Posts by Leo Babauta
How to Stay Productive — An Unconventional Approach
There isn’t a productivity guide in the world that will solve the problems that pretty much all of us face daily. I’m the same as you — I face these obstacles to getting stuff done: Doing busywork, instead of important work. Going to distractions instead of doing difficult work. Being tired and not feeling like…
Read MoreHow to Find Your Life Purpose: An Unconventional Approach
Let’s say you’re feeling unmotivated, unsure of yourself, aimless, can’t find your passion, directionless, not clear on what your purpose in life is. You’re in good company — most people are in the same boat. Now, there about a million things online telling you how to find your passion in life, and that’s a good thing. It’s…
Read MoreHow to Build an Empire
There are times when I see the successful businesses that other people are building and I instantly want to create that kind of success for myself. I want to build an empire. I want to create a startup. I want to make a successful podcast, YouTube channel, live conference — whatever success someone else has…
Read MoreThe Underrated, Essential Art of Coping
You might think that when someone says, “I’m coping,” that it’s not such a big deal. You’d be wrong. The skill of coping is highly underrated, and our inability to cope with difficult feelings can lead to major problems, including health problems, financial ruin, work procrastination, even death. Not such an insignificant skill! How can…
Read MoreHow to Deal With Disappointment
One of the most common things I see in people who write to me is something we all share: disappointment in ourselves. We all feel this, because we constantly fail to live up to our standards: We aren’t as disciplined as we’d like. We don’t stick to habits we’re trying to create. We aren’t as…
Read MoreHow to Kill Your To-Do List
Have you gotten good at organizing your tasks in a to-do list, but have trouble actually executing them? You’re not alone. Getting things on your to-do list actually done is difficult because it’s really a collection of habits most people don’t think about. Today, we’ll look at addressing those issues that stop you from doing…
Read MoreAn Addict’s Guide to Overcoming the Distraction Habit
Yesterday wasn’t a very focused day for me — I got work done, but I also researched a bunch of newish personal interests (mostly programming and cycling), played an iPhone trivia game with my kids, read a bunch of online articles, and did very little of the writing I’d planned. Digital distractions have also pulled…
Read MoreTime Saving Secrets for Busy People
Your lives are always busy, I’m sure, between taking the kids to school, working, cooking dinner, picking the kids up from school, working out, grocery shopping, taking the kids to dance and hockey practice, snow shoveling (unless you live on Guam like I do), paying the bills, and all the rest. It’s enough to make you…
Read MoreWhen Your Plate is Too Full
Do you sometimes (or always) feel like you have too much to do and too little time to do it? Consider an email I got from a student the other day: “… as the semester goes by, the harder it is to keep up with school. The thing is, I know I’d be able to…
Read MoreHow to Fix Self-Destructive Behavior
I have a reader who wants to make positive changes in her life, but can’t seem to stop certain behaviors. She writes: “I am consistently challenged with being mindful when buying food. What do you do when you are doing things that self-destructive and are not good and continue to do them. Is there an opportunity…
Read MoreThe Art of Overcoming Procrastination
The end of procrastination is the art of letting go. I’ve been a lifelong procrastinator, at least until recent years. I would put things off until deadline, because I knew I could come through. I came through on tests after cramming last minute, I turned articles in at the deadline after waiting until the last…
Read MoreWhy We Have Regret
We’ve all heard the phrase, “No regrets!”, usually uttered when about to do something a little unwise perhaps. And yet, as alluring as the “Living Without Regrets” philosophy sounds, it’s not always so easy. We regret missed opportunities. We regret things that made us feel dumb. We regret not telling someone we loved them more…
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