Three of the habits. Photo courtesy of Photocappy

7 Little Habits That Can Change Your Life, and How to Form Them

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

If you could just pick one or two (or seven) habits to create in the next few months — habits that will have the most impact on your life — what would they be?

I often get asked this question, because people are overwhelmed when it comes to starting positive life changes.

They ask me: what one or two habits should they start with?

It’s not an easy question. There are so many changes I’ve gone through, from quitting smoking to simplifying my life to reducing debt to many more. And they’ve all seemed life-changing, and they’ve all seemed important.

But if I were to start again, and had to pick one or two, it would be the one or two listed below. The list that follows is in order of what I think I’d do the first 6-7 months of changing my life … but realize that every person is different. No one should follow my choices exactly — you’ve got to figure out what works for you.

That said, if you followed the program below, and worked to develop these habits, you’d probably do pretty well.

“Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.” - Confucius

How to Develop the Habits
I’ve written a number of times about developing habits, but here are the basics:

Do a 30-day challenge, focusing on just ONE habit.
Write it out on paper, along with your motivations, obstacles, and strategies for overcoming them.
Commit fully, in a public way.
Log your progress.
Remain publicly accountable — report on your progress each day.
Have support for when you falter — either in real life or online.
Reward every little success.
If you fail, figure out what went wrong, plan for it, and try again.

The Seven Little Habits That Can Change Your Life
OK, so now you know how to form a habit — and remember, only do them one at a time — but you want to know the seven little habits. Here they are, in my order of preference (but yours may be different):

1. Develop positive thinking. I put this first because I think it’s the keystone habit that will help you form the other important habits. Sure, positive thinking by itself won’t lead to success, but it certainly goes a long way to motivate you to do the other things required.

I learned this when I quit smoking — when I allowed myself to think negative thoughts, I would end up failing. But when I learned how to squash negative thoughts and think positive ones instead, I succeeded. This discovery lead to me practicing this over and over, until I was able to form just about any habit I needed. It’s been invaluable to me, and I think it could be to most people.

Focus on this habit first, and you’ll have a much easier time with any of the others. Start by becoming more aware of your negative self-talk — do a little tally sheet throughout the day, marking a tally each time you notice a negative thought. Soon you’ll recognize them, and you can squash them.

2. Exercise. People who’ve been hearing me harp on about exercise might roll their eyes. Sure, exercise is healthy and all that, but how exactly is it life changing? I’m glad you asked:

It makes you feel better about yourself, and more confident. That leads to better success with other positive changes.
It reinforces the positive thinking habit — you need to think positive in order to sustain exercise.
It relieves stress and gives you time to think — this leads to better mental well-being in your life overall.
It helps with creativity. Don’t ask me to prove it, except to say that my best ideas and brainstorming sessions come from when I exercise.

Here’s how:

3. Single-tasking. The opposite of multi-tasking — you’ve heard me harp on about this one as well. Why is it life-changing? A couple powerful reasons:

You’ll be more effective with your tasks and get more done. It’s hard to achieve important things if you’re constantly switching tasks and distracted by other “urgent” things.
You’ll be less stressed overall and (in my experience) happier throughout your day.

4. Focus on one goal. Just as focusing on one task at a time is more effective, and focusing on one habit at a time is more effect, so is focusing on one goal at a time. While it might seem very difficult, focusing on one goal at a time is the most powerful way of achieving your goals. When you try to take on many goals at once, you’re spreading thin your focus and energy — the two critical components for achieving a goal.

What if you have 5 goals you want to achieve? Pick one to focus on first. Break it into a mini-goal you can accomplish this month, if it’s a longer-term goal. Pick an action you can do today. Keep doing this until the goal is accomplished — do an action every day, finish the mini-goal, pick the next mini-goal to work on. Then, when your One Goal is completed, focus on the next goal.

Some goals are ongoing ones — like blogging every day, or exercising every day. In those cases, turn them into habits — focus exclusively on turning the goal into a habit, until the habit is ingrained. Then focus on the next goal.

A Simple Guide to Setting and Achieving Your Life Goals

5. Eliminate the non-essential. First, identify the essential — the things in your life that are most important to you, that you love the most. Then eliminate everything else. This simplifies things and leaves you with the space to focus on the essential. This process works with anything — with your life in general, with work projects and tasks, with emails and other communication.

This will change your life because it will help you to simplify, to focus on what’s important, and to build the life you want.

6. Kindness. Yes, kindness is a habit. And it can be cultivated. Focus on it every day for a month and you’ll see profound changes in your life. You’ll feel better about yourself as a person. You’ll see people react to you differently and treat you better, over the long run. It’s karma.

How do you develop the kindness habit? First, make it a goal to do something kind for someone each day. At the beginning of the day, figure out what that kind act will be and then do it during the day. Second, each time you interact with someone, try to be kind, be friendly, be compassionate. Third, try to go beyond small kindnesses to larger acts of compassion, volunteering to help those in need and taking the initiative to relieve suffering.

7. Daily routine. It’s so simple, but creating a daily routine for yourself can make a big difference in your life. The best routines, I’ve found, come at the start and end of the day — both your workday and your day in general. That means, develop a routine for when you awake, for when you first start working, for when you finish your workday, and for the end of your evening.

How will that change your life? It will help you get a great start to your day, and finish your day by preparing for the next day. It’ll help you firmly root the productive habits you want to firm in your everyday life. It’ll help you focus on what’s important, not just what comes up. It’ll help you make sure you get done all the things you really want to make sure gets done everyday. And that can mean a lot.

“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” - John Dryden

—
You can now follow me on Twitter — the great experiment continues!

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

7 Little Habits That Can Change Your Life, and How to Form Them

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

If you could just pick one or two (or seven) habits to create in the next few months — habits that will have the most impact on your life — what would they be?

I often get asked this question, because people are overwhelmed when it comes to starting positive life changes.

They ask me: what one or two habits should they start with?

That said, if you followed the program below, and worked to develop these habits, you’d probably do pretty well.

“Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.” - Confucius

How to Develop the Habits
I’ve written a number of times about developing habits, but here are the basics:

Do a 30-day challenge, focusing on just ONE habit.
Write it out on paper, along with your motivations, obstacles, and strategies for overcoming them.
Commit fully, in a public way.
Log your progress.
Remain publicly accountable — report on your progress each day.
Have support for when you falter — either in real life or online.
Reward every little success.
If you fail, figure out what went wrong, plan for it, and try again.

2. Exercise. People who’ve been hearing me harp on about exercise might roll their eyes. Sure, exercise is healthy and all that, but how exactly is it life changing? I’m glad you asked:

It makes you feel better about yourself, and more confident. That leads to better success with other positive changes.
It reinforces the positive thinking habit — you need to think positive in order to sustain exercise.
It relieves stress and gives you time to think — this leads to better mental well-being in your life overall.
It helps with creativity. Don’t ask me to prove it, except to say that my best ideas and brainstorming sessions come from when I exercise.

Here’s how:

3. Single-tasking. The opposite of multi-tasking — you’ve heard me harp on about this one as well. Why is it life-changing? A couple powerful reasons:

You’ll be more effective with your tasks and get more done. It’s hard to achieve important things if you’re constantly switching tasks and distracted by other “urgent” things.
You’ll be less stressed overall and (in my experience) happier throughout your day.

A Simple Guide to Setting and Achieving Your Life Goals

This will change your life because it will help you to simplify, to focus on what’s important, and to build the life you want.

“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” - John Dryden

—
You can now follow me on Twitter — the great experiment continues!

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Posted on 27 August 2008 in Habits, Productivity & Organization |
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Comments (79)

"Motivate Thyself" Says:

August 27th, 2008, 18:27 pm

I think you hit the nails on the head Leo. Positive thinking is a key foundational habit and things like exercise help keep this strong. And I have been a recent convert of single tasking. It is a MUCH better way to get things done and not get stressed out in the process. Great addition to your archives!

Corey - Simple Marriage Project Says:

August 27th, 2008, 18:32 pm

Single task and eliminate the non-essential are key ones to me. Especially when applied to marriage. It’s so easy to get caught up in the relationally unimportant so you loose sight of the essential. Focus on the important and single task it. Works wonders.

Tim D Says:

August 27th, 2008, 18:57 pm

This kind of post specifies and simplifies things for me since i’m fairly new to your site. Well Done!

Henry Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:02 pm

I know logging progress has helped me significantly. I use a social training tool called http://www.dailymile.com. It not only helps me log my fitness routine, but also get motivation from other community members.

Scott McIntyre Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:20 pm

For me, Leo, positive thinking is a key habit which I have sought to cultivate over recent years.

In my own personal experience, developing a positive approach to life has had many spin off benefits on all areas.

Of course, like any habit, it takes time, practice and perseverance- and sometimes the positive becomes a little shaky…

But, the main thing is to stick with any habit until it becomes second nature and we do it without a thought.

pavs Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:25 pm

I am insomniac, so i am trying to build a habit of sleeping at least 8 hours at night. No public logs, just private logs, and it has been one week, and I am proud to say that this is going good so far.

For some it might be a tough decision, for me, it’s a choice between doing it or not doing it, and choice it pretty obvious to not give it a shot.

I have often found that when you give yourself simple choices, decision making and achieving goals seems simple enough.

I don’t want to repeat the obligatory “good article”, but just so you know, it was good reading. :)

pavs Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:27 pm

Leo, I am not a grammer nazi (english is my second langauge); but I found a mistake where it says:

“OK, so know you know how to form a habit”

Leo Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:28 pm

Thanks for the nice comments, guys!

@pavs: Good typo catch! I’ll go correct it now.

Israel Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:30 pm

It’s often difficult to try and create too many habits at once. I go for one at a time, and when I accomplish them I move on.

banji - LessonInLife Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:36 pm

One important thing I learnt about habit forming is to know how to get back on track after you have failed a day or two.

Like exercising, I tried my very best to keep to the schedule. But there are times when I just don’t have the time for it. Maybe due to other sudden commitment. I found then that my motivation to restart the habit will just deteriorate.

So for me, mechanism to restart a habit is just as important. exercising 3-4 times a week for the rest of your life is always better than exercising constantly for 3 weeks and then stop for 2 years :)

The Success Professor Says:

August 27th, 2008, 19:44 pm

Excellent list. My favorite are the first two, although I wouldn’t go without any of them. It is interesting to see kindness as a habit. I had always figured it as an element of character, but I guess your character represents your habits.

The top two habits that I would add to the list are:

1. Keep an ideas notebook around you at all times

and

2. Plan your week out in advance. I use this system:
http://successprofessor.ca/2008/07/29/six-steps-to-plan-your-week-for-success/

Thanks for a great article.

Irma Ardian Says:

August 27th, 2008, 20:18 pm

Dear Leo,

I’m Irma student of life from Indonesia hope you know this country. Formerly Bali island is foreign known about my country.
I crush with ZH, I knew this web coincidently ..just spontaneous but since that time I cant stop clicking your site. It’s all there..
I believe there is no coincidence in this world, being a simply person is my passion since I was teenager. A long time ago maybe 10 years ago I read a quote in magazine “Simplicity is sublime “ since I was a young I don’t exactly know what the essential of that words. But don’t know why I like that words and I decide to cut the paper and post it in my room. Every morning I read that words and unconsciously that words influence me a lot. I don’t have a specific tools being frugal or simply person, like you said in your article, I never determine my simple life in text. But when I read your site I feel that I found a guidance became simply, happy human being. Became simply person is balance this complicated world.
I would like to thanks to god for take me to your site..
Thanks for inspiring article..I believe with simply practice could foster me close to my dream..

Marelisa Says:

August 27th, 2008, 20:19 pm

I would add twenty minutes daily of meditation, tai chi, spring forest qigong, or simply spending this time quietly contemplating nature. Also, start a gratitude journal. Very comprehensive post.

bav Says:

August 27th, 2008, 20:26 pm

Leon,

I think that being optimistic is not always a right thing to do. I have known some people who are optimistic but it often leads them to being naively optimistic. Where do we draw the line?

Leo Says:

August 27th, 2008, 20:34 pm

@bav: Good point — there should be a balance between a positive attitude and the ability to recognize reality. I can’t give a detailed answer here, but I think the balance comes from practice and experience.

In general, though, a positive attitude always helps, even when reality seems bad: you can find a positive light on any situation, even the ones that seem bad. And using that positive light, you can move forward to something better.

Myth SilverStar Says:

August 27th, 2008, 20:43 pm

Hello Irma Ardain:

That is a beautiful message: Simplicity is sublime.

Somehow it makes me think of Albert Einstien’s saying:

Any fool can make things complicated, but it takes a genius to make things simple.

Chris Says:

August 27th, 2008, 20:55 pm

I got the positive vibe going now I need to work on focusing on one goal at a time.

Leo, these habits look very easy but they are all very difficult to accomplish. I really need to stay focus to achieve these things.

James Says:

August 27th, 2008, 21:03 pm

Fantastic post. Thanks for sharing.

Zendad Says:

August 27th, 2008, 21:09 pm

I too find that singletasking and eliminating the non-essential to be very important. It is something that I work at continually and get the biggest bang for my buck. The only thing that I would add is to surround yourself with like minded / positive people is key also. Great post Leo!
Zendad
http://www.zendad.net

The Daily Minder Says:

August 27th, 2008, 21:36 pm

Some good links there. Good to go back and re read some of them.

Thanks.

dokidok Says:

August 27th, 2008, 21:46 pm

The “habits posts” are my favorite from zenhabits.

patricia gray Says:

August 27th, 2008, 21:53 pm

Great tips…single tasking is one that I have difficulty with. And so I will make it my goal to practice on this for 30 days!!! There I have made it public.

Kris Says:

August 27th, 2008, 21:57 pm

Leo, your mantra of one habit at a time has stuck with me ever since I started reading your blog over a year and a half ago.

I would often get frustrated with that slow pace, but now I’m getting to the stage where my new positive habits are starting to accumulate (getting my blog to a successful point, my parenting, eating healthy, running)

I still have more I want to accomplish, but I can now see the wisdom in having faith in taking the slow and steady road.

Shamelle - TheEnhanceLife Says:

August 27th, 2008, 22:34 pm

Most of the time I THINK that I should start a good habit. Most of the time, it remains in the thinking stage ;-0)
Reading your post was really a “kick-butt approach” for me. This time, I made it actionable. I already made a plan to for #2. Let’s see how I progress. :-)

Jeff Says:

August 27th, 2008, 23:34 pm

Leo,

This is such a great post. Thank you for all of your positive and encouraging insight.

I especially love point number five. I need to do so more in my life, and thanks to you and your inspirational posts, I have the ability to do so :)

Pete Says:

August 27th, 2008, 23:36 pm

I like the breakdown approach to starting good habits. It’s like a personal handbook on how to be a better person.

Nice compilation.

http://yinvsyang.com/

sai Says:

August 28th, 2008, 0:16 am

good post. I have been working on a few of these habits for the past three years one at a time, and it really has made a difference in my quality of life.I’ve given up smoking, drinking, started exercising in earnest, become debt free and put my finances almost back in shape. Of course, there is a lot to do further and this post has rightly pointed out other habits - positive thinking ( only now I’m realising this CAN be a habit ), kindness, single-tasking etc.
Leo. I take this oppurtunity to thank you for your wonderful blog which I’ve been following for the past one year. You have made a significant contribution in my quest for self-development, with the content here. Keep up the good work.

FH2o Says:

August 28th, 2008, 0:43 am

Thanks for sharing this as we all need to be reminded on these age old wisdoms.

Very helpful indeed.

Shilpan | successsoul.com Says:

August 28th, 2008, 0:59 am

Focusing on one goal at a time is the foundation of success. In the past when I tried to do too many things at a time, I failed as I lacked focus.

Mahmudur Says:

August 28th, 2008, 2:45 am

Great post Leo. Thanks a lot. I like the # 4. I lately realized that focusing on one goal is a great way to achieve your goal. But the problem is procrastination. As a result, you loose your focus over time and failed to achieve your goal.

Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot.

http://dewdropofjupiter.blogspot.com/

PhilipLilly.com Says:

August 28th, 2008, 2:57 am

I think that these are wonderful habits. I want to try to start a few of these. This post was just the push that I needed to start a few. I would love to start with positive thinking, but that one is actually the harder for me. I always seem to think on the negative side.

One thing I am skeptical of is only focusing on one goal. It is a bit like single tasking, but I want to achieve so much at one time. I know that it would be a good idea to only focus on one thing at a time so that I can put my full effort into it, but it feels like I could achieve so much more if I attempt more goals at once. I hope to achieve many of these. Looks like a wonderful 30 day trial

anonymous Says:

August 28th, 2008, 4:26 am

How to learn FORM them?

Joe | A New Band A Day.com Says:

August 28th, 2008, 5:17 am

These points are all salient - and I think if you find the ones that work for you, changes will start to happen. My biggest difficulty is always staying focussed and persevering with these techniques - I suppose this is why the ‘establishing a routine’ point is so useful. Anyway - thanks for these tips!

Joe - http://www.anewbandaday.com

GreatManagement Says:

August 28th, 2008, 5:23 am

Leo, great list.

As all are excellent, for me number 5 ( Eliminate the non-essential) is a MUST.

We all have vastly busy lives and much of it (well mine!) is clutter.

So over the past few months I have been successfully ‘outsourcing’ a lot of admin tasks, so I can concentrate on new products or marketing or whatever I want.

Each day whenever I ‘have to do’ some admin I think ‘is this worth outsourcing’. Not everything is - if it is something you do rarely, it can take more time explaining to the outsourcer ‘how to do it’, than completing it yourself.

Andrew

maruti Says:

August 28th, 2008, 6:25 am

Success is fine but we should learn to take problem and faluire in a similar stride and we should not down load these things in our permanent memory. Simple life style with regular exericise and good sleep bring peace of mind and happiness.

Fit Bottomed Girls Says:

August 28th, 2008, 8:40 am

Great tips! I like breaking down big goals into smaller ones that you get rewarded for. So maybe you want to lose 20 pounds, so you’re small goal is to work out 4 days this week. When you do, you get a massage or a manicure or something cool. Then you’re reinforced along the way to your big goal. :)

webdrops Says:

August 28th, 2008, 9:16 am

ok so these are some really great tips… and I have read them couple of times… in some of the motivational books i posses… but never thought of trying these for 30 days in a line… let me give it a shot and take up the 30 day challenge and see if something actually happens… and yes Positive thinking is definitely a real tonic for healthy and happy living… :)

janelle Says:

August 28th, 2008, 9:43 am

I agree with number 5–We all need to simplify our life and ‘clear out the clutter’ so to speak. Whenever we do this, it takes a huge weight off of our shoulders!

winner27 Says:

August 28th, 2008, 10:00 am

Great post Leo! I’m usually pretty good at positive thinking but the one I seem to falter on the most is doing one thing at a time. Even as I was reading these comments I was fighting the urge to pop over to my email or do some work at the same time (whoops - I guess my work is what I should be doing :) ). Thanks for all your inspiration on my journey!

The Financial Philosopher Says:

August 28th, 2008, 10:07 am

I will agree that these habits could “change your life” but what “life” is it that you are seeking?

It seems any list like this would begin with forming the greatest habit, which in my humble opinion, is the habit of self-awareness.

With no particular destination in mind, it is difficult to charter a course or choose a particular direction. With no such direction, these “7 Habits” have the potential to become positive and inspirational distractions.

Your #5, “Eliminate the Non-Essential,” comes close to achieving my point. Could one argue that forming habits or choosing a particular path with no destination in mind is “non-essential?”

Perhaps these habits could aid in discovering a path but I just didn’t see it…

“No wind serves him who addresses his voyage to no certain port.” ~ Michel de Montaigne

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” ~ Lau-tzu

Kent @ The Financial Philosopher

Lisa | Holistic-Treatment-for-Depression Says:

August 28th, 2008, 10:13 am

I would simply add, connecting with yourself and your feelings at least once a day. It’s amazing that in our busy, hurried lives, we can be so focused on the outer, that we forget to turn inward.

I love the focus of having a simple goal. For example, my husband and I are looking to create ways that we can have more freedom to be home with our children. Combining my love of writing and natural living, I’ve created a website, started a small business, and creating more streams of income so that my husband will be able to be with us more often — and spend time on his love, painting. Having freedom as our goal keeps our priorities focused, and prevents us from getting pulled in too many directions, which happens so easily.

It’s interesting how our thoughts create our habits, our habits make us who we are, and of course, who we are shapes our lives. But it all starts with our thoughts.

Journey Says:

August 28th, 2008, 10:15 am

Thanks Leo! I downloaded your book Zen Habits a few months ago. The “build one habit at a time” concept is definitely a keeper. I’ve made some major changes over the past few months, one at a time. I find that it takes longer than 30 days for me to build one new habit, maybe that’s because I’m . . . um . . mature!

Venkat Says:

August 28th, 2008, 11:37 am

Great post. Leo, I want to know what if someone is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder and is unable to keep motivated both physically and mentally. It would be very helpful if you know something about this and share with us.

Anna | Spreading Wings Says:

August 28th, 2008, 11:42 am

I would say that kindness is more of a conscious attitude then a strict habit itself.. you can develop a habit to *try to be kind*, but to really become a kind person one should develop unprejudiced love inside. In order to be kind with some people we need to do more efforts, I think it cannot be automatic.

Just my opinion :)
Thanks for great post, Leo. I am a devotee of #5, life is too short to spend it on activities that are not so important.

Leo Says:

August 28th, 2008, 11:50 am

@Venkat: I’m sorry, I do not know enough about anxiety disorders to be able to comment. I wish I could help!

@Anna: You might be right about kindness … my philosophy, though, is that if you do enough acts of kindness, it changes you inside.

Evelyn Lim Says:

August 28th, 2008, 12:04 pm

Great post! I certainly agree that positive thinking is a key habit. Without positive thinking, it’s hard to find the motivation to do things like exercise.

Thanks for sharing,
Evelyn

Aimee Says:

August 28th, 2008, 12:20 pm

Hey Leo,

As a hospital worker my hours are all over the place. What advice do you have regarding forming routines for people like me?

Cynthia Says:

August 28th, 2008, 12:47 pm

I agree with all your points, but the one that I’d like to stress is the one about exercise. Exercise has definitely changed my life. Although it hasn’t become as much of a habit as I’d like it to be. (next thing to work on) I run at least once a week. But there have been times where I’ve put off running for a few months and realize that I am stressed and feel sluggish, but as soon as I go for a run everything seems to clear up. My best friend has even mentioned to me and suggested that I need to go for a run. That’s when I know I’m being a pill and he thinks I need to clear my mind.

John Rocheleau - Zen-Moments Says:

August 28th, 2008, 13:30 pm

I like this because you encourage zeroing in on your focus. Create one powerful habit well, that leads you in the right direction, and many more will follow.

I also like the “kindness” suggestion. Developing your feeling of kindness flavors your intent and sweetens the results.

Oh, and the photo; I love it :-)

John

Tal galili Says:

August 28th, 2008, 14:12 pm

As others have mentioned - it IS a great post.
One thing that did came to mind, is “does it really work ?”
I mean - can we really change habits ?
I would love it if you are willing (since now you have many many readers - I remember stepping into your blog when there where just a mere few thousands :) ) - to ask your readers what habits they where able to change, and what where there lessons with them.

Thanks allot for what you do.
Tal G.

Sunlit Says:

August 28th, 2008, 14:46 pm

Hi everyone,

Leo, those are really good advise, I feel like it sums up all aspects that matter the most to me too.

Thanks ^_^

Alex Says:

August 28th, 2008, 15:07 pm

Great principles and some good links. Many of these will take dedication but the pay off is worth it.

Also, speaking of task management, I’ve found this site really useful for tracking tasks for various areas of my life:

http://www.reallygoodtodolist.com/

Leo Says:

August 28th, 2008, 15:50 pm

@Aimee: It’s hard for me to comment without knowing specifics, but you might consider what things you already do everyday, and tying a routine on those triggers. For example, I’m sure you wake up everyday and go to bed … you could do a simple routine for when you get up, and another for when you go to bed. Another for first thing when you get to work, and when you’re wrapping up work, if you like.

@Tal galili: Yes, we can change habits — I’ve changed all of these myself, and I know many others who have too. But sure, I’d love to hear from others who’ve changed as well. :)

Meerz Says:

August 28th, 2008, 16:08 pm

GREAT POST!!!
bookmark’d =)

Hidde Says:

August 28th, 2008, 16:23 pm

Just wanted to let you know: your blog is also appreciated here in the Netherlands. Thank you, ciao.

Colin Says:

August 28th, 2008, 18:20 pm

Another good post.

I absolutely agree with point one and two.

You must develop or maintain a positive attitude. Focus on your goals and burn off the negative energy by going to a run, especially when you don’t feel like it.

Liara Covert Says:

August 28th, 2008, 18:32 pm

How you perceive is a choice. What becomes a habit is conscious or unconscious. As you raise awareness you determine whether any habits would benefit from change. First however, you have to come to awaken to realize what your habits are before your judge, if at all.

Katie Says:

August 28th, 2008, 20:36 pm

For inspiration, you should all check out Ode’s latest article “What a long strange trip its been” (http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/56/what-a-long-strange-trip-its-been).

It’s about the transformation one man goes through from being an obese drug addict from New York to a clean, happy grad student. This guy is challenged to a 30-day program that includes eating a raw food diet, daily affirmations, writing exercises and activities.

It’s kind of like a snowball effect. Once you change one habit you start to become more grounded and the rest just seem to follow!

John Says:

August 28th, 2008, 21:47 pm

Great habits indeed. I think beyond positive thinking we should have the habit of “empowering thinking”. It may just be semantics but it’s a completely different way of thinking. Empowering thinking is different than positive thinking in that it give you the constant impetus to continue feeling good about who you are and what you are doing. For example, going into a sports competition: It isnt just “I know I can do it. I know I can do it.” It’s “I have have trained hard to get to this point. I am unstoppable, invincible. I am absolutely at my best.”

Also, one of the greatest benefits of exercising daily is the amount of energy you get. With this energy, you can think more clearly, focus on what’s really important, and take control of your life.

listenmore Says:

August 29th, 2008, 5:16 am

Wow, so much great info. This one is going to merit one of my rare: Hard copies

Eric Says:

August 29th, 2008, 5:55 am

In my life coaching practice I find a segment of the population that just can’t turn on positive thinking. One thing that helps is to have them journal what they are grateful for in life. Many times the list will be short and get stale quickly. They then should just answer one question in the journal each day for a couple of weeks that forces a broader view of gratitude. For example: Which friends are you grateful for? What weather are you grateful for? What color sky do you love the most? What childhood experience did you love the lost?…..

This helps people realizes they have much more to be grateful for in life.

Leo, thanks for the great articles in Zen Habits.

Fabrice Says:

August 29th, 2008, 6:23 am

“5. Eliminate the non-essential”

Maybe you should consider giving up with twitter ?
That’s what I did after 2 days using it…

Keri Says:

August 29th, 2008, 10:27 am

How do you remain positive when you’re surrounded by constant complainers? I can’t avoid these people,I work with them. We all sit next to each other so I can’t just close a door. When I read blogs like these at home, I feel very uplifted and encouraged, then the second I get to work I feel this wave of gloom wash over me. My company is being hit very hard with cutbacks and layoffs which contribute to negativity. One coworker in particular is very negative about her abilities. Despite our efforts to reassure her otherwise, she still talks down about herself all the time. I have given up trying to pump her with confidence which I now realize will have to come from within herself. But hearing her talk down about herself sucks all the energy and positivity I may have had and actually makes me feel worse about myself! How do I flourish in such a negative environment? And how can I be a positive influence on my coworkers?

Steve Martile Says:

August 29th, 2008, 11:25 am

I would suggest creating the greatest habit of all, thinking:

“As you think, so shall you become.” ~ Bruce Lee

Thinking about the past produces more of the same. To create a new future, think about where you want to go. Create a vision for your future.

Fosterven Says:

August 29th, 2008, 12:36 pm

What about people how feel that a daily routine is a boring thin?

you should be able to develop habits without having that feeling…

the question is because I understand your point, but some people not. Thanks!!!

hunny girl Says:

August 29th, 2008, 14:40 pm

if the internet was a piece of paper, i’d take a highlighter and mark every single point you just made. thanks for this great post Leo! i’ve been reading zen habits for several months now and because of this great blog, i’ve decided to make some changes in my life. i’ll definitely be going back to this (and other posts as well) time and time again!

Todd Says:

August 29th, 2008, 15:21 pm

For anyone looking for ways to change you eating habits, read this article: The 6-Step Healthy Eating Plan

http://www.ToddCambio.com

Amalgam Says:

August 29th, 2008, 17:29 pm

Hey, thanks for this it couldn’t have come at a better time!

Amalgam Says:

August 29th, 2008, 17:31 pm

Hey, thanks for this it couldn’t have come at a better time! Guess what? I book marked this site, and I only bookmark sites that I think are really, really useful.

Rick Umali Says:

August 29th, 2008, 22:15 pm

Amen to every one of these seven “little” habits!

Zen Says:

August 30th, 2008, 14:20 pm

Excellent Compilation.

I did something similar to your 30 day challenge in losing weight and running. What I found was that the 30 days became 60, then 90 then 120, and before I knew it, I was down 38 lbs!

Zen

TDC Says:

August 30th, 2008, 14:37 pm

Brilliant and very useful post. Agree with all the points but in particular the single tasking. Since I stopped trying to juggle so many things at once and allocate time to focus just on one thing at a time I have not only seen my productivity go up but also my happiness as I get more things done with out the stress.

Lily Says:

August 31st, 2008, 9:20 am

I used to see positive thinking as way too optimistic too. Mushy stuff, I thought. But I’ve always had a tendency to anxiety and when it got worse I discovered that one of the causes of it is the habit of anticipating future moments and always have expectations, generally negative, instead of just living. I finally saw that I actually do this often, and that positive thinking sometimes just “normalizes” the situation when you are too negative. I thought positivity was silly, but instead I was being very silly by being so negative! Besides, pt can defeat our fears and let us be more energetic and productive, and, last but not least, transmit positivity to others.

Stephen Says:

August 31st, 2008, 10:04 am

The habits I would create would be:

Meditate at least once a day, do some form of Qigong regularly, get out into nature in solitude regularly and break old habits.

Rishi Kumar Says:

August 31st, 2008, 12:22 pm

nice ,seemingly easy to follow yet extremly tough to practice,thanx

Radhakrishnan Says:

August 31st, 2008, 13:31 pm

Excellent! Really, those who follow they can create good habits with in a few days.
Thanks!

Poojanun Namah Says:

September 3rd, 2008, 9:12 am

I will try to run once a week.The above has inspired me.

Josten Says:

September 7th, 2008, 15:00 pm

The habit part is something im going to focus on for as long as it takes me to break it. Great post opened my eyes up even more to the unseen.

CG Walters Says:

October 19th, 2008, 10:47 am

Leo,
This article was featured in the CelebraZine: 18 Oct 08, http://kathmandau.blogspot.com/2008/10/celebrazine-18-oct-08.html
Thank you for the all good work you do.
Blessings to you and all you hold dear,
CG

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