Best of Zen Habits: March 2008
Happy April Fools everyone! I’m an April Fool myself (I turn 35 at the end of the month), so you had better be nice to me this month. :)
March was another amazing month for Zen Habits, thanks again to my beautiful, wonderful, generous, and very sexy readers. We went from about 40,000 subscribers to nearly 50,000 today, so the Zen Habits family continues to grow. You helped me to do a lot of book writing, and to complete a marathon, with your encouragement and love.
For those who might have missed them, here are the best posts of March 2008:
- The Zen of Tech: 12 Powerful Ways to Keep Your Online Life Simple and Peaceful
- Ask Me Anything You Want - 100 Question Extravaganza
- Flip Your Karma: 8 Tricks to Turn the Bad Into the Awesome
- 5 Amazing Mac Apps for Getting Things Done (Plus a Custom-Rigged Setup)
- Make Today Your Personal Miracle
- How to Make the Time for Your Personal Goals
- The Magical Power of Focus
- 12 Essential Rules to Live More Like a Zen Monk
- 36 Great Tips for Keeping Travel as Simple as Possible (and Two Poems)
- 25 Ways to Simplify Your Life with Kids
- Notes on Life: Mantras, Small Things, Lists, and Such
- 10 Things I Learned From My Second Marathon
Also see (this is a great way to go back through the archives):
- Best of February 2008
- Best of January 2008
- Best of Zen Habits 2007
- Best of November 2007
- Best of September and October 2007
- Best of August 200
- Best of July 2007
- Best of June 2007
- Best of May 2007
- Best of April 2007
- Best of March 2007
- Best of February 2007
Zen Habits April 2008 Challenge!
As some of you know, every month in the Zen Habits forums we have a monthly challenge, where each participant focuses on forming a new habit for the month. Post your challenge in the forum (everyone chooses their own habit for the month and tries to stick to it), report back on the daily threads each day, and by the end of the month, you have a new habit!
If you’re looking to form a new habit in April, sign up today:
The April 2008 Challenge Thread
- Posted on 1 April 2008 in Aboutzenhabits |
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Comments (29)
Tom Stine Says:
April 1st, 2008, 20:27 pm
You know, Leo, I have Zenhabits in my feed reader, but I seem to have missed a few of these posts. I’m making a technical comment, just saying I’m glad you post these end of month round ups because I would miss good content otherwise. Thanks!
Dan S. Says:
April 1st, 2008, 20:42 pm
Hey, Leo, as always, great blog. I really enjoy your entries.
I was actually hoping I might ask a favor. Do you have any advice on promoting a new blog? Or do you have any past posts about this that I might be able to check out? I just re-launched a sports blog (very different subject matter, but I trust your knowledge anyway of course) from scratch from one that I had originally conceptualized a while back, and I’m wondering how I can start out trying to get some kind of readership. http://5280ft.blogspot.com. Any tips?
Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Leo Says:
April 1st, 2008, 21:12 pm
@Dan S.: See my other blog, writetodone.com, for some blog-promotion tips — basically, focus on writing and building up powerful content and you’ll attract readers.
@Tom Stine: Interesting. I’m not sure why you’d miss my posts in your reader — I haven’t had any technical complaints about my feed until now. Maybe you have too many feeds in your reader? :)
@Vered: Yes, I do like lists. :)
Stacey Says:
April 1st, 2008, 22:49 pm
Your subcribers continue to grow because you provide fresh, authentic, thought provoking content. Thanks again for all of the inspiration. Stacey
The Daily Mind Says:
April 1st, 2008, 22:50 pm
Nice work. There are some awesome articles in there Leo.
TDM
Adam King Says:
April 1st, 2008, 22:55 pm
Hey Leo! I really enjoyed my first month here at Zenhabits. Thanks for the encouraging and challenging material, and congrats on shaving off so much time in the marathon! Just like you wrote earlier in the month, there is a “magical power of focus!”
Alex | Livingwish Says:
April 1st, 2008, 23:01 pm
“March was another amazing month for Zen Habits” I definitely agree with that.
It seems like you had a change in writing style over this month too…the content is more polished up, and easier to read as a whole. A lot of the topics were also very easy to connect with, like the Travel article a while back.
Congrats on the marathon too Leo, you actually inspired me to do the same, so I’ve been looking at marathon websites all afternoon heh.
Keep up the good work, and continue writing amazing content.
Alex
Iris M. Gross Says:
April 1st, 2008, 23:59 pm
50,000 subscribers! If each one of them posted just to say hello, this would be a very long post! Instead, you get more or less the same people each time. But, that’s not so bad. At least you know who your regulars are!
Congratulations on that staggering number! If you only had a dollar for every subscription…
Azeem Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 0:02 am
Great stuff Leo…50k is a great number and congrats on that…Hope you continue the great work you do for all of us here…Wishing all the very best in the future…
Regards
Azeem
Tad Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 1:44 am
Leo,
I enjoy reading all of your posts. I hope you keep up the good work!
Edwin | Fitness Chapter Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 2:11 am
Indeed it was a great month, congratulations!
Definitely looking forward to more of your interesting post. Keep up the good work :) You deserve that amount of subscribers.
Edwin
Hugo Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 2:28 am
Congratulations with your great blog!
It’s my first month and you know i’ll keep coming back for more. Great stuff!
Jennifer Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 3:26 am
Thanks for your work! I like how you encourage commitment to change.
Eric Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 7:40 am
Congrats, Leo!! Thanks for your encouraging articles! We need such kindnesses. Glad to hear we’re helping you! “Many hands make the load light”
Kelly Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 7:45 am
This has been my first month also, and I feel so fortunate to have found you and this like-minded community of people.
Congratulations on your marathon, Leo (how inspiring!) and the success of this blog (also inspiring!)
:)
Chris Austria Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 8:42 am
Leo–
It’s a good thing I discovered your blog when I started blogging two months ago. Indirectly, you’ve been a great mentor. Keep doing the right thing.
The Financial Philosopher Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 9:09 am
Leo:
Congrats on the 50,000 milestone! You may count me as one of the last 10,000 to join “the family.” Since I enjoy your writing, here’s more “encouragement and love” for you:
Challenge yourself to write blog posts without the use of lists (i.e. “Top 10 Ways to Have a Beautiful Day”).
Your material and writing are strong enough to stand alone without the appearance of using “gimicks” and clever post titles to find yourself on social networks.
I believe you are ready to step apart from the “crowd” even further…
Cheers…
Sergio Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 9:16 am
Hi Leo, the fortunate one… :-)
im an April fool too, by the end of the month
and this is a special year to me, im entering 3.0 level hehe
about month challenge, im quite new at zenhabits (i found your blog in early february) and one of the first things that catch my attention was the idea of creating new habits
well, i achieve my goal creating the habit of practicing yoga more often, in scheduled days, and in the end i realize i have more new habits now: im eating more healthy and reading at least 1 zenhabit´s post everyday!
thx to zenhabits! thank you Leo!
keep writing! pls keep sharing!
Radman Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 10:35 am
Hi, saw somewhere about the way that you trained yourself to get up earlier and earlier, until you are now getting up at 430am everyday. Well, i left the house at 945 today and am now typing this from my “office”. lets take it one step at a time. thanks.
Daniel Richard Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 14:02 pm
Hey! Two of my fav posts this month are in that top 10 list. :)
1. The one about focus
2. Entry about taking time for personal goals
Continue writing Leo!
Lynn Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 16:21 pm
Hello Leo, did you see the article in the NYT today? Do you know how you are always saying that people should tackle just one goal at a time for long-term success? Well, apparently the editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience and a professor of neuroscience at Princeton agree with you. Check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/opinion/02aamodt.html?em&ex=1207281600&en=93063bbf6c0470e8&ei=5087%0A
Thought of your blog the moment I read this.
Enjoy.
Tom - Ponderosa Design Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 16:26 pm
And here I thought THIS was your blog… ! I mean, it is, but … http://www.writetodone.com … as well. Crazy.
It’s interesting that the most attractive thing about your site, at least the aspect that caught me… was that I can HARDLY keep up! :0) The pace derives the affinity.
But I’m an artist, slightly slow reader, and I see images in my mind at light-speed compared to words on a screen. And yet in my scanning, the simplicity-centric content definitely keeps it alive.
It’s a real treat to read through a prime state of someone’s life. Bet the book will do real well.
Thanks Leo.
Laurie Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 19:05 pm
Happy Birthday Leo! My birthday is tomorrow!! I’ll be 48! My knew habit is to save more money!!
Stephanie Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 19:08 pm
…very sexy readers Leo? What kind of a blog is this any way? Lol! Happy Birthday!
Leo Says:
April 2nd, 2008, 19:25 pm
Thanks everyone for the encouragement! It’s because of you that I look forward to writing new posts so much.
@Stephanie: What kind of a blog is this? A blog with incredibly beautiful readers who can’t seem to keep their hands off my site! lol
@Lynn: Thanks for the link! I look forward to reading it.
Evelyn Says:
April 5th, 2008, 7:18 am
Thanks for the roundup.
I sure like what you said about lists. I’m a list maker myself but have stopped myself from making too many on my site. I thought lists will bore readers, that it is as if I’m dishing out advice in a mechanical sort of way rather than being fluid. So it’s nice to know from you on your blog, that my thoughts may not be all that accurate!
With much thanks and appreciation,
Evelyn
Liara Covert Says:
April 7th, 2008, 23:26 pm
Its heart-warming to learn about your sense of growth and personal progress. As we evolve to realize we are all inter-connected, we can move from sharing your joy to sense how we are actually part of it. In a similar way, to send love and positive vibes out into the universe helps to teach us we that are all made up of what we seek to share. To realize love is everywhere means we all tap into it always.
