BY LEO BABAUTA
I’ve been happily married 11 years, and I’m still as in love with my beautiful wife Eva now as when I first fell for her 13 years ago.
The Cure for Your Distraction Syndrome
BY LEO BABAUTA
I absolutely adore the Internet, but there’s no doubt it has made us more distracted than ever.
I can see this in myself, and in watching everyone else around me: constant use of laptops, switching between browser tabs, checking things on iPhones, typing in a message here and there … we all do it.
Creating a Lovely Morning
‘When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.’~Marcus Aurelius
BY LEO BABAUTA
When I wake in the morning, my mind slowly gathers, and I begin to move, the early morning light just starting to seep in.
Looking for Love
BY LEO BABAUTA
A reader asked for advice for people who are looking for love, trying to meet people, dating.
The “looking for love” part of life is definitely trying, and I have to admit I’m no dating expert. I got lucky with Eva, finding her relatively easily and somehow convincing her that I’m dateworthy. It must be my striking good looks.
The Lies Your Mind Tells You to Prevent Life Changes
BY LEO BABAUTA
The mind is a wonderful thing. It’s also a complete liar that constantly tries to convince us not to take actions we know are good for us, and stops many great changes in our lives.
Scumbag mind.
I’ve had to learn to watch these rationalizations and excuses very carefully, in order to make the changes I’ve made in my life: a healthier diet, regular exercise, meditation, minimalism, writing daily, getting out of debt, quitting smoking, and so on.
What I Do When I Fail
BY LEO BABAUTA
I fail at things much more than you might imagine, given that I’ve written books on forming habits and being content with yourself and being a minimalist and more.
I fail at all of that stuff, and it feels just as horrible for me as it does for anyone else.
You’re Not Doing Life Wrong
By Leo Babauta
There’s an everpresent underlying feeling that most of us have that we could be doing things better. That we’re not sure how to live life. That we’re doing things wrong.This leads us to try to optimize, to try to improve, but also to feel bad, to seek comfort and distraction, to procrastinate while we seek the answers. This is normal and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Love Notes
By Leo Babauta
My family leaves little unintentional loves notes for me all over the place.I’m a bit of a neat freak — I like things decluttered and clean. And so when people in my house leave things around (which happens when you have lots of kids, naturally), I catch myself getting a little frustrated.
Making Yourself Work
By Leo Babauta
One of the biggest problems you need to solve if you work for yourself is how to make yourself do work.The best entrepreneurs have figured it out and just pound out the work they need to do.
But many others put off their dream careers, or stay in jobs they like, because they’re afraid to figure this out. Being in a job, or staying in college, means that you have someone else imposing work and deadlines on you, and you’ll get fired (or dropped from school) if you don’t do the work. So you put off doing the work until you can’t anymore because of the fear of being fired.
The Gods of This Day
By Leo Babauta
This morning my son Seth woke up, gave me my morning hug, and then I told him that he and I are gods.We’re the Gods of This Day, and we have the power to make today one of the most amazing days ever.
We don’t have unlimited power, but we have great influence. To make today amazing, we need to:
The No Procrastination Challenge
By Leo Babauta
In the final month of my Year of Living Without, I’ve decided to live without procrastination.Procrastination is a friend (or a beast, depending on how you feel about it) that we all live with. It lurks behind us constantly, insinuating itself into the crevices of our mind, intimating its will through malevolent hints and obscure looks and barely audible whispers and glancing allusions.
In June, I’m saying goodbye to that serpented bringer of apprehension. Procrastination will keep its distance, for a month.
The Essence of Fatherhood: 6 Simple Lessons
By Leo Babauta
I’ve been a father for more than 21 years, and have 6 kids altogether, and have loved every messy minute of it.And now I have a young brother who’s becoming a father this month, and is deeply scared by the prospect of fatherhood. He’s not sure if he’ll do a good job, worried he’ll fail.
Pursuing Happiness When It’s Already Within You
By Leo Babauta
One of the key learnings I’ve had since starting Zen Habits is that everything I need to be happy is already within me.I firmly believe that, but I’ve been asked a good question: if happiness comes from within, why should you pursue anything in life?
How to Be Great
By Leo Babauta
Start by admitting that greatness doesn’t come from the distraction and busywork that often fills up our lives.It comes from making a difference in the world.
Now consider how you can make a difference in the lives of others. Consider your current work, which perhaps already makes a difference — how can you refocus yourself on this work? Or consider creating a side project, and carving out the time for this.
7 Strategies for Facing Your Internet/TV Addiction
By Leo Babauta
How do you beat something so addictive as the Internet, or TV — things most of us find ourselves increasingly immersed in, all day long?I won’t get into the whys of curbing an addiction like this — I’m going to assume you already want to make a change.
The Smart Way to Stick to Habits
By Leo Babauta
Sticking to a new habit isn’t easy — but if you set up your habit change smartly, you can make it stick.Starting a new habit isn’t too hard — we often get excited about starting an exercise plan or diet or waking up early, for example. But a number of obstacles get in the way of sticking to the habit long enough for it to become automatic.
Here are the usual obstacles:
The Quickstart Guide to Quitting a Bad Habit
By Leo Babauta
It seems like it was only last year when I was quitting smoking while stuck in debt, bad eating habits, a procrastinator and sedentary … but in reality that was me 9 years ago.I still remember how hard it was to quit, how I justified those bad habits to myself for years, and how I didn’t think I could do it.
The Power of Delay
‘The greatest remedy for anger is delay.’ ~Thomas Paine
By Leo Babauta
I once had a boss who had a favorite strategy for dealing with donations-seekers, demanding colleagues, and basically anyone who wanted anything from him he was reluctant to give.Delay.
How to Deal with Your Family’s Bad Habits
By Leo Babauta
Have you created healthy habits for you, but haven’t gotten your kids or spouse on board? You’re not alone — lots of people get frustrated when their loved ones don’t want to create healthy habits.I’ve had a bunch of people write to me about this, including one person who wrote about his sons, who are 10 and 12:
Nice Move: Twitter shuts down 30 sites dedicated to saving politicians'
Twitter has shut down a network of sites dedicated to archiving deleted tweets from politicians around the world. The sites — collectively known as Politwoops — were overseen by the Open State Foundation (OSF), which reported that Twitter suspended their API access on Friday, August 21st. Twitter reportedly told the OSF that its decision was the result of "thoughtful internal deliberation and close consideration of a number of factors," and that the social media site didn't distinguish between politicians and regular users.
"Imagine how nerve-racking — terrifying, even — tweeting would be if it was immutable and irrevocable?" Twitter reportedly told the OSF. "No one user is more deserving of that ability than another. Indeed, deleting a tweet is an expression of the user’s voice."
The Golden Money List: Hundreds of Tips for Turning Your Financial Life Around
Post written by Leo Babauta.
Ever since I got out of debt, I haven’t written much about personal finances, simply because it’s not one of the main focuses in my life. Still, I’ve written a lot about finances in the past — frugality, debt reduction, budgeting, and more — and I think there are a lot of useful articles that newer readers might have missed.I’ve learned a lot about personal finances in recent years, and I hope my lessons will prove valuable to you, or at least stir up some thoughts that help you in your journey.
A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home
I can’t claim that my home is completely minimalist, but it surely isn’t cluttered, and most people I know would call it a pretty minimalist home.One recent visitor saw my kitchen and remarked, “I’ve never seen a kitchen that looked so clean, so clear of stuff!” Well, I do my best to keep it clean, but the key is to remove the unnecessary stuff.
The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People
“In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for contructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.” ~Rollo May
Post written by Leo Babauta.
Creativity is a nebulous, murky topic that fascinates me endlessly — how does it work? What habits to creative people do that makes them so successful at creativity?I’ve reflected on my own creative habits, but decided I’d look at the habits that others consider important to their creativity. I picked a handful of creatives, almost at random — there are so many that picking the best would be impossible, so I just picked some that I admire, who came to mind when I thought of the word “creative”.
The Short but Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion
“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” – Arnold Toynbee
By Leo Babauta
Following your passion can be a tough thing. But figuring out what that passion is can be even more elusive.I’m lucky — I’ve found my passion, and I’m living it. I can testify that it’s the most wonderful thing, to be able to make a living doing what you love.
The Simple, Ridiculously Useful Guide to Earning a Living from Your Passion
So you’ve followed the Short But Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion, and have chosen something you’re passionate about.Now you need to make it a career — but are perhaps a bit lost.
I have to admit I was there, only a few years ago, and three years later I’ve successfully done it, even if I’m a bit battered from the attempt.
How Not to Hurry
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu
Post written by Leo Babauta.
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?
A Brief Guide To Life
‘A few strong instincts and a few plain rules suffice us.’ ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
By Leo Babauta
Life can be ridiculously complicated, if you let it. I suggest we simplify.Thich Nhat Hanh’s quote, which I’ve stolen as this site’s subtitle, is the shortest guide to life you’ll ever need:
“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”
10 Benefits of Rising Early, and How to Do It
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin, famously
“Put no trust in the benefits to accrue from early rising, as set forth by the infatuated Franklin …” – Mark Twain
By Leo Babauta
Recently, reader Rob asked me about my habit of waking at 4:30 a.m. each day, and asked me to write about the health benefits of rising early, which I thought was an excellent question. Unfortunately, there are none, that I know of.Dog Stories from The Spectator
Dogs who shop, bury frogs, and take 800-mile solo round trips by rail – writer and broadcaster Frank Key gives a brief tour of the strange and delightful Dog Stories from The Spectator.
Acidity The Cause Of All Diseases
WHAT IS pH?
A certain percentage of water molecules always dissociate into H and OH ions in every body of water. This ration of H ion and OH ions is expressed as pH scale ranging from 0-14 and is very critical to health. Normal level is slightly over 7.0
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