Short, easy to read. Straight to the point. Relatable tips on how Emma remedied self-sabotage and everything that comes with it. Tackles, self-worth, confidence, procrastination, and analyst paralysis.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This piece of writing was a perfect starting point to explore some of the damaging ways we can sabotage our own happiness and success. Informative, sharp and observant, Emma's essay makes a clear point within minimum amount of pages.

Some of the most common ways when it comes to self-sabotage are explained, like procrastination, perfectionism, and an inner critic voice most of us deal with it. It offers some brief analysis, along with concrete tips on how to stop our sabotage, and I think it's a perfect read for anyone taking interest in this topic who is looking for a good place to start.

Thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in one sitting and will be rereading it again soon (but I must not reread as a form of procrastication!) There are so many truths developed and highlighted that made sense to me (so many aha moments and I kept thinking of friends I need to ensure have a copy of this book). It's no exageration for me to say that I feel a different person for reading this book. Unravelling the bad side of sabotage in all its complexities, Gannon also looks at the productive side of it and mentions the need to strike a balance between self-worth and self-care for the sake of creativity. A beautiful book with a brave message for all of us who get in the way of our potential for a satisfying and productive life. Thank you Emma Gannon!

“Sabotage” by Emma Gannon is about how to get out of your own way in order to make your dreams come true.

Want to be an author, but can’t seem to start writing?
Want to start a business, but still working your dead-end job?
Want to read more books, but keep scrolling social media instead?

(You get the picture).

In this super-short book, you’ll learn Emma’s definition of self-sabotage, and various ways she’s gotten in her own way.

Pulling from her own experience, various thought leaders and her online followers, she also teaches us how to stop:
--letting our inner ADHD selves distract us from obtaining our goals
--procrastinating and putting off the inevitable
--pre-empting rejection (e.g., quitting a job before being fired)

Emma also helps us look at our inner conflicts that keep us from making things happen.

If you’re really big in self-help books, there’s no new a-ha content. That said, it does combine a lot of useful advice from other well-known speakers and authors. You might recognize some of these notable names featured in “Sabotage”: Seth Godin (“This is Marketing”); Elizabeth Gilbert (“Big Magic”); Marie Forleo (“Everything is Figureoutable”); Nora Ephron (“I Feel Bad About My Neck”); Daisy Buchanan (“How to be a Grownup”); Nir Eyal (“Hooked”); Paulette Perhach (“A Story of a Fuck Off Fund”); Ann Friedman (“Big Friendship”); Dr. Margaret Paul (“Inner Bonding”); Gay Hendricks (“The Big Leap”); and Dani Shapiro (“Inheritance”). She also mentions guidance from clinical therapists like Dr. Soph and Judy Ho, and the philosopher Alain De Botton.

Emma narrates her own books, which I appreciate. The audio book was easy to follow and understand, and the print book has a great layout. If you listen along, just make sure you bump up the speed a notch or two.


Special thanks to NetGalley, Emma Gannon and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an electronic copy of the ebook and audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

While anything that would be classed as 'self help' isn't really my typical read, I decided to give this a go because I really like Emma Gannon. It's a quick but really useful read. I wouldn't have classed myself as a saboteur but reading this has identified a lot of similar behaviour. I found this so relatable and will definitely be recommending it to friends.

Sabotage by Emma Gannon is the perfect self-help book for anyone. Sabotage explains how you are keeping yourself from reaching your full potential and how to stop.

Sabotage is a short read. There is a lot of important information and tips. All of the important tips from a longer self-help book are included with less stories.

I listened to part of the audiobook and read part of the book. I enjoyed both formats and didn’t have a strong preference. I thought Emma Gannon did a great job narrating. I think authors narrating their self-help books really get the passion across.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for Sabotage.

Boy, did I just highlight every word of this book.
This book was very helpful. enlightening. affirmative.
A month ago I felt that I was sabotaging my life with some certain actions but I wasn't sure. Imagine my surprise to see this book included in the Netgalley library.
Now I know I was/still actuly self sabotaging and I'm at ease a bit to have such hepful tips to get me through my shady sabotagy behavior.
Thanks Emma Gannon. Thanks Netgalley.

I read the Pound Project essay last year and loved it, so I was v excited to read a new and updated version of Emma's thoughts on self-sabotage, why we do it, and how to prevent it.

This is such an interesting topic, and one that I really enjoy reading about! Self-sabotage comes in lots of different forms and happens for lots of different reasons, and I found it fascinating reading through all its varieties. Some of it wasn't hugely relevant to me - my brain is critical of me for all the right reasons, thankfully - but some of it really was: I've definitely been guilty of putting off creative projects and things I've always wanted to do, Classic self-sabotage! Sabotage is full of great tips and thoughts about how to overcome your procrastination, feelings of low self-worth and bad instincts, and I will definitely be putting them into practice 💫

In one way or the other, we have all self-sabotaged, Whether it's staying up late scrolling on social instead of going to bed or flaked out on a networking event. Emma Gannon knows this too well and shares her experiences with self-sabotage and how she is coping with it. "Sabotage" may seem like a harsh word for framing this behaviour but it is actually instructive in getting the point across. What better way of summing up the proverbial burning down your own house"?

Gannon takes readers through the four types of self-sabotage: perfectionism, the inner critic, procrastination and fear of self-promotion. and provides tips along the way. She also adds in tips from mental health professionals as well as quotes from women who have experienced self-sabotage. Nonetheless, the writing could have been better structured so that readers can easily follow her train of thought.

Sabotage is a very short book/ long-form essay that can be read in a sitting and definitely something I wish I had read in my early 20s.

Sabotage, How to Get Out of Your Own Wayby Emma Gannon
Narrated by Emma Gannon
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Audio, Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genre: Self-Help

This is the book I needed today (& will need again tomorrow). I know I struggle with self-sabotage and I have even identified my triggers and the behaviors that I use to sabotage myself with, but had not gotten to the root of WHY.

Listening to this audiobook & reading the ebook had helped me look at the 'why' a little differently. I will definitely be re-listening to & re-reading this book because I want to take notes and develop a plan to help me stop with the sabotaging behavior.

This is a quick read with so much information. I recommend this to anyone struggling with sabotaging behaviors. There is so much great insight that it is a must have for everyone!

I'm so grateful to Emma Gannon, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC audiobook & ebook in exchange for my honest review.

When I found out that Emma's book was going to be pocket-sized I'll admit my shoulders sank: would this book lack the depth I was desperate for? Thankfully, all my concerns were rapidly abated. Sabotage is a sharp, supportive rumination on the practice of self-sabotage and how to combat it. Emma is extremely honest about her own experiences, although the text is never self-absorbed or pithy. Instead, the advice Emma offers is widely applicable, well evidenced and immediately actionable. The clever layout of the book - prose broken up with useful lists of questions, quotes from experts and headline tips - means it will be easy to return to whenever you catch yourself wobbling.

This snappy little pamphlet of a book tapped into my brain & my subconscious & ignited some serious shiz. I screen grabbed parts of it & sent it to friends; tasks I wanted to share or things I wanted them to know about me, or about themselves! This is one I’ll definitely come back to in future.

I found some really helpful tidbits in this book, so I will definitely be purchasing it for the library.

This book tackles self-sabotage and its different forms while also giving tips on how to stop doing that. I didn't really learn or discover something new in this book. I can see the appeal to others due to the simplicity of its contents, but for me, I don't think it added something new about the topic. It just reiterates our common knowledge about self-sabotage with anecdotes from other people and some tips. This book is not bad, I just think it caters and much more helpful to young adults since this is the age where they are learning more about themselves and first time dealing with a lot of self-sabotage with awareness.

Being big on self-sabotage, I quickly picked this book when I saw. It is a very well organized pocket book, and you can read it in a go. I think the size was perfect. One of my biggest problems with self-help book is that it gets quite repetitive at times, and most of it ends being stories from the author or a person he knows. I like reading about it, but it can get tiring at times. So I like this one because it was compact, and though the author's talks about hers and other people experiences it does not get too crowded - and it is relevant for the subject. I do wish however most of it was not tailored to the creative arts (at least it was my feeling), but it not take away from the main message of the book.

I read the book as a curious outsider (I have other friendly inner demons, not sabotage, thanks to the Almighty). If you have felt beyond hope and a mastermind of your failure, Emma knows exactly what your private hell looks like. She recounts painfully honest incidents about self-sabotage that will have you rub eyes in disbelief, "Imagine putting this stuff on e-paper for all the world to see!" Backed by research and insights from professionals, her tips on 'slaying the sabotage' are effective, cute and do-some. Despite the sober subject, there are enough moments of laughter in the book to consider its placement in the 'humor' category. The book is 75 pages of easy read, a book that you will read more than once. It is chicken soup for the self-sabotaging soul.

This one is a slap in the face with the coldest truth. I really needed this and I hope people in need find their way to this book, too. Self-sabotage is a concept we all know of, but it's hard to see when it comes into action until someone tells you. It plays out in different ways and they ALL affect our lives. It wasn't until Emma Gannon pointed it out so respectfully that I figured out I've been sabotaging myself in more ways than I'd previously thought. My only negative remark is that the book's text was aligned to the left instead of being justified, which felt weird to read.

"Sabotage" is an easily digestible, super helpful read about a habit that so many of us fall victim to, consciously and subconsciously. The book definitely spoke to me because it's an unfortunate habit that's become rather ingrained in my day-to-day behaviour. I felt both seen and called out.

What makes the book really relatable is the many personal examples that Emma peppers throughout her writing. There's this feeling that you get that even for someone so accomplished in her own ways, if she can have moments of self-sabotage, maybe you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. But of course, there is a distinction between realising that it's human to have these moments of self-sabotage, and then correcting that behaviour. Emma puts it best when she says "... it helps to have a mixture of “you’re only human” and an element of “suck it up”! Self compassion is vital, but so is self-determination."

There are lots of helpful tips throughout the book, including the "Slay Your Sabotage" section at the end of nearly every chapter. I especially loved the actionable ways to deal with different types of sabotage in one of the later chapters.

This book almost reads like a pep talk from an older sibling - one where they can see the pain of your struggle but they also tell you in no uncertain terms to own your shit! I can see myself getting back to it often as I figure out ways to tackle my self-sabotaging behaviours.

A brilliant essay that everyone should read and have a copy of nearby!

This book might be short but it packs so much knowledge, tips, insights that I think everyone would find useful, I certainly did.

Emma Gannon talks about toxic friendships and relationships and how those can push you towards self-sabotage, how to spot it and what to do about it. She talks about why sometimes the emotions at the base of our actions are negative emotions, like envy, but ultimately push us towards our goals. She covers the topic of "rehearsing", which especially when you have anxiety means always preparing for the worst, thus making the present miserable in a failed attempt at making the future less painful.

I found comfort in all of these topics and tips on how to actively try to combat those negative thoughts and all of the elements which ultimately bring you to self-sabotage. As a creative, with a creative job, as a freelancer at the very beginning of her career I appreciated this book more than I expected to. It is not a self-help book but it helped me understand myself better, know the signs of self-sabotage and how to combat it. All of these tips are going to be super useful in my everyday life and in my professional life.

Seriously: I think everyone should read this!

So many gems in this short book about self-sabotage. Personal stories of the author’s own self-sabotage, including ways she sabotaged relationships or other important things in her life, and how she dealt with the aftermath. Creatives are one of the best at self-sabotage, but she goes even deeper than that. I found myself highlighting many sentences and phrases to go back to later. She includes tips and exercises to help you bust through and even recognize self-sabotage. Some of what she said seemed like common sense, things we should already know, but it was like a slap in the face from a good friend. I’ll definitely be referring to this again and again during my moments of self-sabotage. Highly recommended.