Questions and Post Suggestions

kath obrien Says:

November 21st, 2007, 1:36 am

Hi Leo—I am 48 in a deadline driven, performance based job selling ad
> vertising—and have chronic asthma needing daily medication. This can
> effect my ability to consistently exercise also. I have 2 sons
> –teenagers -and a husband—I struggle with exercise routines—need to
> lose about 40lbs. I am really sucked into the culture of my job,
> having been there 19 years and often find myself working late at night
> on my laptop. Not achieving targets for two 6 month periods in a row
> would result in me losing my job. That said—I do enjoy my job most of
> the time- it pays very well and the customers and my workmates are
> great. Is quitting it the only way to get daily good habits in my
> life? Can you recommend any courses of actions for me? Maybe counselling would help?
>
> Cheers and thanks for your assistance.
>
> Kath
>

Martin Says:

November 21st, 2007, 6:39 am

Life situation question alert!

I read on one of your past posts that you get up in the morning at about 4.30am.

My question to you is…How do you manage to get up at that time without waking anyone else up? Or don’t you?

I set an alarm and if I’m not the only person to wake up, I feel ever so guilty. Any tips you can share with us early risers?

Ben Helps Says:

November 21st, 2007, 8:24 am

Hi Leo,

Question for you. Do you go through cycles of increased and decreased productivity?

It seems that whatever I try to manage the myriad things I have to keep track of and get done (running my own businesses), I have weeks where I’m on top of it all and feeling great. Unfortunately I also have weeks where I feel like I’m letting lots of things slide and not achieving much.

Melissa Says:

November 21st, 2007, 8:58 am

no need to reply to this one…i totally get the need to simplify…that’s what draws me to your blog. to the point…i’d like to see a post on simplifying interpersonal interaction in your life…a fancy way of saying how do you jettison the “toxic” people in your life without feeling badly about it? i recently let go of a woman i’d been close to for over ten years. she was absolutely toxic to me, but it has affected me just the same. thoughts?

Ed Says:

November 21st, 2007, 15:24 pm

Started to simplify, de-clutter two years ago, making slow steady progress.
My problem is; I seem to be getting out of step with my wife.
My desire to get rid of clutter clashes with her comfort zone.
I know I am not alone with this imbalance, how do others handle this.

eli Says:

November 21st, 2007, 16:04 pm

i have an organizational question. i live with two other roommates, and we’re trying to figure out how to keep our fridge organized and free from rotting food. any tips?

Leo Says:

November 21st, 2007, 16:13 pm

Excellent questions, guys! I will consider them for future posts. I appreciate you posting them!

As an alternative, you guys could also try taking questions to the Zen Habits forums:

http://zenhabits.net/forums/

Fausto Says:

November 25th, 2007, 10:49 am

Hi Leo, I love zen habits, I’m always reading your advices, because I found them very useful for my life.
I’m really thankful about this site.
The only problem I find in the site is that, I have not too much time to read at office and at home I prefer be away from the PC, so I always print it and I’m reading it on the subway, now could be a good idea if you put a print version button somewhere, so you could link it to a print version without graphics, and whitout the comments.
Keep the hard work.
Best wishes.

Ethan Bodnar Says:

November 25th, 2007, 12:18 pm

Hello there,

I am wondering whether you have a solution to my problem with managing people that I have connected with online. I am trying to figure out how to allow people to know about my connection with them and past conversations when I contact them in the future. I blogged more about my problem at the link below.

http://www.blog.ethanbodnar.com/2007/11/25/managing-people/

Thanks for your blog and thanks in advance for the help.

Best,
Ethan

JCranium Says:

November 26th, 2007, 16:16 pm

I’m curious how you started finding your freelance gigs. You mention in your posts that you found some blogs. But how did you find them? I’m guessing you submit to more than blogs. What else do you submit to, and how do you find those jobs? I haven’t found any information specific to this question in your posts on using the web to make money.

Leo Says:

November 26th, 2007, 18:35 pm

@JCranium: I don’t write much about making money on the web, as it’s not really related to this blog. But for your info, I just looked at the blogs that cover the topics I’d like to write about, and found the ones that hire freelancers, and then wrote to all of them with my background info, some links, and an offer to freelance for them. Some gladly hired me, some never responded.

Leo Says:

November 27th, 2007, 15:03 pm

@Ben Helps: I totally, totally have cycles of increased and decreased production! I hope I don’t convey the wrong idea, that I’m productive all the time.

Yesterday, for example, I barely got anything done! :)

I think, for me, it’s a matter of finding ways to still get the important stuff done when I’m not feeling productive, and also allowing myself to take breaks now and then. Our minds need a break — we can’t go full charge all the time.

I’ll try to write about this soon. Great question!

Zeyad Says:

November 28th, 2007, 20:51 pm

Hi Leo,

First off, I’d just like to say i love your blog. I read your blog every night before going to bed because I expect to find a good post waiting for me there, and that’s just the best way to end my day.

Anyway, the reason I’m writing this is because I wanted to know what blogs YOU visit. I’ve tried to look for other [good] life-related blogs on the net but I haven’t found any. Do you get your ideas from other blogs? Even if you don’t, I’d appreciate it if you gave me a list of blogs you visit every now and then.

Thank you.

-Zeyad

Leo Says:

November 28th, 2007, 22:30 pm

Hi Zeyad … great question … I only subscribe to 10 blogs daily (and I would rather not disclose them, so I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings) … but I read a bunch more.

The best place to start is LifeRemix.net … I’m a member of that network, and all the blogs there are great.

Then look at my tumblelog for more links … zenhabits.tumblr.com.

Hope that helps!

Benoit Says:

December 3rd, 2007, 6:22 am

Hello,

If you have not seen it already, you may want to check the presentation given at TED (http://www.ted.com/talks) by Matthieu Ricard, “On the habit of happiness”.

I read a great book by him (”The monk and the philosopher” , which is a dialogue with his father Jean-Francois Revel, an French agnostic philosopher). He is also the Dalai Lama’s interpreter.

Here is the link to his talk
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/191

Regards,

Benoit

Rhett Says:

December 6th, 2007, 10:46 am

Hi Leo,

I’ve recently come across this really helpful tool called Rescue Time. It monitors how much time you spend doing various activities on your computer (E.g. Email, Facebook, IM etc.) and then inputs it into a graph so you can see how much time you spend on what.

Since using it I’ve been able to make my days more productive by cutting down on distractions and even setting goals to spend time on personal projects.

You can even tag the programs you use to fall under one common category (E.g. Work = “Outlook, Skype, Dreamweaver or Personal = Facebook, Digg etc.)

Check it out:
http://www.rescutime.com

Maybe this could be useful to other Zen Habits readers.

Keep up the good work!

anonymous Says:

December 6th, 2007, 13:04 pm

Hello Leo,

a couple of weeks ago you wrote an article titled “10 Simple, Sure-fire
Ways to Make Today Your Best Day Ever”. There you “chose the amazing
day” over the “stressed, difficult day”.

I want to (anonymously) share the following experience with you and
your readers. It describes a similar situation which happened to me a
couple of days ago, although my choice was not deliberate.

At the end the message is that your life is what you make out of it.
If you just want to see the negative issues, you’ll sure find something
to complain about. But there’s also plenty of sunny things to find and
enjoy, if you’re willing to see things from a different angle, to look
at things without a personal attachment.

Oh, please forgive my English, it’s not my mother tongue.

And thanks for sharing your experiences through live in your blog!

———————————————————————-

It was a Friday afternoon. A colleague had a deadline to meet by the
end of the day. The whole day he was having trouble with some tools
on his computer, mostly because he neglected the updates to the
tool-chain in the last months.

I’m one of the “tool guys” here and I could indeed help him solving
some of the problems. In other cases I directed him to other, more
knowledgeable guys.

At about 5:30 PM he came to me and asked for help. He was very upset
because he couldn’t reach any of the other tool guys. Since I’m not an
expert at *every* tool we use, I could only give him some directions on
how to try to solve the problem. But that was too much for him at this
point. He exploded and shouted that he was not in a mood to try this
and try that. He was trying the whole afternoon to get something done
and nothing seems to work here. He then threated me with “You should
be very careful with what you tell me to do now!”. I then said: “I’m
sorry, I can’t help you further. I don’t know the solution to the
problem you’re experiencing. I can only make some suggestions and if
you’re not willing to try them, it makes no sense to me to keep this
going.”

Before I could left his cubicle, he shouted “Wonderful! Now I know what
for we pay a tool guy here!”. At this point I remembered something I
read from Chuck Spezzano to the effect that “everything a person does
is either an act of love or a cry for love”. This was sure a cry for
love. He didn’t want me to leave. He provoked me because he wanted me
to stay. He needed my help badly. I then turned to him and said:
“Look, let’s make it this way: I’ll get myself a coffee while you calm
down. If you still need help by then, you know where my desk is.” I
then left.

Although what I said sounds calm, I was not calm at all. My hands
were shaking and I could feel my ears burn. But slowly I started to
realise that I’ve just done the right thing. Two years ago I would
have engaged in a heated discussion with him and would have said
things I would later regret. Not this time and I was *very* proud of
it.

But I was really amazed as I realised that I was not angry at this guy
at all. I was indeed thankful to him, for creating a situation which
led me to feel great! I then thought of all similar “circumstances”
to do the right thing and feel great that I missed in my life.

He calmed down and came later to me. I helped him to solve his
problems and he could fulfill his deadline.

As I went home I came by his desk, said goodbye and wished him a nice
weekend. I was very happy, blissful indeed.

Other colleagues who witnessed the scene told me later that I reacted
very cool and that I showed him who “the better person” was. It was
not my intent but a nice side effect that my colleagues had more
respect for me after this incident.

Jon Henshaw Says:

December 13th, 2007, 2:56 am

Hi Leo,

I’m not sure if this is a perfect fit for your website or not, but I thought of your website right after I wrote it. Probably just the idea of not stressing out when you can’t find something – a file in this case – that you need.

The article is called, “How to Find and Download Files that Are No Longer Available”

The URL is really long, so I’ll leave a short URL redirect for it: http://tinyurl.com/25lcjz

Thanks for considering :)

-Jon

Sergei Podbereschi Says:

December 14th, 2007, 0:43 am

Hello ,

There is a link I wanted to suggest for your review.

It’s a new web 2.0 tool that we launched about two weeks ago. 5pm is an online project management application that works inside your browser and can be accessed from anywhere. It comes with smart customizable interface and a balanced set of features. 5pm looks different from anything else on the web in this category, but still feels familiar.

You can check it here: http://www.5pmweb.com

There is an online demo. Also you can register your own free trial account to play with it - the sign up process is very quick. Feel free to click around, or check the short 2-min video introduction.

5pm is a totally new tool, and I hope you will consider it worth mentioning. If you need any additional, even exclusive, information - let me know.

Thank you for your time.

——————————–
Sergei Podbereschi
5pm™ - project management on time
mailto:support@5pmweb.com

Patrice Duecker Says:

December 17th, 2007, 21:58 pm

Are you looking for an interesting story idea? DoMyStuff is an auction website for outsourcing personal services. We can help you find interesting examples, but a few of the unique tasks site users have posted include finding a Santa costume, cooking Christmas dinner and decorating a tree, proposing to a girlfriend, producing video life stories, finding a chess master, writing an ebook on meditation, making a fake ID and improving Final Fantasy X performance.

Since our launch in April 2007, we have over 40,000 members and have hundreds of tasks completed each day nationwide. Stories about the site have appeared in Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, PC Magazine, Esquire Magazine and soon the Rachel Ray show.

Please take a look at our site and let me know if you have questions, would like more information, or want to be connected with existing users for interviews.

Thank you,

Patrice Duecker
DoMyStuff.com
9454 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 803
Beverly Hills, CA 90302
P | (877) 711-9883
F | (310) 276-5903
Patrice@domystuff.com

Derwin Says:

December 20th, 2007, 10:58 am

Hi Leo!

Really enjoy the site.

I find a very zen way to start my day is to go to the following sites that take advertisers money and donate it to various charities.

http://www.thehungersite.com/
http://www.care2.com/
http://www.freerice.com/

By the time I’ve had my Raisin Bran, I’ve donated food, help to pay for mammograms, helped pets, donated books and helped to save the rain forest for free just by clicking.. Not a bad start to the day.

I’ve linked a lot of those sites at http://www.geocities.com/click2help2. But that is far less important than the other sites.

Keep up the great work!

Derwin

Cathy Hughes Says:

December 26th, 2007, 5:02 am

I just came across and read this page: http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/zen-to-done-ztd-the-ultimate-simple-productivity-system/.

One of the suggested activities is to focus on only one thing.

For those of us who work at home and have things like laundry to do, just how do you focus on one thing at a time and get laundry done?

I understand breaking it down into:
1. Launder linens
2. Put linens in dryer
3. Launder jeans and heavy items
4. Take linens out of dryer
5. Put jeans, etc in dryer
6. Launder something else
7. Fold linens

Is this what you mean? I’m not sure if this is how to go about “Focus on one thing at a time” but I do have a correlated problem of forgetting to check the laundry since it’s not in a room that I go into and because I have a European washer and dryer, I can’t time when the loads are done.

Greg Hays Says:

December 28th, 2007, 8:55 am

Please read the “about” page on my website. I welcome your comments, suggestions and ideas to promote this clothing line we launched this fall.

Anthony Says:

December 29th, 2007, 1:01 am

Hi,

I’m a busy college student looking for some suggestions. I like to eat healthy foods, typically abstain from meat, and am interested in more affordable foods, as I don’t have much in the way of disposable funds. It would be great to have some suggestions on quick recipes for bringing pre-made food with me to school, work, etc. that is quick, healthy, delicious, and meat-free. Thanks!

Anthony

Floyd Says:

December 29th, 2007, 12:00 pm

Hi Leo,

I think the site is great. You have a lot of usefule, life-simplifying tips on most aspects of daily life. I like especially the latter part, that I don’t have to go to one site for finance with a zen attitude, one ofr productivity, one for happiness, &c. I was wondering if you had any thoughts that you could add to dating — seeing that it occupies such a central role in much of our twenties and thirties. I would especially welcome post about how to relax into the certainty of ultimately finding the right person, about how to mindfully let someone go, about how to get over rejection, about how to make your partner feel they are more loved, how to open up emotionally, &c.

I hope you had happy holidays and wish you and zenhabits all the best for the new year.

Cheers,

Floyd

Andy Says:

December 29th, 2007, 20:23 pm

I am honored and happy to announce you that Personal Development Top Sites was launched.
Personal Development Top Sites is the first top sites about personal development and self improvement field.
PDTS is dedicated to all of you interested in this field, a very interesting and useful for us.
PDTS offers free web subscribing and promoting. All you have to do is to subscribe your site and post on your page the Link Code that connects your site and PDTS.
PDTS wishes to be a way to know better the ones in this domain, a powerful tool for promotion for our sites and a place to develop the most profitable investment: investing in your person.

PDTS link: http://egodevelopment.com/pdtopsites/

Egodevelopment.com by Andy

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Linda Anderson Krech Says:

December 31st, 2007, 10:47 am

Greetings Leo,

We recently posted some New Year’s resources that might be of interest to your readers.

On our Thirty Thousand Days
http://www.todoinstitute.com/30KDays/

blog`you will`find the essay

Haiku New Year

a poetic inspiration for beginning the new year in the Japanese haiku tradition of Bassho, Issa, Shiki and others. Also, on our website,

http://www.todoinstitute.org/new-year.html

we have links to a number of articles related to the new year, including

Getting on Track: Setting Goals for the Year that Aren’t Totally Self-Centered
and
Rethinking Goals and Resolutions for the New Year

These articles are in the archives of The Internet Library of Japanese Psychology and Purposeful Living.

http://www.todoinstitute.com/library/

Best wishes for you and for your work in the coming year. We enjoy reading Zen Habits through our RSS feed in Netvibes. May the New Year provide you with many opportunities to be a source of inspiration and guidance to others.

Warm regards,

Linda Anderson
ToDo Institute
http://www.todoinstitute.org

Matthew Says:

January 1st, 2008, 4:10 am

Hi. Loving the blog, by the way.

I was wondering if you could do a post on exercises that people can do around the house. I know alot of people need to lose weight, myself included, but at the same time some people, myself included, feel embarrassed about, say, going for a run, or going to the gym.

Also, for us overweight peoples, how about tips on dealing with hunger?

Thanks.

Bart Says:

January 2nd, 2008, 10:50 am

In your post of dec 14th. you wrote:

5. Journal. Similar to “write it down” above, but with a little more depth. Journaling (whether it’s in a paper journal or online doesn’t matter) helps you explore different areas of your life that you don’t think about much. And this exploration might allow you to find some things on your mind that you didn’t realize were there, some things that can be eliminated or pursued.

I am interested in reading your thoughts on how to analyse/review/explore the quickly growing amount of text in a journal for those that don’t write a one-sentence journal. For example: “Things that can be eliminated or pursued”, how do I recognise them? Is tagging (or “topics” as it is called in the software you promote) pieces of text with sentiments, thoughts or subjects an idea?

Thanks for your great blog.

Bart Says:

January 2nd, 2008, 11:09 am

Oops, sorry, you don’t promote journal software.

Rich Espenschied Says:

January 3rd, 2008, 21:59 pm

Hi, I recently tried to join your forum because I wanted to start posting for my January challenge, however, I couldn’t register because there was something wrong with my authorization code (actually I’m really not sure what to put for this).

So if you could help me out with this that would be great because I really want to start posting for my new habit.

Thanks,
Rich

Zoe Says:

January 4th, 2008, 0:11 am

Hello Leo,

I came across this article and thought you may be interested.

Can’t think now, I’m busy
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/cant-think-now-im-busy/2007/11/30/1196394620979.html

Kacy F. Says:

January 4th, 2008, 3:11 am

Hello Leo,

I’m a student at UNC, and I’ve been a big fan of your blog for a while. I have question for you though. I know that you are not a student, but is there a way that you can post some productivity tips related to college studies? Sometimes I tend to get overwhelmed when faced with all the school work that I need to do over a period of time. Thanks. Happy New Year!

Emma Says:

January 4th, 2008, 8:34 am

Hi Leo - I believe you use a moleskine for collecting all your ideas, tasks, projects etc.? If this is the case, I would love to know how you lay it all out. Do you have tabs for different things such as Next Actions, Projects, Inbox etc.

I myself keep a moleskine and am constantly looking for ways to improve its organisation! ;-)

Cheers.

Leo Says:

January 6th, 2008, 18:09 pm

@Emma: Great question. However, I don’t have a great answer. :)

I’ve been experimenting with different methods all year. At the moment, I do a simple “Today” list every day with my 3 Most Important Tasks and a few smaller “batch” tasks that I try to do all at once. I also have notes at the bottom of the page for ideas, tasks that pop into my head. I transfer these to my master to-do list on the computer each day (ideally).

If things in my life get complicated, I also create a little mini-calendar for a week or two, drawing boxes on two pages to create a week’s calendar, so I can do a little more planning. I don’t always do this, but it’s a tool I use now and then.

If I come up with a better system, I’ll write about it. :)

Adrian Koh Says:

January 6th, 2008, 21:08 pm

Hey Leo, I was wondering if you would consider putting some of your tips and guides on pocketmods? (see http://www.pocketmod.com/) It’ll be great to have something handy and low-tech to read.

Niall Doherty Says:

January 7th, 2008, 15:20 pm

It would be great if you could post a list of useful podcasts that give tips on productivity and such. Keep doing what you do. Cheers.

Leo Says:

January 7th, 2008, 17:51 pm

Great suggestions, guys. I can’t guarantee anything, but I appreciate the ideas!

emma Says:

January 8th, 2008, 15:46 pm

Thanks for the response Leo - I love the simplicity of that approach (of course it fits with your SIMPLIFY! philosophy!). I think the ‘Today’ list approach including MIT’s is something I may play with, so cheers for the insight :o)

In the meantime - good to know I am not the only one constantly fiddling with different methods ;-)

Daniel Stevens Says:

January 10th, 2008, 17:18 pm

Hi Leo!

Like many humans in the world I am bad at talking in front of people, in presentations, toasts and so on. Only hearing the word ‘presentation’ makes my skin crawl (not in a good way). So my suggestion for you is to make an article about how we can get better at this and actually enjoy it.

Thanks!

Andrea Says:

January 11th, 2008, 5:52 am

Leo,

I’m a big fan of your blog and all of the wonderful tips and information you share. I’ve begun to implement some of your tips into my life, however, I am an excellent starter, just not great on the follow through. Any ideas for helping people to become more disciplined when it comes to making changes in their lives?
Sincerely,
Andrea

Greg Says:

January 11th, 2008, 16:32 pm

I have about 4 credit cards that I am paying down on right now. I’m just implementing your strategies to get out of debt. I also just got an offer in the mail from my bank to take out a loan to pay off all my credit cards, and just pay this loan back at an interest rate of between 9.99 and 22.99, depending on my credit (its not bad). Should I pay off the credit cards separately using the snowball effect, or should I take this bank issued loan to do it? The monthly payment would be much less for the bank loan.

paula Says:

January 13th, 2008, 20:29 pm

Hi Leo,

My largest expense is rent, even though I share my apartment with a roommate. Could you post about ways to reduce your expenditures on housing?

Thanks!
Paula

Katy Says:

January 16th, 2008, 12:37 pm

I’ve been reading this blog for a little over a month I guess. I’ve been digging back through posts as well and I’m nearly to the beginning of the blog. I haven’t yet come across a post on how to keep sane at work. I have a fairly mindless office job right now. The workload is such that I have enough spare brain power to drive myself insane with boredom. There are obviously a million things I’d rather be doing than work but there are few possibilities. I don’t ignore my responsibilities in favor of entertainment but the work is tedious, repetitive and easy and as such I have too much spare time. However, I’m not allowed to do things I’d like to do during downtime like sketch or knit or read a good book. I don’t want to spend hours all day clicking my way through youtube, but I have few other options. That’s the reason I stumbled over this blog in the first place which I’ve enjoyed immensely. I try searching for new blogs to read but even then I read so quickly that I can start from the beginning of a series of a comic or blog and within a week or (rarely) little more than a month, I’m completely done with it. Wikipedia’s provided some good reading, but even then I need more variety. What can you suggest to fill the dead space in my day besides getting a more interesting and active job? That, unfortunately at this time, is not an option. Basically, how do I drive away boredom with something constructive when the only tool I have is the internet?

John Says:

January 16th, 2008, 17:09 pm

I found the following post great and i thought your readers would love it.

http://www.noisefreeinvesting.com/blog/?p=153

Charles Says:

January 18th, 2008, 3:36 am

Leo,

Read your post about how you’ve ditched the 9-5. What I would be really interested in is an ask the readers about how to do this.

I really like the prospect of getting out of the 9-5, but don’t really know where to begin.

Thanks

Barbara Says:

January 18th, 2008, 18:10 pm

You communicate a lot of wisdom, in addition to very useful information.

My question concerns the power of indecision to slow progress. Do you have some thoughts on how to commit — how to decide — on matters both large and small. Some decisions are larger than others, but sometimes even very small decisions, such as how to categorize as you organize, can thwart progress.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Darren Littlejohn Says:

January 19th, 2008, 22:41 pm

Hi,

I love your blog site. I’ve been blogging for a while now and have always wanted the features you have here, categories, forum, site style integration, etc. Can I ask if you are using a Content Management application or did you scratch this up from Wordpress? I would like to make my blog better. For now, you can see it at:

http://blog.the12stepbuddhist.com

thanks!

-d

Darren Littlejohn
The 12 Step Buddhist
http://12stepbuddhist.com

Tomek Says:

January 20th, 2008, 6:35 am

Hi Leo,

I was wandering if you could perhaps give some tips for students on how they could get better organised, motivated and productive with their studies, coursework and exams.

Thanks.

Mark Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 18:26 pm

Thanks for the great blog Leo.

Personally, I finally set aside a few days to properly implement GTD, and it feels great. However, I found myself looking at Amazon after your latest post on Overcoming Resistance, and got myself wondering… will I be reading self-help books for the rest of my life?

Although there is always room for improvement, it would be inspiring to hear your story, and your readers’ stories, on what is the one thing that has really turned people’s lives around in terms of happiness and productivity? A book? Rising early? GTD? Change of job? Change of attitude? Getting married? Martial arts? Drugs? Meditation?

Everyone wants a quick fix, and maybe most answers will be a series of steps… but I wonder if, even if it is a gradual progression, that there is that “aha!” moment.

Lissa Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 21:47 pm

How would someone interested in interviewing you for both a broadcast radio piece and a podcast get in touch with you?

tim Says:

January 24th, 2008, 11:34 am

Hello Leo,

I’m somewhat new to your blog and very new to the idea of simplicity - I am loving it! Thanks for helping those of use trying to simplify.

I’ve been reading back posts and on one in particular, you mentioned that you use more or less, all online tools to do your work; specifically, what “storage” tool do you use? i’m looking to do the same thing - but am somewhat lost on where to find adequate storage for free or nominal cost.

On the same topic, would you mind sharing _all_ the tools (online) that you use, may be so we can see what kind of tools we could use to help us organize our digital selves.

Thanks for any help you can share!

cmontoya Says:

January 24th, 2008, 15:58 pm

Are your posts available as podcasts? Is your blog available on Amazon’s Kindle? If not, is either in the works?

Thanks much and more power to you!

Karthick Says:

January 25th, 2008, 6:04 am

Hey Leo,

First off great work on your site and gratz on the award!

I am also curious to know how you designed your site, what’s the platform you make use of and do you use a CMS like Wordpress?

Maybe a poston how you got this website done would be highly useful !

thanks and keep up the great work.

elizabeth Says:

January 25th, 2008, 19:12 pm

Leo,

I’ve been doing GTD/ZTD for a couple of months now and I have a HUGE someday/maybe list–pages and pages of general stuff I want to do plus probably thousands of books I want to read compiled from various lists I kept pre-GTD. While I think I’m probably extreme, there must be other people out there whose S/M lists are a little out of control…any tips for cutting down?

Keep up the great blogging!

- Elizabeth

Melencio Says:

January 25th, 2008, 19:53 pm

To whom it may concern,

Good day, I am Mr. Melencio T. Sapnu and I am a designer who is managing a team of designer/cartoonist/illustrator.

I just want to inquire if you need a logo, mascot or custom header for your site. You can view our portfolio at http://www.designfxpro.com. We’ve also done a custom header for http://www.theuniversitykid.com , http://www.vikingblogger.com and http://www.mooneyquest.com .

Please let me know if you are interested with our services and I will be very delighted to discuss it with you. I will just be waiting for your reply. I hope you will give this matter your utmost concern.

Thanks,
Melencio T. Sapnu
Team Leader
Designfxpro Team
http://www.designfxpro.com

Tarik Says:

January 27th, 2008, 12:03 pm

Hey Leo,

First off, awesome blog. You cover so many topics that I need guidance in. Keep up the great stuff, and consider a book deal or two.

My question:

How about a post on contact management tips for bloggers?

I personally use http://www.keepm.com to store, organize, and manage all my blogosphere, personal, and business contacts.

It’s completely zen like ;)

See you around the blogosphere.

-Tarik

Bill Says:

January 28th, 2008, 17:35 pm

No response necessary, but I wanted to make sure you saw this article on multi-tasking. Some definitive scientific evidence here:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200711/multitasking

vj Says:

January 29th, 2008, 11:12 am

Source: Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World’s Greatest Philosophers (1926) [Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, 1991, ISBN 0-671-73916-6] Ch. II: Aristotle and Greek Science; part VII: Ethics and the Nature of Happiness: “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation: we do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have these because we have acted rightly; ‘these virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions’; we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit: ‘the good of man is a working of the soul in the way of excellence in a complete life… for as it is not one swallow or one fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy’” (p. 76). The quoted phrases within the quotation are from the Nicomachean Ethics, Book I. The misattribution is from taking Durant’s summation of Aristotle’s ideas as being the words of Artistotle himself.
(wikiquote)

vj Says:

January 29th, 2008, 12:40 pm

Each year one vicious habit rooted out,
In time might make the worst Man good throughout
Ben franklin.

Ian Serlin Says:

January 29th, 2008, 14:57 pm

Hey there Leo,

The coolest thing of all is that you’re so accessible, which you know is one of your strengths.

From personal experience I know that translating advice into action can be difficult if you lack the right motivation and you’ve done some really good posts on this topic.

What I would really like to see, however, and what I think would be beneficial to not just me but a majority of your readers is if you could find some synergy between your “zen” thinking and the strengths movement. Just like part of the reason you’re succeeding is due to you playing to your communication strength, I’ve come to realize that I am most successful when playing to my particular strengths because that is what indeed motivates me in my endeavours.

If you haven’t heard about the strengths movement some good places to start are http://www.strengthsfinder.com and http://www.marcusbuckingham.com . I am in no way affiliated with either site but believe in the core ideas they represent.

Combining the goals you want to achieve in your life, including the habits you want to develop, can more easily and fully be accomplished if you know how to motivate yourself to achieve them.

All the best and I look forward to purchasing “Zen to Strength”!

Smiling,

Ian Serlin

Margi Says:

January 29th, 2008, 14:57 pm

Hi Leo. I’m hoping you or your readers can help me with some suggestions.

I’m struggling a little in the “cube farm” with ways to ward off negativity at work. I LOVE my job and LOVE the company, so getting another job is not an option I want to pursue.

I sit next to the complaint department who fields angry customer calls all day long. (My team is supposed to be moving later this quarter, so that should help) The building we’re in feels like an old US government building. People come into the building around the same time in the morning and leave the same time in the afternoon; it feels very institutional to me.

I work from home one day per week (the max my company currently allows), which helps a lot. When I’m in the office, I have a headset and I listen to my Yahoo radio most of the day, but there’s an energy in the place that I’m struggling to shake.

I’ve been here over a year and it’s just now starting to bother me, so it’s not overwhelming. But it’s not pleasant either.

I’d love to see a blog about staying positive in a sea of negativity, and see suggestions from your readers on what I can do to keep the blah energy from seeping into me.

Thanks for considering.

Jordon Says:

January 29th, 2008, 23:08 pm

Hi Leo,
I recently became rather depressed. This all started when I was I became too addicted to a video game, I broke my addiction, but became addicted to the internet. It slowly but surely broke my social life. What started was me being popular, being able to talk to people and start conversations like it was no big deal. I am no longer addicted to the internet but still very frustrated. I’ve been struggling these past few months to overcome my problem, but have had no luck. I have a lot to type, but I’m young and really really need help especially from someone who is as motivating as you. I understand you get a questions, but I think if I don’t fix this now I will grow up to be someone I don’t want to be and that’s why I feel it’s worth answering.
To begin, I am 13 years of age. This is no joke, and I need help. I started following your blog just a couple of weeks ago and it is beginning to help me. I started to overcome my procrastination habits. I began exercising. I even went to bed earlier, and it has helped me a great deal. My dilemma is this, I know longer possess the power to just start conversation with people. It might seem like no big deal, but each second of everyday is spent thinking of what I can say next that might be interesting. When my mind goes blank I get frustrated and do something else. Not only have my friends become farther apart, but I just feel like my social life is just slipping away. I spend a lot of time in my own home now, which I absolutely hate. I would like to be out hanging with friends like I used to. I was wondering if you could possibly write about how to talk to people, and how to make friends with people. Maybe even a personal response to me since the kids I hang around are my age. Being nice doesn’t make you friends, but being cool and funny does. This would be a huge help, wondering if you could do this for a struggling kid in need of dire help.

-Keep Blogging, Thanks in advance. Jordon

kelly e. Says:

January 30th, 2008, 11:00 am

My boyfriend and I are moving from one place to another - we have decided to get rid of a lot of “stuff” in our apartment prior to that move - I was looking through your site and couldn’t find it any posts about “moving” and how to use it as a way to declutter your life and start anew. have you posted on this topic before?

Abdullah Says:

February 1st, 2008, 8:03 am

Hi Leo, I have a topic suggestion for your blog “Write To Done”. It would be great if you write an article for those between 16 to 18 who will go for bachelors degree this year.
Thanks

Grant Kornman Says:

February 1st, 2008, 11:13 am

I love the site. It is so beautiful and I love all the tips. I’m totally obsessed with making my life easier That’s why I started Vuru.com

Vuru.com is a website where you can buy the same vitamins and supplements you would find at a Whole Foods or a great health food store. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE!

Using our website, you can build a custom vitamin pack from any combination of the 2,000 name brand supplements we carry. Our packs eliminate those dumb bottles and the huge burden of using one of those stupid pill organizers.

If you are into health, you should check out our site. We would be happy to set up a coupon for your readers so they can get an ADDITIONAL 10% off their first order at Vuru.com.

Thanks,
Grant

Peter Jamieson Says:

February 1st, 2008, 13:36 pm

Hello.
A suggestion for a topic post which ties together your love of simplicity, productivity and writing… I stumbled across this definitive piece of software called Writeroom …… http://hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom

Peter Hansen Says:

February 2nd, 2008, 11:41 am

HI,

Have you posted an example of a life statement?

Arif Says:

February 3rd, 2008, 3:18 am

Hi Leo,

Don’t know if you’ve done so already, but would love to know how do you personally make that perfect cup of coffee in the morning when you sit down to write :-).

Take care buddy. Keep posting.

Arif
Bangalore, India

Sudhindra Joshi Says:

February 6th, 2008, 3:53 am

Hi Leo,

How about a post on topic like, how married men and women can achieve their goals, such as further studies, developing new business, handling family challenges etc?

As I am married for 2 years, I see a lot of challenges and new goals which I want to achieve. So far I have not got some encouraging stories where a person achieved important goals and how they did that.

Thanks a lot
Sudhindra

Justin Fleming Says:

February 6th, 2008, 6:10 am

Great blog and I’ve followed for a long time. In fact, it’s the one thing I actually look forward to reading each day.. some people get up and read the paper, I look for ZH.

Anyway, blog request:

Making a good home with rented accomodation - tips and advise for making a temporary home “home” - eg with easily transportable furniture etc.
A bit like living out of boxes in style :)
Sadly, some of us have no change of owning our own home but still want to have a nice place.

I’ve started with getting large seagrass baskets to stack and use as book shelves - they look nice and neat and if you’re moving, just tip them up and carry them out!

Any more ideas would be great. Thx

dokidok Says:

February 8th, 2008, 13:47 pm

Hi Leo.
My request is more specific. How to cope with the performance anxiety (or stage fright in this case, not the “other performance anxiety”)? The particular situation in my case is, that I am going to have an oral exam. The exam consists of 12 patients encounters, and you have to perform as in a real doctor’s office situation. During the whole 12 encounters, you will be watched and assessed. Some more information about the exam http://www.usmle.org/Examinations/step2/step2cs_content.html. I don’t have any problems in my everyday work and friendships. The only problem is when I have to perform and talk in front of other people (more than 2-3). I know that the most common phobia is public speaking, which is kind of related to the exam I am going to have. So, I am asking for some tips and technics, different than the usual ones, like try to remain calm, deep breathing, and think positive. Is it possible to learn how to relax and give the best of yourself in such a stressful situation?

Becky Says:

February 9th, 2008, 20:34 pm

Hi Leo,

I am a fairly new subscriber - I enjoy reading your blog and learning from your experiences. I have been trying to implement some of your many great ideas.

Topic Suggestion - I would love to hear your ideas on how to have more fun in life or how to make time for fun. Like most adults I spend the majority of my time working. I find it very difficult to make time to do something fun when there is always work that needs to be done.

Thanks for considering this idea!

Tim Allik Says:

February 11th, 2008, 14:39 pm

Hi Leo -

It seems to me that one of the primary obstacles to personal productivity these days isn’t a lack of information, but rather the opposite: TMI – Too Much Information.

The web, radio and television all bombard us with information these days, and the overwhelming majority of it is of questionable value.

This is a counterproductive situation because it results in distraction, fills our brains with the equivalent of editorial junk food, and results in an “opportunity cost” — for every minute we spend reading bad journalism or watching awful TV, we could be doing something else.

In order to be as productive as possible, we need reliable filters that help us find the good stuff and leave the editorial junk food behind. That’s where Brijit comes in.

Brijit (at http://www.brijit.com) uses editors and writers to craft concise 100 word abstracts and reviews of high-quality stories regardless of format (print, radio, and television).

These summaries are available on the Brijit website, via RSS, and also by e-mail.

Brijit fills a critical niche: in this era of time starvation, Brijit provides people with the opportunity to access an eclectic mix of high quality journalism, writing, and broadcasting quickly and efficiently.

Think Reader’s Digest meets Facebook.

Sources include BusinessWeek, Newsweek, The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Wired, Barrons, This American Life (Public Radio), The New York Review of Books, Charlie Rose (PBS), Harper’s, Salon, Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone – over 100 quality outlets in all.

If you have a moment, check Brijit out. I’d sincerely appreciate your thoughts and feedback!

Thanks,
Tim Allik for Brijit

Michael Doneman Says:

February 11th, 2008, 21:04 pm

How about a discussion or posting on the ‘placebo effect’? Haven’t found it in a search of the site, and it may well be of interest to readers.

We’ve just started a small online business focused on the placebo effect - and the strange fact that it has been until now impossible to actually buy placebos (small, inert sugar pills) on the web.

Michael Doneman Says:

February 11th, 2008, 21:06 pm

URL link corrected - shd point to http://www.placebo.com.au

John Petty Says:

February 12th, 2008, 11:14 am

Good Morning Leo,
Knowing you are an avid writer, I thought you might enjoy a link I found from the Kim Komando Newsletter.
It is to a website called Educational Portal that has Universities offering Free Writing Courses On-Line.
Purdue, MIT and Utah amoungst others are offering courses.

http://education-portal.com/articles/10_Universities_Offering_Free_Writing_Courses_Online.html

It might be a good tool for your reader on your writers blog.
Keep up the great work!

John

Dan Hicks Says:

February 12th, 2008, 23:39 pm

I love the format of your EBOOK. Did you use any special EBOOK publication tool that you can point me to?

Leo Says:

February 13th, 2008, 1:15 am

@John Petty: Thanks for the link!

@Dan Hicks: I had the ebook designed by a professional designer … he used Adobe InDesign, which I know is top of the line (and also expensive). :)

Mikey H Says:

February 13th, 2008, 8:16 am

Hi Leo,

A couple of days ago, out of the blue, I began thinking of the things I regretted not doing when I was younger. Thoughts such as “if I had started the gym 3 years earlier, I would have achieved my goals by now” and “Geeze, I wish I had been more proactive in my extra-curricular activities at uni/high school. I could have met new people, learnt new things…” and etc. It was a really negative train of thought that seemed to encourage further negativity.

Then it dawned on me! 4 simple words snapped me out of that negative spin and motivated me more than anything else before… The words were “it’s not too late!”.

From that point onwards, I realised that I could start my gym routine now and be fit in 3 years time, I could begin doing more with my spare time and still achieve my goals before I’m 30!

I can imagine being 30, looking back having accomplished my goals and then no longer carrying that regret. It’s that feeling that now has me going to the gym 3-5times a week, it’s that feeling that has me willing to try new activities, activities that the old me would not have given a second thought to.

You may be wondering where this is going… well, this is a post suggestion. I think it would be helpful for any reader out there that has regrets about inaction in the past. “It’s not too late!”. Do what you wish the younger you had done… now.

Chances are you’ve probably covered this in a similar post, but just in case you haven’t, here it is. My post suggestion.

Btw, love your work! Subscribed and loving it!

Mikey.

Peter Says:

February 13th, 2008, 12:27 pm

Hi Leo,

I’ve been reading your blog for almost a year now and your insights and advice have proven invaluable. I’ve been implementing several of your ideas over the last few months and the results have been very rewarding. After years of large paper piles, my desk has been clear for 2 months now!!

Anyway, in your Feb 10 post “7 Steps to Turn Your Self-Improvement Desires Into Reality”, one of the points you mention is to Be Accountable. Have friends and family hold you accountable for the goals you’ve set. Well, I’m on the other side of that coin, in that I’m the person having to hold a friend accountable to help a him reach a goal. Perhaps you can write a post on some ideas I can do to help my friend reach his goal. Some ideas more substantial than simply “Rah Rah You can do it” talk.

In my particular case my friend is trying to quit smoking (after several failed attempts over several years). I’ve never smoked I don’t have the experience to draw upon on how to keep him motivated. Any thoughts you could provide for this particular case and more generally how to be a good motivator would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Peter

Dee Says:

February 14th, 2008, 23:29 pm

Hi Leo,

Maybe I missed it, but I can’t find a link to Write to Done anywhere on the site??

Chris Says:

February 18th, 2008, 21:54 pm

A post about how you journal and what we should journal about would be great. So often I hear about the how journaling is so awesome, but I don’t know how to start or what to write about.

Phil Palmieri Says:

February 19th, 2008, 12:46 pm

HI Leo,

I just wanted to throw in one of my habits that has helped me greatly.

Turn off auto-download email in your mail client. Do a send/receive at se intervals and act on those email till the box is clear, then check again later. This has kept my inbox clear for a long time - - i usually get 100+ real emails a day, and it keeps me on top of them all.

Phil

Matt Says:

February 21st, 2008, 14:59 pm

I love the site design and was hoping you cold tell me if you were using word-press or Moveable Type for this and if so what theme? This looks really good!!!!!

Jami Says:

February 21st, 2008, 21:16 pm

I just bought your new e-book witch so far is great!!! I do have a question about my kids clutter. I have 2 little girls 1 and 2. I am going crazy trying to keep up with their toys and little pices. They love beaded necklaces and they are everywhere!!! I bought hooks and hung them down low so they can play with them and then hang them back up. They are not working!!! I also feel bad about getting rid of the toys our family has gotten them. Every holiday I ask for grandparents and family to not get much and they dont but it is still adding up!!! Could you point me in the direction of something to help. I am a flybaby!!!

chelsey Says:

February 24th, 2008, 19:03 pm

Hey Leo, I posted something personal on your thread “20 things I wish I had know when starting life” with my full name and was wondering if you could please remove it.

It was a glitch in my computer that added it accidentally and I would really appreciate it if you could remove it for me!

Thanks so much!

Mark Gluth Says:

February 25th, 2008, 19:14 pm

Hello- I love your website, and have gained much from it personally. I have one question Iwould like some help with. My workgroup has developed some less than productive habits (crisis addiction amongst many others) and I am looking for a some book titles that addreess initiating positive change from within an organization, while not actually being it’s highest leader. Any and all recomendations would really help me. My work life balnace is suffering because At home I’m moody because of my job.

Leo Says:

February 25th, 2008, 20:38 pm

@Chelsey: I removed your last name if that’s OK.

@Jami: I find baskets and those colorful plastic drawers for kids (my kids call the drawers “cubbies”) work best for us. Then the kids can just clean up periodically, scooping their messes into the drawers and baskets. It’s not ideally organized, but it’s easy, and that’s what counts! :)

As for gifts from relatives … if you’ve made it clear that they have too many toys already, and have asked for other types of gifts (suggest movie or restaurant or theme park gift certificates or similar), and they still get toys … you should have no guilt in getting rid of them. We usually get rid of toys our kids don’t play with after a few months, because if they don’t play with them it doesn’t make sense for them to take up space. With a rule like that, it doesn’t matter who bought the toy — if it’s not being used, get rid of it.

Leo Says:

February 25th, 2008, 20:40 pm

@Mark: I recommend David Allen’s Getting Things Done … many organizations give this book out to new employees. As an alternative, you could give out copies of my Zen To Done (see the ad in my sidebar to the top right) … buy one copy and email it out to everyone else for free! :)

David Says:

February 26th, 2008, 1:05 am

I’ve read most of your entire blog now, and it’s one of the most amazing resources I’ve ever come across. However, over and over you mention “positive thinking” as the number one tool that’s helped you transform your life, yet, strangely enough, you’ve never recommended even *one* book to your readers for further study of this all-important concept. So what book would you recommend re: positive thinking? The Power of Positive Thinking? Successs with a Positive Mental Attidude? The Secret? Thanks.

Erin Says:

February 26th, 2008, 13:41 pm

Hi Leo,

I wanted to let you know about a national Campaign for Love & Forgiveness. This multi-year campaign (run by the Kalamazoo-based nonprofit Fetzer Institute) seeks to inspire positive changes at home, work, and in the communities where we live. Our website is rich with resources and includes a cool “letting go” ritual that allows users to anonymously reflect on a hurt caused by them, or one they experienced. I hope you can take a look as I think you might really like it.
loveandforgive.org

Raphael Says:

February 26th, 2008, 17:24 pm

Leo,

First off, you know this, but you are the man!

Here’s my question: I’m 24, pursuing my undergraduate degree after taking a 4 year hiatus to work (my choice). I’ve had to work pretty hard to come back from a 1.67 gpa to 3.32 in about a year and a half. I’m at a community college, looking to transfer. How can I apply Zen Habits to chose the right transfer school, apply, and get in successfully.

Much love goes out to you from California!

Leo Says:

February 27th, 2008, 21:24 pm

@Raphael: Congrats on your academic success! I have to confess ignorance here — I don’t know much about transferring schools. I wish I could help more!

@David: Books on positive thinking? I really haven’t read any, so I can’t honestly recommend any. All my learning about positive thinking has been through life experience … I learned through quitting smoking and running and have been applying it ever since. Maybe I’ll write a more in-depth post on this. :)

Also, I know Peale is famous for his writings on this, but I honestly haven’t read him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale

Adam Says:

February 29th, 2008, 1:04 am

I really love all the great quotes you guys put in all the posts. Id love a section or page where I can find all your quotes in one place.

Dave Says:

February 29th, 2008, 1:40 am

Leo, how do I go about reading your novel … could you put out a link to it? If your fiction writing is as good as your blog stuff, then I think we’d all be in for a real treat. Thanks.