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

A Guide to Getting Better at Taking Action

1 week 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 weeks 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

3 weeks 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

3 weeks 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?

1 month 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

1 month 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.
How to Feel More at Peace

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaA lot of people I’ve talked to want to feel more at peace throughout the day. We are often overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, frustrated, angry, or feeling bad about ourselves. But when you share with them the ways to achieve that inner peace, very few people want to do what it takes. It’s either too obvious, too tedious, or too much out of our comfort zone. This article is written for those of you who not only want that inner peace, but you’re willing to do the work to achieve it.
In a Hurry to Be Done

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaThere’s a tendency I’ve noticed in myself (and many others) that I’ve started to call “In a Hurry to Be Done.” When I’m starting to learn something, or building a new habit, or starting a work project … there’s a big part of me that wants to be at the end, when I’m already getting the benefits of the habit, learning, or project.
The Physics of Motivating Yourself

2 months ago | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaMost people have only a hazy idea of how to motivate themselves. Getting ourselves to do something we know we want to do — a big project, exercise, etc. — can be really hard. But actually, the way motivation works is pretty straightforward physics. We’re talking about things like force and inertia, not quantum mechanics. Let’s take a look at how motivation works, so we can understand how to put it into effect.
How to Embarrass Yourself in a Transformative Way

Feb 10, 2025 | zenhabits.net | Leo Babauta

By Leo BabautaOne of the biggest obstacles to our progress in creating the life and impact that we want is the fear of embarrassing ourselves. Let’s take a simple example so you can see what I mean …Let’s say I want to create a business to help others. It would be really meaningful to me. But to do that, I’d have to tell others about the business (potential customers, team members, investors, etc.).