Posts by Leo Babauta
6 Practical Ways to Be Present
There are a lot of amazing benefits to being more present and mindful, but one of my favorites is this: you’re not missing the beauty and joy of the present moment. Being present also helps you to see when you are feeling fear or resistance, uncertainty or the urge to procrastinate, anger or resentment… and…
Read More6 Keys to Developing a More Flexible Mind
It’s my belief that a flexible mind helps us to deal with chaos, loss, big life changes, small frustrations, and all that life throws our way. A flexible mind leads to more peace. You’re not as stuck in your ways, and can adapt to change. You don’t always think you’re right but are curious about…
Read MoreHow to Deal With Your Family’s Bad Habits
Have you created healthy habits for you, but haven’t gotten your kids or spouse on board? You’re not alone — lots of people get frustrated when their loved ones don’t want to create healthy habits. I’ve had a bunch of people write to me about this, including one person who wrote about his sons, who…
Read MoreHow to Overcome Procrastination and Find Zen-Like Focus
We all procrastinate. The question is how (or even whether) we overcome the tendency to procrastinate, and if we can find focus. This matters — our lives are brief and limited, and while we don’t need to be productivity robots, running in fear of difficult tasks to distractions and comfort is not the best way to…
Read MoreBecoming Aware of the Stories We Tell Ourselves
There’s a hidden mechanism that creates unhappiness, difficulty changing habits, relationship problems, frustration, anger and disappointment. Barely anyone is aware of this hidden mechanism, even though it’s happening all the time, in all of us. It’s the stories we tell ourselves. We do it all day long: we tell ourselves a story about what’s happening…
Read MoreHow to Determine What Motivates You
I was talking to a 19-year-old recently and he has been struggling with motivation. His problem goes like this: he gets excited about starting a project or plan, and is very motivated at the start … but after a few days, that feeling dies down, and he starts procrastinating. He really does want to do the project…
Read MoreThe Secret to Making Habits Stick
If you want to create a new exercise habit (for example), you might tell yourself something like this: “This is going to be amazing, I’m going to get fit and look incredible and be super healthy!” This is a story you’re telling yourself. It’s not real, but it has tremendous power to affect your feelings…
Read MoreWhat Productivity Systems Won’t Solve
If you’re like me, you’re always looking for the perfect productivity system. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist. The problem isn’t with the productivity system — the problem is that none of them can solve a few really important (and related) problems: Procrastination Fear of uncertainty Fear of discomfort For example, at the top of my to-do list today…
Read MoreHow to Tackle Problems Head On (4 Steps)
We are, all of us, amazing at avoiding things. Our minds are less “thinking machines” than they are “avoiding machines.” And the incredible thing is that we aren’t even usually aware that we’re avoiding thinking about something. I’ll give you a few examples: Right now you’re reading this article but probably avoiding the difficult thing…
Read MoreRelationship Salve: The Practice of Intentional Dialogues
A couple months ago, I started a daily practice with my wife, Eva, called the Intentional Dialogue process, aimed at helping us become better at talking about difficult issues. Now, Eva and I have a great marriage, and we love each other deeply. But like any couple, sometimes we feel frustrated or hurt by the…
Read MoreHow to Deal With Major Disruptions to Your Routine
We’ve all gone through times when major changes come along to disrupt our routines — the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, having to move, getting sick or injured, losing or changing jobs, and so on. It throws us out of whack. Our goals get disrupted, whether they’re fitness goals or…
Read More3 Ways to Remove Stress at Its Roots
There isn’t a working person among us who doesn’t deal with stress — whether you’re an entrepreneur, a freelancer, working for a struggling startup, or clocking in working for a company, work stress is inevitable. But where does this stress originate, and how do we deal with it? Most guides to stress will give you…
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