If you are in a happy relationship, or a perfect person, this book isn't for you.
If you've ever wondered why smart, capable people repeatedly fail at relationships despite reading every book and attending every workshop, this groundbreaking guide has your answer. Most relationship advice assumes you're emotionally available, neurotypical, and have infinite energy for processing feelings. Reality check: most of us are running on emotional fumes, managing anxiety or depression, and struggling with basic human limitations that make traditional advice not just unhelpful-but actively harmful.
Robert C. Owens, who has interviewed thousands of adults about their relationship struggles, presents a revolutionary approach: the Minimum Viable Relationship model. Instead of trying to transform yourself into someone who thrives on deep emotional processing, learn to build systems that work with your actual brain, not the brain you wish you had. This isn't about settling for less-it's about engineering sustainable intimacy that survives your worst days.
Drawing from cutting-edge neuroscience research on attachment, behavioral psychology, and twenty years of studying why conventional wisdom fails, Owens introduces frameworks that honor human limitations rather than fighting them. You'll discover why "good enough" relationships often outlast "perfect" ones, how to create maintenance schedules for intimacy, and why strategic mediocrity might be the secret to long-term satisfaction.
From building conflict resolution playbooks to designing autopilot connection systems, this book provides practical protocols for exhausted humans who want love that works without requiring superhuman emotional capacity.
You'll learn how to:
- Work with your limitations instead of against them
- Build systems that maintain connection during crisis periods
- Create personalized relationship protocols that fit your actual life
- Understand why "chemistry" often signals familiar dysfunction
- Develop sustainable intimacy practices for tired humans
Whether you're struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or just the basic exhaustion of modern life, this book shows you how to build relationships that function beautifully-even when you don't.
