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by Leo Babauta

Holy crap, I read this book (The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life) last week and my life is completely different now! And it’s not even a good book! It’s a hard-bound blog with an excessively long subtitle (by Leo Babauta, the author of ZenHabits.net) & there are plenty of numbered lists, bulleted lists, & paragraphs in lists. The book even ends with a list!

I like lists because I can’t remember anything. But I think Babauta likes lists because writing coherently, with transitions and paragraphs that flow together, is time-consuming not essential.

Whatever, I’m not a book reviewer and since reading this book I’ve been inspired to do a million things, just like the book said would happen!:

1. my desk is no longer covered with calendars & post-it-notes from 2006
2. I’ve gone running twice
3. I tried to sew (and ruined a Dr. Scientist t-shirt)
4. went to the dentist
5. read 50+ pages of Essential ActionScript 3.0 (Essential) (which is ridiculously thorough = boring)
6. tinkered with PHP
7. watched some videos on Drupal (still looks silly, even if it has forums)
8. repotted an aloe plant
9. made the office closet less dangerous
10. consolidated analog lists + pbwiki lists into txt file lists & also wrote a couple new lists
11. regrouped magnets on the refrigerator door
12. went to band practice, played a show
13. talked to my mom *and* my brother on the phone
14. ate lunch without sitting in front of a monitor, several times! (try it, you’ll be so much more aware of what you’re eating! it might be boring!) (and by lunch, i don’t mean popcorn + oreo cookies!)

It’s very exciting, even if Lunchbox is skeptical of this new book. He distrusts productivity-self-helpy books in general, but also noted that the books had failed to prevent me from sitting on my ass for the last 6+ months*.

I admit it, I’ve read:

1. Getting Things Done (and bought manila folders)
2. 43folders & all about the Hipster PDA (and bought index cards)
3. The 4-Hour Workweek (and ignored my email for weeks)
4. Lifehacker (and downloaded AntiRSI which reminds me to take breaks)

Also, I’ve had the same goals for the past 5 years & haven’t gotten very far in any of them:

1. Quit smoking
2. Get a Real job
3. Save money
4. Be healthy / exercise / stop eating so much ice cream
5. Be nice

It’s very sad. I’m still going to be optimistic about this new book though. The alternatives are worse. I’d have to rely on myself or ask people for help or something.

*I had been busy dominating the world in Civilization (on Deity). Also, I learned a lot about weddings, makeovers, the morbidly obese, and babies from TLC & Style.