Zen Habits

1 week 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?

2 weeks 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.

1 month 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.

1 month 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.

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.