Mark Manson admits ‘I screw up my own advice all the time’ – but he still doesn’t give ...

American self-help author Mark Manson, who is touring Australia in November, admits ‘I screw up my own advice all the time’.

You could say Aussies have made not giving a flying fig into a national characteristic, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that American author Mark Manson always gets such a warm welcome Down Under.

“Australia is my best market and the love is returned,” says Mark, who penned the rather ruder-titled bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

“I love Australia. Every time I go there, I text my wife and say, ‘What are we doing? We should live in Australia’,” he says.

That’s why the self-help writer chose Australia for his first live tour for five years. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Live with Mark Manson tour will start at Sydney Opera House on November 4.

He’ll be hot on the heels of Charles and Camilla, and the king of self-help expects an equally large crowd.

American self-help author Mark Manson has chosen Australia for his first live tour for five years. Picture: Maria Midoes

“The fans down there turn out massively and they’re really enthusiastic,” Mark says, speaking to Insider from his home in LA.

Mark, 40, turned the art of plain-speaking into an empire. Known for his blokey advice, in 2015 he wrote a blog which led to the book of the same name in 2016. Selling over 20 million copies, it’s been translated into 65 languages and spun out into a podcast, newsletters, online courses and a film.

Mark Manson's books. Picture: Supplied

Despite the sweary-title, the book’s premise is really about how to cope with life and gain perspective. As he says on his website: “I write life advice that is science-based, pragmatic, and non-bullshitty – a.k.a., life advice that doesn’t suck. Some people say I’m an idiot. Other people say I saved their life.”

Mark says the most common problem people come to him with is the feeling of being overwhelmed.

His solution is to work out what matters to you.

“Start by subtracting: take a few of the things you’re thinking about and remove them from your life for a week, or month, and see how it feels.”

In the almost-decade since the book came out, Mark’s advice has become even more relevant, with the sense of overload many people are experiencing with technology. His advice? Cut down on social media feeds and replace them with history.

“When you’re living and breathing that 24-hour news cycle, there’s this sense that not only is something horrible happening all the time, but that horrible thing is completely unprecedented,” he says.

Mark Manson from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

During the pandemic, he says he “hit his limit” and began reading history books about previous pandemics.

“Every single thing that was happening – everybody’s reactions, government decisions – literally everything, happened before.”

He said it made him realise, “this is normal, we’re going to be OK”.

So, for someone who has made his fortune telling everyone not to get riled up, does he live by his own advice? Not at all, he says: “I screw up my own advice all the time. It’s a little bit maddening, in that every kind of major issue in my life, I’m like, ‘Damn it, that was in the book’.”

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Live with Mark Manson, November 4-11, tickets, fane.com.au/markmanson