books for them in an easy to use format.

Imagine reading an entire book without taking any notes and then spending only 30 minutes reviewing a set of well structured and professionally written notes that easily give you only the golden nuggets of a book that you own.

Think about how easy for you it would be to then go out and take action on those ideas and start getting the results that the authors of these books intended for you. Not do this means you’ll lose the 10 hours or so that you spent reading that book.

Not only that but think about the 1,000’s of hours or $1,000’s of dollars you would’ve made or saved had you immediately implemented the strategies you read, rather than let them get forgotten on a bookshelf. You could be missing out on opportunities that could potentially double, or triple or 10X your income.

The improvement in the quality of your life would be immeasurable. With massive action, you’d lose those 20 extra pounds of belly fat in a couple of short months, get that romantic partner you’ve always dreamed of and find yourself finally living in your ideal home.

At CompanionReads, we analyze the books, take notes, extract the key ideas from them, and structure them for you in an easily digestible, actionable, 30-60 minute format.

We take our work seriously. All of our content goes through a professional double-edit process. We use these notes ourselves, so we make sure that our content is great quality.

Your Guides Will IncludeA comprehensive synopsis of the original book (great for pre-reading)An editorial review (for your enjoyment)A chapter by chapter analysisAn index of the key words, people, phrases and resources of the original book10+ hours of note-taking and extraction condensed into 30-60 minutesA well-structured and formatted eBook, Paperback or AudiobookProfessionally written and edited content that can be used over and over again<

36 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2017

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5 stars
226 (33%)
4 stars
209 (31%)
3 stars
167 (24%)
2 stars
48 (7%)
1 star
23 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
18 reviews
November 4, 2024
Primer libro en inglés y fácil de leer aunque no me he enterado de mucho, creo. Pero me ha gustado, creo también.
Profile Image for Jerry Johnson.
32 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2018
Mr. Manson's summary caused me to question if I lived a life of giving a f* ck or not.

At the age of 71, I suppose I'm an old man or at least all of my grandchildren and great grandchildren think so. I retired from the navy after completing 22 1/2 years. I had a 9th grade education when I enlisted. Over the course of my career I completed HS and doggedly pursued a BS degree in business. Three months after retiring I was awarded my degree. Afterwards I applied to nursing school was accepted and became RN after three years of additional education. I hold a BSN and MSN degree. So I ask myself did I complete all those night classes because of not giving a f*ck or was I trying to prove something. I am now looking at a new career in psychology, technology and learning that will cost me another four years of education to earn a PhD degree. Now I am really asking myself why should I give a f*ck about going back to school. I'll be at least 75 when I graduate. Then I will officially be an old man. I guess it will all boil to rather I can help make the world a better place or should I give a f*ck if I can or not.
Profile Image for Baroness .
784 reviews
August 4, 2020
Hilarious and to the point.
I’m looking forward to reading the book.
Profile Image for Sarah Kell.
1 review
November 13, 2023
I couldn’t even finish the book. Just a cocky man rambling. I was hoping this would be a structured book about not giving and f*ck, but it was nothing of the sorts.
Profile Image for Aleksandra Budzyńska.
9 reviews2 followers
August 23, 2018
Short and up to the point

Short and concise summary. I do believe it makes the best to make a reader acquainted with ideas presented in the book. I am not a fan of self - improvement guides, too often I find them too divulged. This summary was good as a quick reading in the meanwhile.
Profile Image for Sarah Sessano.
10 reviews4 followers
May 1, 2022
I listened to this book on audible and wasn’t super impressed. :/ an easy book to follow but weird stories and wasn’t super interesting.
2 reviews
September 30, 2017
It's well written, lots of good pointers which can be used on our daily basis... like it reads in the book "every time we make a mistake in our lives we can't sit their and point finger we should take a step back n look at our self." We have the power to make our on choice. I would recommend this book to anyone who's willing to take a further step in life but is afraid to make that kind of commitment.. I actually choose 4 stars, but my phone is been a pain..

It's well written, lots of good pointers which can be used on our daily basis... like it reads in the book "every time we make a mistake in our lives we can't sit their and point finger we should take a step back n look at our self." We have the power to make our on choice. I would recommend this book to anyone who's willing to take a further step in life but is afraid to make that kind of commitment.. I actually choose 4 stars, but my phone is been a pain..
Profile Image for Elijana Kindel.
Author 4 books57 followers
January 17, 2018
Interesting perspective

Catchy title. Really enjoyed the insight within and the different perspective on how to view... well, everything.
The book ended rather abruptly. Not sure why. Guess I was expecting (having been trained by other books like this) to have a warm and fuzzy summary/recap at the end.
Still, with that, I give it 5 stars. Because it really did make me think and rethink how I view myself and certain "standards" I've set for myself on how, why, and what I "live for".
Doubt that makes any sense (to anyone but me) but I'm telling you there is something to the logic presented in this book that'll get you thinking. Even if you don't agree with what's said in it-there's a logic to the topics discussed that'll make you confront or realize why you (do or) don't agree with it.
Overall, good book. No typos observed. Formatting nice. Read it in less than 30 minutes.
Profile Image for Joseph Manfredonia.
95 reviews6 followers
March 20, 2018
Very good points!

Great insight into how the illusion of consistent happiness and pain free living #1 don't exist in reality & #2 how harmful they can be when you are led to believe they do.

For example; you, standing in the mirror telling yourself you're a great person actually proves you ain't. Why else would you be staring at a mirror telling yourself repeatly such stupid things if you weren't trying to convince yourself it was true? The attention to the topic alone creates a negative focus. Now, the stress of living up to this fake story weighs on you even further. You're better off just accepting exactly who you are and not giving a F*ck. Pick and choose what you focus on instead of letting what you focus on be choosen for you.
297 reviews
September 2, 2017
This CompanionReads book has convinced me I need to read the actual book. It will be so valuable as my instant notes when reading and the ability to add my own comments on my kindle edition. I found myself spending significant time thinking about the direct quotes from each chapter in the Key Thoughts. I've been introduced to topics I had not put a name to but recognize in my own life and in the political life of our country especially with the entitlement and exceptionalism concepts. Thank you to CompanionReads and the Librarything giveaway program for a review copy and and ever growing to-be-read list.
Profile Image for Tủ Sách Tinh Hoa.
16 reviews1 follower
January 31, 2023
Cuốn này sẽ không dạy bạn cách để sống đếch quan tâm mọi sự trên đời, mà là làm thế nào để vứt bớt và buông bỏ… Nó sẽ hướng dẫn bạn cách nhắm mắt lại và tin rằng bạn có thể ngã ngửa ra đằng sau mà vẫn ổn. Nó sẽ dạy bạn: ĐỪNG CỐ!

Giọng văn vả thẳng mặt của “Nghệ thuật tinh tế của việc đếch quan tâm ” có khả năng đưa độc giả đi từ sự hoang mang tới bất ngờ thú vị với luận điểm hay ho của tác giả, hay lại tìm ra những điểm tưởng như rối rắm mà vẫn đúng vô cùng để rồi thấy được vốn dĩ hạnh phúc không giống như điều ta từng ngây thơ suy nghĩ.

Chi tiết bài review của mình: https://tusachtinhhoa.vn/nghe-thuat-t...
168 reviews
January 26, 2018
Helpful

I read Summary of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck to give me an idea if the full book was worth reading. The Summary was helpful and has given me an idea if the full book would be worthy. CompanionReads did an amazing job of putting the right amount of info out there. Thank you.
4 reviews
June 10, 2018
I don't understand what I just read. First off, I need to point out that this book contradicted itself from the beginning and its' end. In the beginning he was saying "you're not a special snowflake" and then afterwards he started saying "you are awesome even if you are sleeping in the gutter"...what?

I really just don't understand what I'm supposed to do with any of this information.
Profile Image for DLM Johnson.
Author 1 book6 followers
January 17, 2019
Nice summary

If you feel like you don't have the time to take in some self care advice, this summary of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is great. It gets the points Cross quickly, without taking too much time. It gets you thinking and is a good freebie to test out. I wouldn't mind sitting down and reading the full book
Profile Image for Kyla Tucker.
32 reviews
March 30, 2025
I’ve never read a book where the author literally didn’t give a single f***.

Some chapters I felt personally attacked and most I felt like I realised how much I need to stop giving f***s. It was enlightening and I loved the narrative sections of the book and all the (way too) personal details.

A need to read book for sure!
Profile Image for Marcia (aka mpmarquesus).
549 reviews33 followers
Read
February 9, 2018
Quick read

Glad I got this summary instead of wasting my time reading the full version of the book. I think the title is genius but the content is the same as every self help book out there.
Profile Image for Sam Simon.
2 reviews
April 15, 2018
Swift and to the point

In my personal opinion, Condensed or Summary books are the way to go when it comes to Self-Help topics. Direct and to the point. This particular book does a good job of “getting-to-the-point” and allowing me to get on with my day.
Profile Image for Shannon.
499 reviews2 followers
September 13, 2018
Fine for what it is

I'm always sceptical of self-help style books so figured it was worth getting a quick idea of this one. Love the idea, don't think I'd like the execution. Probably won't buy the full version.
Profile Image for M B.
297 reviews1 follower
September 25, 2018
It's good

Very straight forward just main idea of each chapter and a supporting statement. It's good if you're not sure if the book is right for you and want to see the basic breakdown.
1 review
April 17, 2020
The book offers the people who want an escape from the fucks of daily life, a safe haven. It invites its readers to stop worrying about everything and indulges them in rich and quite logical examples and conclusions that help the stressed out fellows of ours.
1 review
July 22, 2021
Not an eye opener, but more of an honest reminder

It's brutally honest about some things we know deep down inside but aren't willing to acknowledge (sub)consciously. Written in a witty way and easy to read
Profile Image for fdhl.
25 reviews
November 26, 2022
It started as a messy and claustrophobic just as the way the floating big rock we’re living in is. But towards the end, it made me questioning myself ‘have i ever give a fuck to anything? or just me being selfish towards the world?’
Profile Image for Toni Mackisson.
11 reviews
April 7, 2023
Could’ve been 100 pages shorter. Straight forward though not as transformational as I thought it would be considering how much exposure this book has gotten. Do or do not there is no try. I will take some lessons from this book the writing style just isn’t for me
Profile Image for Sandra Vel.
308 reviews
February 14, 2024
This book was a 'feel good' read but a bit repetitive. This shorter summary helped me to structure the ideas in my mind and to select a few points that I would like to remind, after having read the original book.
16 reviews
November 4, 2017
Great book

I would recommend this title to everyone because it gives you ideas of how to think in a different way other than the western way or philosophy.
Profile Image for Katie Sepulveda.
5 reviews1 follower
January 21, 2018
Great book

The book was a great read! It was full of motivation and great ways to start living your best life now!
Profile Image for Thomas.
2 reviews
April 14, 2018
Great summary

This summary encompasses all the main points the book was trying to make. I highly recommend this book to someone looking to change there direction in life.
Profile Image for marilyn edwards.
7 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2018
Learning to say no

It's ok to say no and live life without regrets. Stop all the negative chatter in your head you only have one life live it! You are the only one holding you back!
4 reviews
June 25, 2018
Love The Logic!

This book makes perfect sense. Points you in the right direction. The mental breakdown is awesome. Gives direction and insight
1 review
July 15, 2018
Enjoyable

I was skeptical and pleasantly surprised. The summary was to the point leaving out all the fluff. I liked the key points the most.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews

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