Book Review: F*ck No: How to Stop Saying Yes

Welcome to the gates of hell no

F*ck No is written by Sarah Knight, who is also the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck. This book covers a variety of different situations, including social, work, partner, and family, and helps you to get more comfortable saying no to others’ demands.

The book includes a variety of fun diagrams in the style you might scrawl on a piece of paper, such as a flow sheet that covers things you must/should/do feel guilty about, and a quadrant diagram with answers plotted on axes ranging from polite to impolite and dishonest to honest. There are also plenty of examples of ways to say no for a wide variety of different situations.

The author identifies several different kinds of people who tend to say yes, such as the people pleaser, the overachiever, the FOMO’er, and the pushover.

There’s even a multiple-choice quiz to help you determine which type you are.

The book covers “the gates of hell no” and setting boundaries, and includes the metaphor of sheep representing your time, energy, and money (and I certainly love me some sheep).

The author points out that even insincere apologies can be useful, as they can serve as lube to decrease the friction for all involved.

There are instructions for the look that keeps small talkers at bay, which is totally up my alley.

She also ponders the situations in which laying out fuck bucks may or may not be called for. Plus she is all for saying that no, you are absolutely not okay.

While the book is written in a playful tone, the advice is actually very good. Saying no is something most of us struggle with, yet we should do it more often. This book is a great source of ideas, plus it will make you laugh at the same time.

Originally published at https://mentalhealthathome.org on January 22, 2020.