"Zen Habits" by Leo Babauta

• The truth is that life is only as difficult as we make it.
• Food, shelter, clothing and relationships are all we need to be happy.
• Simple relationships consist of enjoying each other’s company without expectations.
• It’s important that we remember what’s necessary and what’s invented. When we realize that something is invented, we can choose to eliminate that need; if it doesn’t serve a good purpose, if it makes life more difficult, it can go!
• The only thing that stands in the way of an effortless life is the mind.
• Guidelines
• Cause no harm
• Have no fixed goals or plans
• Have no expectations
• Don’t create false needs
• Do nothing you hate
• Don’t rush
• Create no unnecessary actions
• We create unnecessary efforts because we’re uncomfortable with the state of “not doing.”
• Removing goals and simplifying purpose removes the need for many actions.
• If we reduce our needs and learn to be content with little, we need to work little to survive.
• If you reduce your needs and learn to be content with little, you will need to do very little. Your reduced needs result in reduced effort.
• The things that make you happy don’t have to cost a lot.
• Reduce your needs, be content with little, and life’s required effort drops by a mile.
• The first guideline of Effortless Living is to cause no harm.
• Being compassionate means to try to understand them better, to empathize, and to try to relieve them from pain.
• Stop letting yourself be limited by goals.
• You have to open your mind to going places you never expected to go.
• The goals system is set up for failure.
• Even when you do things exactly right, it’s not ideal because goals limit your possibilities.
• Just because you don’t have goals doesn’t mean you do nothing--you can create, you can produce, you can follow your passion.
• No matter what path you find, no matter where you end up, it’s beautiful. There is no bad path, no bad destination.
• Always remember: the journey is all. The destination is beside the point.
• Do good because you love doing good, and expect nothing beyond that.
• When you think you control something, you’re wrong.
• Control is an illusion.
• We don’t know the future, much less are able to control it. We like to think we do, but that never turns out to be true.
• When we are in the midst of chaos, let go of the need to control it.
• Most people don’t live in a state of mindfulness.
• The more we try to control our day and actions with plans, the more we limit ourselves.
• If you hate doing something, figure out a way to stop doing it.
• Don’t rush. Go slowly. Be Present. Rushing through our days causes difficulties and extra effort.
• Walking slowly between two things in the office, or in the home, is a foreign concept for most of us.
• Much of what we do is unnecessary.
• Much of what we do is only because of custom, because we think it’s necessary, or because we’ve created the need for the actions through problems caused by other actions we’ve taken.
• We create unnecessary cleaning and maintenance when we bring too many possessions into our lives.
• Realize that everything around you is all that you need for happiness.
• When you find yourself thinking about what you want, start appreciating what you have, every day.
• A general guideline is to be very careful about adding new things to your life, and, in general, favor the subtraction of things.
• Slowly cut things out until you’re left with only what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.
• Every single thing you do should be done mindfully, and given equal importance.
• I have found that through subtraction, parenting can be easier than most of us are used to.
• I’ve learned that there is very little we need to do as parents -- mostly we should just try to keep them alive and keep ourselves from screwing up.
• I’m finding that the least amount of intervention as a parent is the best amount. The less we do as parents, the better.
• Practice being present in your next interaction with a friend or loved one.
• Practice letting go of expectations of other people.
• Do what excites you.
• Walk away if it’s boring.
• If you hate your job -- maybe it won’t allow you to play effortlessly every day -- realize that you can change it. We are not stuck in our jobs.
• Find something you love doing, that feels like play, and turn that into your job.
• The only way to get better is to do it.
• No matter what your job, you can find a way to make it play. It’s all a matter of mindset. And once it’s play, it’s effortless.
• Note that the world will go one, whether you’re OK with it or not.
• When you realize you don’t have to struggle with everything, life becomes so much more effortless.
• The struggle is never as important as the relationship.
• Struggle comes when we try to force things down a certain path. Instead, flow around the obstacle like water, finding an alternate path, letting go of the fixed path. Adapt, be fluid, and accept the changing course.
• The most important thing you can do to convert others to your ideas is to be the best model possible.
• De-clutter your life, live more simply, and you’ll go a long way to converting others.
• Realize you can’t control or change others.
• You’re already good enough, you already have more than enough, and you’re already perfect.
• If you learn to be content with you you are and where you are in life, it changes everything
• You already have everything you need to be content, right here and right now.
• Being content with yourself means realizing that striving for perfection is based on someone else’s idea of what “perfect” is ... and that that’s all bullshit.
• One step at a time, putting one foot in front of the other, is how you start the journey. It’s how the entire journey is made.
• Be flexible. Be forgiving of yourself. Allow yourself to practice, every day, and make lots of mistakes. It’s those mistakes that will help you learn.
• A minimalist eschews the mindset of more, of acquiring and consuming and shopping, of bigger is better, of the burden of stuff.
• A minimalist realizes that acquiring stuff doesn’t make us happy.
• A minimalist values quality, not quantity, in all forms.
• Omit needless things.
• Identify the essential.
• Make everything count.
• Whatever you do or keep in your life, make it worthy of keeping.
• Fill your life with joy.
• Minimalism isn’t an end point. It’s a constant process of editing, revisiting, editing some more.
• Being content with what you have is important, or all the decluttering in the world won’t matter, because you’ll just want more.
• Start cutting back on clutter and possessions.
• Start simplifying your schedule.
• Cut back on commitments, take the unnecessary stuff out of your schedule, and leave some breathing room.
• Realize you already have all you really need.
• Learn to stop buying non-necessities.
• Always ask before buying: Is this an absolute necessity?
• Learn to be happy by doing, not owning.
• Having more breeds wanting more.
• One of the basics of minimalism is that you eliminate as many non-necessities as you can, to make room for what’s important.
• Have less stuff, you need less house.
• Once you’ve gotten rid of non-essential commitments, your life will be freed to do the things you’ve always wanted to do.
• Leave space between things in your schedule.
• Often we believe we can do more than we actually can, and as a result we make long todo lists that we could never do in a day or three.
• Choose three tasks for each day -- really important, high-impact tasks. These three Most Important Tasks (MITs) should be your focus each day, and ideally you should do them before working on any tasks of lower importance.
• Do the important stuff first. Worry about the little things later.
• Clutter is poison to a minimalist.
• You accumulate clutter by being in the mindset of acquiring rather than a mindset of enough.
• “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” -- William Morris
• If you haven't used it in 6 months, toss it.
• If you don’t use it, you don’t need it.
• If things have sentimental value, it’s because of the memories they hold, not because of what they actually are or what they can be used fro. So take a picture, or it it’s a picture or document, scan it into your computer.
• Instead of having a lot of stuff in your home, a minimalist would choose just a few really good things he loves and uses often.
• The biggest things in any room are the furniture, so you should always begin simplifying a room by looking at the furniture. The fewer pieces of furniture, the better.
• Whether looking at your furniture or anything else in the room, ask yourself if the item is truly essential. If you can live without it, get it out. Try to strip the room down to its essentials -- you can always add a few choice items beyond the essentials later.
• Except for the furniture, your floors should be completely clear.
• You should store everything you need out of sight, in drawers and cabinets.
• Eliminate everything unnecessary.
• It’s interesting to note that what you think your requirements are might not be the minimum. They might just be what you’re used to doing.
• Clear out your inbox each day.
• Set up only four folders in your documents folder:
• inbox
• working
• read
• archive
• You don’t need to organize all your files into folders anymore because of magic called search.
• Keep your tools simple. It allows you to focus on what’s important: creating.
• Do you have little items or papers that have sentimental value? Snap a quick digital photo, and get rid of the item. The memories have been captured.
• The minimalize tries to travel as light as possible - alight bag, a light itinerary, and a light attitude.
• Pack only high-tech fabrics, the kind that dry quickly so that you can do a wash in the sink.
• Don’t over plan your trip. Keep your travel itinerary fluid, so that you can soak up the atmosphere in each place.
• To have a functioning wardrobe without needing too many clothes, it’s best to have options that can all go together.
• Stick with a classic style that won’t be out of fashion in a few months. Go for high-quality clothes that won’t fall apart after a few washes.
• Cook more than you need for one meal, so you’ll have leftovers for tomorrow.
• Minimalist fitness focuses on working out less than others would have you do, with less equipment.
• Using just your bodyweight, you can do a large number of challenging exercises.
• Get outside and get active.
• Make your workouts short but intense.
• When you find yourself with an urge to buy, stop, and breathe.
• Before you can find financial peace of mind, you need an emergency fund, otherwise you’re always going to be living on the edge, from paycheck to paycheck.
• Don’t buy unless you need it and have the money.
• Any life that includes children is going to be complicated, at least to some degree.
• You’ll never get an absolute minimalist lifestyle with kids, and I’ve learned to accept that.
• First, you must realize that kids are messy, and that they don’t care about clutter like you do. You’ll never change this -- although some kids are naturally neater than most. You must start by accepting this, and not trying to force your system on them.
• The first step in decluttering is identifying which toys and other possessions are truly important to the kids. What do they play with, what do they love? Then get rid of as much of the rest as possible, keeping only those they use and love.
• Contain the clutter. Only let them [the kids] keep their stuff in their rooms.
• Kids are not perfect. They will inevitably make a mess. You have to allow them to do this. Then, when they’re done, ask them to clean it up. No harm, no foul.
• Instead of getting them [the kids] a huge pile of cheap junk, go for quality toys or possessions that will last long.
• Buy less. Drastically reduce the amount of stuff you buy for your kids. It’s difficult to resist them when they really want something at a store, but you aren’t doing them any favors by caving in. Don’t deprive them completely, but also don’t spoil them with stuff.
• One of the biggest challenges for anyone wanting to live a minimalist life is not internal but external -- their loved ones aren’t on board the minimalist train.
• While your spouse or partner or children may not want to declutter their lives or live without consumerism, you can, at least in the areas you control.
• Often people are against change because they don’t know enough about it.
• If you can’t get a loved one on board, it helps to set boundaries.
• For adults, you might designate certain rooms or areas as yours and others as theirs.
• Organizing is only necessary when you have too many things to easily find what you’re looking for.
• Focus on only doing a few important things, and you barely even need a list.
• Have a smaller house. Have less stuff, and you need less space. Big houses are wasteful, not only in the resources they take to build, but in cooling and heating and maintaining.
• Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what’s truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value.