The Lifestream of Jon Moss

The Power of Less - Interview with Leo Babuta

January 31 2009, 10:59pm

Leo Babuta is a person I really, really admire. Not only has he established himself as the King of ‘Zen Habits‘, he is also just released a superb new book called The Power of Less.

If you have a busy, stressful, hectic and sometimes overwhelming life, and lets face it, don’t we all, Leo’s hugely popular Zen Habits site is one you really need to look at. Zen Habits is one of the Top 100 blogs on the Internet, and covers: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits. Recently, Leo was kind enough to conduct a quick interview via email, and so here it is! > There seems to be a lot more focus on websites like zenhabits.net in the US > than compared to the UK. Any thoughts around this? Any answer will have to be hopelessly generalized, as not all people in the US or UK are alike … but in my (limited) experience my friends from the UK are either less in need of this advice, or are focused on other matters. That said, I know some good bloggers in the UK who write about the same topics as I do, but their blogs just haven’t grown yet. > For someone who is completely overloaded and stressed in life, what are the > first three things you would address? It’s important to create a little breathing room, some space, to start with, or any other changes will be difficult. So I’d start by: 1. Clearing your schedule for an hour, or three or four if you can manage it, to start thinking about your priorities and making changes. 2. Decide on the top 4-5 things that are important to you in your life, and see which of your commitments don’t line up with that short list. 3. Start eliminating 1-3 commitments in your life that don’t line up with your short list of 4-5 things. This will free up some time. Use it to continue to simplify your schedule, and to create habits where you focus as you work. > Many of my friends work in offices, and have a hard time focusing and > keeping on top of projects. Any specific tips for these people? Sure, a few tips that will help right away: 1. Pick one project to focus on for now — and really put yourself into it. Get to the next project after you’re done with the first. 2. Each morning, pick 1-3 Most Important Tasks that you want to complete today. Do these first, before anything else. 3. Work on one task at a time. Don’t multi-task. You’ll be much more focused and more effective. > We are all using more and more applications on computers or in the cloud for > managing tasks and capturing thoughts… Do you use anything day in and day > out? My setup changes all the time, but currently my most used apps include Gmail, with the Google Tasks widget for to-do items, Google Calendar and Google Docs, Quicksilver for the Mac for quick access to everything, and either TextEdit or WriteRoom for the Mac for writing. I shut off the Internet when I write and just write in text so I can focus. > What is missing from applications? What would your perfect app be able to > do?! I really like Quicksilver, because it allows you to do things quickly and then get back to the task you were doing — no wasted time or distractions. So I might be writing but then remember I need to do something — I just call up Quicksilver with a keystroke, make a note with a few more keystrokes, and return to my writing. My perfect app would be like that: does what it needs to do, and gets out. It would be able to send an email without having to open the browser (to go to Gmail), and the same with creating a to-do item, adding something to Gcal, sending a message on Twitter or SMS, looking up a quick piece of information, writing a note, etc. Quicksilver is almost there but not perfect. > Overall, do you think that technology hinders, or helps us? Technology is a tool, and like any other tool, it really depends on how you use it. It can hinder us if we let it — but we forget that we control that entirely. It’s easy to get distracted by technology, caught up in browsing the Internet, stuck in email instead of doing important work, chatting on Twitter or IM or Facebook or forums, etc. But if we set limits, so that technology doesn’t become a huge drain on our time and attention, then technology can be entirely good – used for productivity, information, empowerment, entertainment, fun. In The Power of Less, I talk about some smart ways to set limits for technology so that you can focus on the essential. > Other than your excellent new book, The Power of Less, which 3 books would > you recommend people to read in 2009? I’m a fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done, and he has a new book out called “Making It Work”. I have a friend, Jonathan Fields, who is coming out with an excellent book called “Career Renegade” that I think will be a huge resource and source of inspiration. My latest favorite book (I have many) is Richard Carlson’s “Slowing Down to the Speed of Life” — it teaches you how to be calm in the middle of any stressful situation, and throughout your life, by learning to keep your thinking in the moment. My other favorite books: http://zenhabits.net/2008/12/20-amazing-and-essential-non-fiction-books-to-enrich-your-library/ > Barack Obama will have his hands full on the 24th. There is a whole load to > sort out What would your advice to him be?

In general, I recommend that elected officials and governments follow the advice of the Tao Te Ching, which is basically to do as little as possible and encourage the people to do for themselves. And that’s good advice for President Obama: encourage the people to flourish, empower them, give them the power back. However, in this age of corporate domination, there are things that need to be done: give healthcare to everyone, take away corporate powers and set limits to what they can do. I recommend that he take one thing at a time, or give power to bright and creative and capable people to deal with these problems, guiding them as needed. I’d love it if he reversed the Bush trend in education too — back off children, don’t turn them into robots, let them learn and create and flourish and grow and fail, without so much programming. > How do you relax? By being in the moment. You can relax at any time, no matter what you’re doing, if you learn to live in the present, to fully enjoy whatever it is you’re doing and whoever it is you’re with, to appreciate the beauty of life. > One goal on 2009, what is it? Be present, for the reasons stated in my last answer. My habit for January is morning meditation, to get me started, but I’m also learning to be present in everything I do, and to take life one moment at a time. A huge thanks to Leo for taking the time to answer my questions. You can order his book here in the US and here in the UK. Want to accelerate your marketing and get better results?, need a professional photographer?, Free Online Marketing Course! Limited time only! Click now! Tweet ThisStart Slide Show with PicLens Lite

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