Zen Habits

Zen Habits focuses on embracing simplicity and mindfulness amid the everyday hustle and bustle of life. It encourages us to eliminate distractions so we can concentrate on what truly matters, foster creativity, and discover joy. The platform boasts a readership of over a million people.

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Articles

Create a More Flexible Mind

3 weeks ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaMost people become flustered or frustrated when things don’t go according to plan. I’ve felt this way myself — I have a plan for the day, and all kinds of things come up to get in the way of that plan, and it can feel really frustrating. This is the result of a lack of flexibility in our mindset. It’s natural to have a lack of flexibility — we really want things to go according to our plan, it helps us to feel like we’re in control and there’s order to our lives.
How to Shift Out of Helplessness

4 weeks ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaA mindset that is difficult to notice is when we’re feeling helpless or powerless. If you’re often feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, offended, defensive, hurt by the actions or inactions of others, or like things are out of control … this means you’re feeling some kind of helplessness or powerlessness. That isn’t a criticism — everyone feels helpless or powerless sometimes. We’re human. Sometimes we think of this as “victim mode” — we have a mindset that we’re the victim.
How to Learn a New Skill

1 month ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaI’ve been learning to play chess lately, and studying hard. It’s been teaching me a lot about how to learn a new skill, because it’s not enough to read or watch videos about chess — you have to turn your knowledge into skill. In this article, I’m going to share some of what I’ve been learning about learning skills, and turning knowledge into skill.
Forcing Yourself to Do Everything

1 month ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaI’ve been reflecting on something I think a lot of us are trained to attempt: to force ourselves to do everything. We don’t usually put it that way — it’s usually called “discipline,” or when we’re not doing it, it feels like laziness or procrastination. But many of us are trying to force ourselves to do everything we’re supposed to do.
A Guide to Getting Better at Taking Action

1 month ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaThe idea of taking action in our lives can be really appealing — we feel behind on so many things, and there are things we want to change (like habits), but it can all feel daunting. So how do we get better at taking action? In this short guide, I’ll share some best practices to improving this crucial life skill. The practices are simple, but take some dedicated focus.
How to Have a More Expansive Day

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaI’ve found that we’re often in a mode of feeling overwhelm, burden, and doing what we “should” be doing — going through the motions, in some ways. Today I’m going to challenge you to have a more expansive day. What does that even mean? Imagine the most joyful moments of your life. How about the moments when you felt the most open-hearted? In love with life? What about when you felt the most alive? Connected to nature? To yourself or others? These are expansive moments.
When Your Cup is Empty

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaI’ve been talking to a lot of people lately who feel depleted, and not energized or motivated in the work they’re doing. They feel more irritated at others, and feeling like everything is a burden. This is how it feels when your cup is empty. You’ve given a lot, you’ve served others, but now you’re feeling resentful or battered by it all. How do we deal with this? Do we just power through? Do we give ourselves positive affirmations?
You Don’t Need to Feel Ready to Begin

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaWhen we are facing a hard task or a project that holds a lot of uncertainty for us, we often balk at the start. Instead of just diving in, we decide we need to do a bunch of research. Or prepare ourselves. Or take some courses or buy some books. Something in order to get ourselves ready. None of these are bad things! Learning, research, preparing — all are nice things to do. But we’re hoping they’ll help us to feel ready — and the moment when we feel ready will never come.
How Will I Show Up Today?

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaMost of us are on autopilot, most of the time. There’s nothing wrong with that — we can’t all be super intentional every minute of the day. Being on autopilot reduces cognitive load so we can save our brain resources for things that matter. But what if you want to expand beyond what you already know how to do? You’d have to get outside of your comfort zone some of the time, and intentionally practice something new. For me, I like to ask a simple question: How will I show up today?
Using Your Mistakes as Fuel for Growth

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaLately I’ve been studying the game of chess, and while I’m still very much a beginner and not good at the game, it’s been teaching me a lot about the learning process. One of the best lessons is that my mistakes fuel the engine of my growth as a player. This applies, of course, to everything we’re doing in life. When we’re in a learning or growth process, we’re inevitably going to mess up.