eller-hur:

7 Little Things That Make Life Effortless:

thelittlesea:

1. Do less. This is my productivity mantra, and it’s counterintuitive. I actually don’t believe in productivity, but instead believe in doing the important things. Do less, and you’ll force yourself to choose between what’s just busywork, and what really matters. Life then becomes effortless, as you accomplish big things while being less busy.

2. Having less is lighter. Start asking yourself if you really need everything you have, or if you just have it out of fear. Start to let go of what you have, so it doesn’t own you. And then, as you have less, you feel lighter. It’s wonderful.

3. Let the little things go. People who struggle often fight over little things. We obsess over things that don’t really matter. We create resistance instead of letting things glide off us. Let the little things go,breathe, and move on to the important things.

4. Clean as you go. I haven’t written about this for a long time, but early in the life of Zen Habits I wrote about the habit of cleaning as you go. Instead of letting the cleaning pile up, put things away when you’re done. Wash your bowl. Wipe the counters clean as you pass them. Sweep up dirt when you notice it. By cleaning a little bit at a time, as you make messes, cleaning up becomes a breeze, and it’s never difficult. By the way, this applies to everything in life, not just cleaning.

5. Make small, gradual changes. Most people are too impatient to follow this advice — they want to do everything at once. We have so many changes to make, but we don’t want to wait a year for it all to happen. As a result, we often fail, and then feel crappy about it. Or we don’t start at all, because so many big changes is intimidating and overwhelming. I’ve learned the hard way that small changes are incredibly powerful, and they last longer. Gradual change leads to huge change, but slowly, and in a way that sticks. And it’s effortless.

6. Learn to focus on the things that matter. This is implied in the items above, but it’s so important I have to emphasize it. Swimming (or any physical activity for that matter) is best done when you do only the motions that matter, and eliminate the extraneous motions. Stop thrashing, start becoming more efficient and fluid. You do this by learning what matters, and cutting out the wasted activity.

7. Be compassionate. This makes dealing with others much more effortless. It also makes you feel better about yourself. People like you more, and you improve the lives of others. Make every dealing with another human being one where you practice compassion.

By Zen Habits

Notes

  1. resistingkarma reblogged this from peacetranquility
  2. moderngirlsgetfit reblogged this from sarahbethyoga
  3. intotheuuild reblogged this from elige
  4. augustea reblogged this from northernnostos
  5. deedailies reblogged this from asoftlysoaringmelody and added:
    I REBLOGGED THIS BEFORE, BUT I THINK WE ALL NEED A LITTLE REMINDER
  6. visonboard reblogged this from afroboheme
  7. quiridott reblogged this from thisisnotnew
  8. agifttotearapart reblogged this from gutterofglitter
  9. whereintheworldisrichardbrook reblogged this from lizarella
  10. freeasadancingbird reblogged this from jvn92
  11. keyash49 reblogged this from e4ma
  12. haneensal reblogged this from empirestateofnoor
  13. empirestateofnoor reblogged this from e4ma
  14. e4ma reblogged this from theatreofmyself and added:
    1. Do less. This is my productivity mantra, and it’s counterintuitive. I actually don’t believe in productivity, but...
  15. furreverluu reblogged this from sarahbethyoga
  16. djempty reblogged this from violentopinions
  17. oshizemi reblogged this from primordialnrg
  18. thedayafteryoudie reblogged this from iliketolive
  19. dauphinemoreaux reblogged this from sweetlotus
  20. vengeance-is-sleeping reblogged this from fightingthinspo
  21. thecricketclub reblogged this from thisisnotnew
  22. apatheticfan reblogged this from mymilkspilt
  23. northwestbeat reblogged this from thisisnotnew and added:
    Going to try and do this.
  24. shantiashtangi reblogged this from thelittlesea
  25. inlovewithagod reblogged this from rosesandmooonbeams
  26. dyrtallday reblogged this from sarahbethyoga
  27. sarahbethyoga reblogged this from mindfulwellness
  28. rosesandmooonbeams reblogged this from mescalitozen
  29. vibaby reblogged this from michishbui