Essential Zen Habits

In 2014, simplicity expert Leo Babauta published his masterwork, Zen Habits: Mastering the Art of Change. Then, in 2015, he published a new, abridged version, Essential Zen Habits: Mastering the Art of Change Briefly, aimed at readers who didn't care about the underlying theory laid out in the first book but just wanted the basic steps needed to quit bad habits, deal with life struggles, and practice mindfulness-a compact series of instructions with no fluff whatsoever. The author explains: "This is a concise guide to changing habits and dealing with struggles. I made it intentionally brief so you don't have to dig for the 'tell me what to do' bits. It's meant to get to the point, quickly, with no stories and not many explanations-the 'just do this' book you've been wanting to help you take action." What does this book cover? Here are the key topics: - How to change a habit, using a six-week process. - How to troubleshoot changes if you're having difficulties. - How to change a bad habit (advanced topic). - How to deal with life struggles. - How to develop mindfulness in everyday life. The author writes: "I dive into some deeper topics than just the mechanics of habit change, but they're the most useful ideas I've ever come across in all my years of writing about habit change and mindfulness and happiness. I hope you find this useful! I've written it for you with love."

With the arrival of the 21st century we have encountered a mental and material explosion in the Western world: we have near-unlimited information at our fingertips, we can have children who are healthy and safe, and we have wealth and possessions beyond what most of the world can dream of. However, this is not a boast. We are more stressed than we have ever been: the majority of us are profoundly unhappy. Despite the potential of prosperity, our fears are undiminished: we are stuck with cars and computers and houses and mobiles and hundreds of other tiny apparent "needs" that, when all combined, build to something unsustainable. Though we are surrounded by what we want, our desire to keep and still get more creates a pressure that we cannot tolerate. But we do not need to "keep up with the Joneses". The flip side of our society's growth is that we can choose what to accept, and what not to accept: what to keep, and what to lose, joyfully and consciously. With this handbook of simplicity, Leo Babauta shows us: • why less is powerful • how to know what you want, and what you need • how to choose what is essential, and clear out the rest With The Power of Less, you will be able to start a complete shift from wanting everything to needing nothing, be able to live your life simply without compromise, and discover that though we cannot have everything we want, we can obtain anything we will ever need. With this book, you will find how to go through life not carefully, but carefreely.

A guide to overcoming the mind's resistance to change, with a method for forming habits, increasing mindfulness, and dealing with life struggles.

Zen To Done is a simple system to help you get organized and productive--keeping your life saner and less stressed--with a set of simple habits. Zen To Done takes some of the best aspects of popular productivity systems (GTD, Stephen Covey, and others), then combines and simplifies them, giving you just what you need--and no more. Simply put, ZTD teaches you: (1) The key habits needed to be organized and productive. (2) How to implement these habits. (3) How to organize the habits into a simple system that will keep everything in your life in its place. (4) How to simplify what you need to do. (5) How to implement an even simpler version called Minimal ZTD. If you're tired of doing things the hard way and just want a simple, easy, yet effective way to accomplish your goals, Zen To Done is just what you need.

We can use whatever life presents, Ezra Bayda teaches, to strengthen our spiritual practice—including the turmoil of daily life. What we need is the willingness to just be with our experiences—whether they are painful or pleasing—opening ourselves to the reality of our lives without trying to fix or change anything. But doing this requires that we confront our most deeply rooted fears and assumptions in order to gradually become free of the constrictions and suffering they create. Then we can awaken to the loving-kindness that is at the heart of our being. While many books aspire to bring meditation into everyday experience, Being Zen gives us practical ways to actually do it, introducing techniques that enable the reader to foster qualities essential to continued spiritual awakening. Topics include how to cultivate: • Perseverance: staying with anger, fear, and other distressing emotions. • Stillness: abiding with chaotic experiences without becoming overwhelmed. • Clarity: seeing through the conditioned beliefs and fears that "run" us. • Direct experience: encountering the physical reality of the present moment—even when that moment is exactly where we don't want to be. Like Pema Chödrön, the best-selling author of When Things Fall Apart, Ezra Bayda writes with clear, heartfelt simplicity, using his own life stories to illustrate the teachings in an immediate and accessible way that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers.

Contentment is a super power. If you can learn the skills of contentment, your life will be better in so many ways: You’ll enjoy your life more. Your relationship will be stronger. You’ll be better at meeting people. You’ll be healthier, and good at forming healthy habits. You’ll like and trust yourself more. You’ll be jealous less. You’ll be less angry and more at peace. You’ll be happier with your body. You’ll be happier no matter what you’re doing or who you’re with. Those are a lot of benefits, from one small bundle of skills. Putting some time in learning the skills of contentment is worth the effect and will pay off for the rest of your life.

Most of us rush around doing a lot of task and errands each day, putting out fires, and dealing with dramas. Most of these struggle are invented. We are simply beings. Food, shelter, clothing and relationships are all we need to be happy. Food grows simply and naturally. Shelter is a simply roof. Clothing is just cloth. Simple relationships consist of enjoying each other’s company without expectations. Beyond these simple needs, we’ve added invented needs: careers, bosses, and co-workers; new gadgets, software and social media; cars and nice clothes and purses and laptop bags and televisions and more. Imagine that you have a few close friends and family members, and you spend ample time with them. You have no expectations of them, therefore, they don’t disappoint you, and, in fact, whatever they do is perfect. You love them for who they are, and your relationships remain uncomplicated. You enjoy spending time in solitude—with your thoughts, with nature, with a book, and maybe even creating. This is a simple, effortless life. It’s not effortless as in “no effort,” but it feels effortless, and that’s what matters. And it’s entirely possible. The only thing that stands in the way of an effortless life is the mind.

Everyone has negative habits -- even the smallest ones can take control of us. "Let Go" is a much-needed guide to getting that control back. Martine Batchelor helps readers focus their minds and uncover the roots of their repetitive behaviors. For Batchelor, it's all about how we relate to our thoughts. By adopting the kind of "creative engagement" that she teaches in "Let Go, " readers can start to see real change, and recognize problems for what they really are: growth opportunities! Batchelor's methods are applicable to all unwanted behavior -- from the slightest undesirable recurring actions to more serious patterns of cruelty, self-abuse, and negativity. Each chapter concludes with Batchelor's expert guidance in exercises or meditations that helps readers begin to work with their harmful habits in a new, creative, and empowering way.