7 Rules That Keep My Life Simple
By Leo Babauta
I enjoy creating a few simple rules to live by that take away some of the overwhelming decision making we need to make every day.
Pre-think these decisions, formulate them into rules, and then just follow them, freeing your brain for more important decisions.
Why should we need to give so much thought to what we’ll wear and eat, how we’ll exercise and handle email, when these are things we do every single day?
So I’ve been crafting a few rules that keep my life simple, so I don’t need to think about the little things so much.
These rules change, depending on my life circumstances R...
Source: Zen Habits - August 29, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Productivity & Organization Simplicity Source Type: blogs
An Education in the Majestic Sierra Nevada
By Leo Babauta
We set out for the Sierra Nevada as a family, all eight of us, excited but unsure of what to expect from our first family camping trip in the mountains.
I surveyed our two vehicles full of camping gear and food, and wondered at foolishly calling myself a minimalist sometimes. A family of eight people has a lot of sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents, chairs, veggie dogs and vegan marshmallows, though. And we probably overprepared, after reading and worrying about bears and the cold and cougars and Lyme disease.
At any rate, earlier this month, we drove four four hours, the scenery out our windows becoming mor...
Source: Zen Habits - August 26, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Finance & Family Happiness Source Type: blogs
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.
If I hadn’t learned these excuses, and how to counter them, I would never have stuck to these changes. In fact, I failed many times before 20...
Source: Zen Habits - August 22, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Goals & Motivation Habits Source Type: blogs
How to Believe in Yourself
By Leo Babauta
There was a long time when the lack of belief in myself was a major factor in my life.
I didn’t pursue an ideal career, or start my own business, because I didn’t think I could. I didn’t stick to habits because I didn’t really believe I had the discipline. I was shy with girls, I had a hard time making new friends, I didn’t assert myself in the workplace. I didn’t push past my comfort zone.
All because I didn’t really believe I could.
While I’m not free of self-doubt these days, I can honestly say I believe in myself like never before. That doesn’t mean I...
Source: Zen Habits - August 19, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Don’t Waste a Moment
By Leo Babauta
Lately I’ve been struck with the idea of how limited our lives are, and how little time we have to make something of them.
Imagine if you had a month to live: how would you spend it?
You could spend it with the people you love, soaking up time with them, really paying attention to every word they said. You could go out and have some amazing experiences, explore the world. You could spend it learning as much as you can, in books and by studying life itself.
You could create something. You could make the world better. You could put your stamp on the world by creating art, or making people’s lives b...
Source: Zen Habits - August 15, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Source Type: blogs
How to Find Your Life Purpose: An Unconventional Approach
By Leo Babauta
Let’s say you’re feeling unmotivated, unsure of yourself, aimless, can’t find your passion, directionless, not clear on what your purpose in life is.
You’re in good company — most people are in the same boat.
Now, there about a million things online telling you how to find your passion in life, and that’s a good thing. It’s a search worth undergoing.
I’m not going to give you a fool-proof method, or a 5-step method, nor share my passion manifesto with you today.
I’m going to give you a one-step method.
However, that one step is a doozy.
The One Step to Fi...
Source: Zen Habits - August 11, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Goals & Motivation Happiness Source Type: blogs
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.
Be the example of compassion for others around you.
Know that it doesn’t matter if you achieve the compassionate result you set out to achieve — what matters is the intention to improve ...
Source: Zen Habits - August 6, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
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.
What does this...
Source: Zen Habits - August 4, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Goals & Motivation Productivity & Organization Source Type: blogs
Inhabit the Moment
‘We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.’ ~Bill Watterson
By Leo Babauta
We all go through our lives almost on autopilot, our minds generally elsewhere, occupied with other thoughts as we float through the real world like ghosts.
We sit at a computer, have a coffee, eat a snack, use the bathroom, wash our hands, drive home … and barely notice anything about any of those activities.
This is called “being occupied”, and we do it all the time.
Instead, I suggest we practice occupying the current moment. Inhabit it, by really...
Source: Zen Habits - August 1, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Source Type: blogs
How to Master the Art of Living
By Leo Babauta
Imagine you had a gorgeous blueberry sitting on the otherwise empty plate in front of you. You pick it up gently, place it on your tongue, and begin to taste it.
You already know how a blueberry tastes, and so when this one is a bit riper than you’d like, you make a face, feel the disappointment, swallow it with displeasure.
Or perhaps it tastes exactly as you’d expected: no big deal. You swallow, and move on with your day.
In the first case, the blueberry was disappointing because it didn’t meet expectations. In the second, it was boring because it met expectations.
Now try this: have no e...
Source: Zen Habits - July 30, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Source Type: blogs
The Delusional Fantasies We Live With Each Day
‘Most human beings spend 50 to 90 percent or more of their time in their imagination, living in fantasy.’ ~Charlotte Joko Beck
By Leo Babauta
We fail at creating new habits because of fantasies.
We procrastinate because of fantasies.
We get frustrated with other people, with ourselves, because of fantasies.
We miss out on the wonder of the world because of fantasies.
We — all of us — live our lives in delusion most of the time. That might not seem true, but consider:
When you wake up and start thinking about what you’re going to do today, your plans aren’t really happening, but are all...
Source: Zen Habits - July 28, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Source Type: blogs
Living the Simple Life
‘A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.’ ~Henry David Thoreau
By Leo Babauta
For almost 9 years now, I’ve been learning to live a simple life.
A life uncluttered by most of the things people fill their lives with, and left with space for what really matters. A life that isn’t constant busy-ness and rushing, but contemplation and creation, connection with people I love and time for nature and activity.
That doesn’t mean I have zero clutter and zero complications: I’m a part of the world, not a secluded monk. I have possessions, electronics, ...
Source: Zen Habits - July 24, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Simplicity Source Type: blogs
How to Be Prepared for Anything
‘Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.’ ~Marcus Aurelius
By Leo Babauta
There are various ways to prepare yourself for what might come your way, whether that’s a tough work project, a crisis, the loss of a loved one, an argument with your partner, or the zombie apocalypse.
One way is to get everything ready for anything that’s likely to come: get all your survival equipment, prepare your skills, plan for your work projects, get your affairs in order, think through your arguments, and so on.
The tr...
Source: Zen Habits - July 21, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Source Type: blogs
Turn Toward the Problem
By Leo Babauta
Much of our lives is spent trying to ignore problems, not wanting to deal with them, procrastinating.
Bills are pushed to the side to deal with later.
People we have troubles with are avoided.
Work we don’t want to do is put off while we browse the Internet.
The diet is put off until tomorrow as we eat more junk.
Our insecurities are not admitted because we don’t want to think about them.
This kind of avoidance, unfortunately, doesn’t work. We put these things off and the problems only fester and grow worse. Bills become late and interest racks up and eventually we’ll have to deal wit...
Source: Zen Habits - July 18, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Source Type: blogs
The End of the Day Philosophy
‘If your knees aren’t green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life.’
~Bill Watterson
By Leo Babauta
I’ve been making my small decisions throughout the day, recently, with a simple question: How will I feel about this when today is over?
If I have a choice right now between reading social media and news articles, or writing, I know what the answer will be: at the end of the day, I’d be much happier if I’d chosen writing.
If I am faced with chips and pizza, I might be mightily tempted to eat them right now, but I know that later in the day I’ll be sorry...
Source: Zen Habits - July 15, 2014 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Goals & Motivation Happiness Source Type: blogs
