Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Awhile back I (a bit ironically perhaps) tweeted this message:
Consider what you give your attention to each day. It’s a precious resource, & determines the shape of your life.
This seemed to strike a chord with many people, who I think are feeling overwhelmed these days. Our attention is being pulled in too many directions, leaving us feeling overloaded, distracted, chaotic, spread thinly, without focus.
Read more »Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Annabel Candy of Get In the Hot Spot.
You probably don’t need me to tell you that there’s a global recession at the moment. People all over the world are feeling the pinch and the travel industry is suffering because we all have less money to spend these days on luxuries like travel.
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
We all have days when we’re just not very inspired, when we need passion and creativity breathed into us.
I know I do.
For anyone who needs a little shove, whose creativity has dried up, who needs to be moved … I humbly offer this simple guide.
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Scott Young of ScottYoung.com.
In high school, I rarely studied. Despite that, I graduated second in my class. In university, I generally studied less than an hour or two before major exams. However, over four years, my GPA always sat between an A and an A+.
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Michael Bungay Stanier of Box of Crayons.
Imagine everything you do could fall into one of three buckets:
1. Bad Work.
2. Good Work.
3. Great Work.
I’m not talking about the quality of the work you deliver – I’ve no doubt that’s fine. I’m talking about the meaning the work has for you and the impact it makes.
Let me explain.
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” ~Woody Allen
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Often you’ll read an article called “The Seven Deadly Sins of” (fill in your topic here). But when it comes to changing habits, there aren’t Seven Deadly Sins.
There’s just one.
10 Ways to Improve Your Morning Routine
If your days are stressful and rushed, consider a fresh, new approach to your morning routine. Start with a healthy breakfast and morning exercise, and you will set a positive tone for the rest of your day.
Start With a Better Morning Routine
The way you start the morning can have [...]
“If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, then this is the best season of your life.” ~Wu-Men
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
When I hear about a great idea that a friend has, I get excited. I can’t wait to see that idea become reality.
Then I ask about the idea a few months later, and it often is not one bit closer to completion.
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Everett Bogue, author of The Art of Being Minimalist, and blogger at Far Beyond the Stars.
Have you ever had a creative evening when time suddenly flew by? A day when you executed a difficult project at work flawlessly? A brief moment in time when your challenging exercise routine felt effortless?
All of these times you were in a state of flow.
“Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat.” ~ Lao Tzu
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
It’s a bias of our culture that stillness is regarded as lazy, as being stuck in inaction, as a negative.
It’s not. It’s an action, and a powerful one.
What’s more, it can change your day, and in doing so change your life.
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
How does ’simple’ differ from ‘minimalist’?
That’s the question someone asked me on Twitter recently, and it’s a good one.
Zen Habits has become known as a leading simplicity blog, and at the same time I recently started mnmlist, a blog about minimalism.
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
The beauty of an empty inbox is a thing to behold. It is calming, peaceful and wonderful.
An inbox that is overflowing with actions, urgent calls for responses, stuff to read … it’s chaos, it’s stressful, it’s overwhelming.
A friend recently posted:
“Help! I’m drowning in email!”
“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
This morning I found myself lying around, enjoying a lazy weekend with my wife and kids, basking in the peaceful simplicity of today.
It’s in these moments that I find not only my greatest happiness, but my purpose in life.
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity.
For more than ten years I’ve operated a string of one-man businesses. My model is: keep it lean, hire no one, and outsource very little. I’ve made my share of mistakes (a long list!), but one thing has remained constant—I want to add extreme value to my customers, and I want to make a good living without simply creating a job for myself.
Here’s what I’ve learned.
I’ve always been a bit of a humbug when it comes to “personal development”, happiness fluff and life-changing inspirational yaddayadda…
That’s because i’ve known for a long time that all these damn lists, personal improvement systems and anti-systems, productivity tips, self-righteous self-help gurus and on and on are mostly just more noise added to the [...]
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
I get asked a lot of questions, many of them repeatedly, and I figured instead of answering them all over and over, I’d compile my answers for everyone here.
Of course, there’s a lot more about me and this site on the About page, and I’d always love it if you checked out the Books page.
I hope you find this useful!
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
Consider the above quote from Lao Tzu, (perhaps mythical) father of Taoism: how can it be true?
Is it possible to never hurry, but to get everything done?
1. Get up 15 minutes earlier
2. Prepare for the morning the night before
3. Avoid tight fitting clothes
4. Avoid relying on chemical aids
5. Set appointments ahead
6. Don't rely on your memory ... write it down
7. Practice preventive maintenance
8. Make duplicate keys
9. Say "no" more often
10. Set priorities in your life
11. Avoid negative people
12. Use time wisely
13. Simplify meal times
14. Always make copies of important papers
15. Anticipate your needs
16. Repair anything that doesn't work properly
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I need some inspiration along my journey.
Pretty much every day, if I can get it, in fact.
I usually turn to blogs for that inspiration, for whatever I’m doing. When my wife and I need inspiration for unschooling, we look to blogs. Same thing for blogging, writing a novel, simplifying my life, quitting smoking, anything.
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jai Kai of SharingSuccess.tv.
As we move through our daily routines we are often faced with obstacles and challenges which can lead to some degree of stress and anxiety. So to become more relaxed and free of tensions it is important to break away from your ordinary routine and find ways to de-stress. This process can be very simple or more in depth, but why not try something new and different? Here are 8, not your everyday ordinary, ways to de-stress and release tensions.
Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers’ gardens.
