Lyrical Learning, & Why We Learn Habits Wrong
By Leo Babauta
When we learn song lyrics, we don’t just look at the written lyrics and know them, nor can we listen to a song just once and immediately sing it.
Learning the lyrics of a song is a process that often goes something like this:
Listen to the song, maybe look at the lyrics if you want.
Try singing the song a second time, but mess up a lot; when you mess up, you hear the correct version and so you know you messed up and know the correct way at the same time.
Repeat Step 2 a bunch of times, correcting as you go, learning more each time.
Try singing it without the song, and realize there are still holes ...
Source: Zen Habits - November 5, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Habits Source Type: blogs
A Month Without Sugar
By Leo Babauta
Life seems sweeter without sweets. Or at least, just as sweet.
If you’d suggested that I’d prefer a life that was pretty much devoid of sweet desserts a year ago, I would have laughed in scorn. I’ve always had a sweet tooth, mostly centered on chocolate but I also love pies and cookies and muffins and ice cream.
But as a part of my Year of Living Without, I gave up sugar in October. And in truth, it was fairly easy (with a few harder spots) because I’d mostly been going without sugar for the previous four months or so.
I found that life is just as fun, as enjoyable, as lovely without ...
Source: Zen Habits - November 4, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Habits Simplicity Source Type: blogs
Why I Read (+ a Dozen Book Recommendations)
By Leo Babauta
In the quiet morning hours, or as I fade off to sleep at night, I cuddle up with a good novel.
This book is my world, my quiet time away from the din and discordance of the everyday world, but it’s also a way to explore the world in imaginative new ways.
There’s nothing that beats it.
I get lost in worlds wholly created by an author, imagined but containing truths about life, incisively commenting about life, reproducing it in beautiful new ways, putting me in the mind of another human being, grabbing my heart and dragging it through the thrill of falling in love or the dull numbness of divor...
Source: Zen Habits - November 1, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Books Habits Source Type: blogs
12 Indispensable Mindful Living Tools
By Leo Babauta
The focus of my life in recent months has been living mindfully, and while I don’t always remember to do that, I have learned a few things worth sharing.
The first is a mindful life is worth the effort. It’s a life where we awaken from the dream state we’re most often submerged in — the state of having your mind anywhere but the present moment, locked in thoughts about what you’re going to do later, about something someone else said, about something you’re stressing about or angry about. The state of mind where we’re lost in our smartphones and social media.
It’s worth the effort, beca...
Source: Zen Habits - October 30, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Simplicity Source Type: blogs
Burn Down the Farm
By Leo Babauta
I can’t tell you how many people want to make a big positive change in their lives, but are afraid to make the leap. They don’t want the discomfort, don’t want to leave what they’re comfortable with.
From losing weight or getting healthy to quitting a job you hate to learning something hard, most people would rather stick to what they know.
I’m here to make a rather drastic but effective suggestion: burn down the farm.
Let me tell you a story about a farmboy, in a distant galaxy: Luke Skywalker grew up on his aunt and uncle’s farm, but wanted to make a big change (go t...
Source: Zen Habits - October 28, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
My Most Minimal Travel Setup Yet
By Leo Babauta
I just got back from a trip to Beijing and Shanghai, and really loved how light I traveled for 8 days.
It was the least amount of stuff I’ve taken on a trip of any length, and traveling has never been less tiring.
When you have very little on your back, it’s less draining. It’s faster and funner.
I thought I’d share my latest travel setup, in hopes that it’ll inspire a few of you to try the joys of traveling lightly.
My Setup
This setup is unique to me, so I don’t recommend that you copy it … but that said, I’m sharing it so you can possibly get a few ide...
Source: Zen Habits - October 24, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Simplicity Source Type: blogs
The Exquisite Habits of the Founder of Blue Bottle Coffee
By Leo Babauta
When I sat down to interview James Freeman, founder of Blue Bottle Coffee, it was with some excitement, even nervousness. I am a big fan of his coffee, which is known worldwide for its beautiful quality.
Eva and I love to get a drip coffee or a small Gibraltar from Blue Bottle, and getting a bag of their beans is a special treat. And so, to dive into the mind of the founder of Blue Bottle … I was smiling.
In this video interview, the 3rd in my new Habits of Entrepreneurs series, I sat down with James at his office in Oakland, a block from Blue Bottle’s delicious-smelling roastery. His office i...
Source: Zen Habits - October 21, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Habits Source Type: blogs
3 Little Tricks to Deal With People Who Offend You
By Leo Babauta
Something that we struggle with daily, that eats us up and causes stress and anger: annoying people.
You know those people: they cut in line, are rude to you in the office or at the restaurant, cut you off in traffic, talk loudly about obnoxious things, play loud music when you’re trying to concentrate, interrupt you, and so on.
These offenses are violations of the way you think people should act. And so it burns you up. Don’t worry, I’m the same way.
If you just keep letting these offensive people get to you, you’ll always be mad or annoyed. Life won’t be very good. But it̵...
Source: Zen Habits - October 17, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Source Type: blogs
My Healthiest Travel Routine Yet
By Leo Babauta
On our trip to Europe the last couple of weeks, Eva and I tried a new experiment: we ate nothing like we normally do when we travel.
We ended up feeling healthier than ever, and I lost 5 lbs. on the trip. This is highly unusual for us, because usually we eat pretty much whatever we feel like when we travel, and end up heavier and feeling fatter at the end of the trip.
So what did we do differently? We ate no breads, sweets, potatoes, or white rice (in addition to not drinking beer or cocktails, only red wine). This is in addition, of course, to not eating meat, seafood, poultry, dairy or eggs (we’re...
Source: Zen Habits - October 14, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Health & Fitness Source Type: blogs
Startup Founder Megan Casey’s Habits of Priorities
By Leo Babauta
Megan Casey, founder of social media startup Pack and co-founder of Squidoo, recently added a new top priority to her already full plate: a daughter.
After giving birth to her daughter Eowyn about a year ago, Megan’s priorities had to shift. Her life began anew.
There’s her daughter and her startup Pack, then her dog Luna, then her husband Jack, among other priorities.
In this video, the 2nd interview in my Habits of Entrepreneurs series, Megan shares how she deals with all these top priorities.
She also shares how she uses friends and colleagues to help her build the habits that have helped...
Source: Zen Habits - October 10, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
My Pursuit of the Art of Living
By Leo Babauta
For many years I simply lived, and got by.
But in the last few years, after learning a bit about habits and mindfulness and simplicity and love, I have changed my approach to living.
Now I see living as an art form, to be studied and played with and practiced and mastered. Of course, few ever master the art of living, and I don’t know if I ever will. Probably not.
But I can pursue this art. I can appreciate it when others do it well. I can learn about it, through experiments and observation and introspection.
My pursuit of the art of living is only just beginning, but I thought I’d share a b...
Source: Zen Habits - October 7, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Happiness Simplicity Source Type: blogs
A Month Without TV or Video
‘I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.’ ~Groucho Marx
By Leo Babauta
Of all the challenges I’ve done for The Year of Living Without, going without TV/video has been the one with the most mixed feelings for me.
One side of me: I all of a sudden had more free time, to read, write, do whatever I wanted without distraction. I enjoyed being free of TV and movies.
But the other side: I couldn’t hang out with my family when they watched TV. Which they tend to want to do every night, for an hour or two. I honestly didn’t ...
Source: Zen Habits - October 3, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Finance & Family Habits Happiness Source Type: blogs
The Way of No Debt
By Leo Babauta
In 2005, one of the low points of my life, I had 5 kids, crippling debts, and was barely making it from paycheck to paycheck.
I would shove my bills in a drawer, envelopes unopened, so I didn’t have to deal with bills I couldn’t pay. I would avoid the calls of collection agencies. I was swimming in debt, and didn’t know how to get out.
The real low point, though, came when we didn’t have enough money to buy some milk and cereal for the kids. My bank account had a negative balance. So I stole money from my kids’ piggy bank to buy the food. Yeah, that didn’t feel good.
Thing...
Source: Zen Habits - September 30, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Letting Go: How to Live With the Loss of a Loved One
Note from Leo: This is a guest post from my friend, Suraj Shah, who wrote this post as a favor to me after a reader asked about how to deal with the loss of a loved one.
Suraj writes regularly about dealing with loss on his blog, Live With Loss.
I’ll hand it over to Suraj now:
Editor’s Note: Guest post by Suraj Shah.
In the midst of a busy life flooded with demands from all directions, the loss of a loved one can be striking enough to stop us in our tracks, forcing us to evaluate what’s important and question how to move forward in life.
But the months following the death of someone we care about can...
Source: Zen Habits - September 27, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
The Way to Be
By Leo Babauta
Last night I received a phone call from a loved one, someone who I love deeply but have struggled with internally because I’ve been worried about his health.
I want to help him, because I feel I’m losing him.
I want to show him my habit method, so he can give up smoking and drinking and eating unhealthy foods, can take up exercise and meditation, and all of a sudden be transformed into a healthy person again.
And of course, I can’t. I want to control something that scares me, but I can’t. I’m not in control of the universe (haven’t been offered the job yet), and I̵...
Source: Zen Habits - September 25, 2013 Category: Life Coaches Authors: zenhabits Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
