I owe a great deal to Leo Babauta.
Before discovering Zen Habits while web surfing a few years back, I’d never paid any attention to blogs, thinking they were merely somewhat exhibitionist online diaries. Leo changed all that for me.
It helped that at the time he was talking a lot about David Allen’s Getting Things Done, exploring it, and developing his own stripped-down version, Zen To Done. I’m a productivity and systems geek. I was hooked.
But mainly what Leo did for me was show me that a blog could be topical, useful, and interesting…and make me think, “Hey! I could do that, too!”
So I was happy to hear of his just-released book, Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction, and I downloaded the free version within minutes of hitting the page. As I waited for the download to finish, I noticed where he’d written, “…you’re free to review the book, give away the free version on your blog, or interview me.”
Considering that Leo is almost singlehandedly responsible for opening me up to the world of blogging, I jumped at the chance to interview him. Then, in the midst of thinking about what I wanted to ask him, it struck me that I’d rather give my readers the opportunity to do the asking.
So thanks to everyone who shared with me what they wanted to ask Leo! They’re great questions..and here are the answers. 
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Q: Leo, I know you’re an advocate of gradual, one-step-at-a-time change. But sometimes we really do get jolted by unexpected insights or new ways of thinking. Since starting Zen Habits, have you had any “lightbulb” moments when something just clicked for you suddenly? Even if you didn’t do anything about it right away?
Leo: I have those moments all the time. That’s what I love about life—there’s never any shortage of things to learn!
Some examples: the amazing connection that you can form with readers and other bloggers when you start a blog, the way that blogging forces you to reflect on your life and what you’ve learned, the difficulty and joy in finding a way to communicate what you’ve learned clearly so that readers can understand and put it into action, the joy of giving up goals for your business, the passion I’ve found for what I’m doing, the power of stripping down my site to nothing but the content. I could go on all day.
Q: I’m currently reading Focus, and unsurprisingly, I think the content is fantastic. But I’m curious—what was your process for choosing and organizing the material in it?
Leo: I started with the issues I face with finding focus, and the solutions that have worked for me. I expanded with some of the broader philosophical things I’ve been exploring and learning about.
Then I asked readers to share some of their problems, and the holes that I didn’t cover, and they responded brilliantly. I wrote a bunch of chapters to address these problems and holes, and I think it turned out much better than if I hadn’t gotten feedback from readers.
Q: One of my readers would like to know what advice you would give someone with a pattern of all-or-nothing thinking, who gets overwhelmed by everything (s)he thinks (s)he has to do, and can’t imagine tackling only one small change at a time? Someone who thinks, “At that rate, I’ll never get anywhere”?
Leo: I’d suggest a little experiment: one week, try tackling everything you want to tackle at once. The next week, force yourself to make one small change and do only that. Repeat this experiment once more if you dare. See which works better. I don’t know which will work best, but it would be fun to find out.
Q: Another reader asks, “How can we convert intellectual understanding into action? I know everything up here (taps head), but I have such a hard time implementing it!”
Leo: You don’t really understand something until you do it. I conduct little experiments of 1 or 2 weeks, sometimes up to a month. I say, “What would happen if I try this?”
And then I see what happens—sometimes I “fail”, but actually it’s a successful experiment because I’ve learned something. So I suggest you approach it by putting everything you learn to a practical test—a 1 or 2 week experiment—and see what you can learn from actually doing.
Q: Here’s another insightful one—“I love the idea of rewarding myself for building positive habits, but the kinds of simple pleasures you talk about are actually hard work for me. I get antsy and uncomfortable just sitting and enjoying a sunset, or walking without my mp3 player, etc. What are some absolute baby steps for amped-up, anxious people who find stillness scary?”
Leo: It might be interesting to explore why you’re afraid of stillness. What are you afraid might happen? What’s stopping you from giving it a try, and enjoying it? Be completely honest with yourself or you’re wasting your time.
If you can figure out your fear, you’re bringing it out into the light. Then you need to shine more light on it: is it really real? Test it out with a small test: sit still for one minute, and see what happens. Did your fears come true? If not, maybe the fear isn’t grounded in reality—try a slightly longer test, and so on, until you gain the confidence needed to toss the fear aside.
Another important thing: find ways to be still or quiet that you actually enjoy. If you don’t like sunsets, maybe you like a quiet bath, or a massage from your spouse, or reading a good novel, or doing some yoga, or looking at art. There are so many ways to find beauty in stillness—if you haven’t found it, keep looking.
Q: A reader wants to know, “What role does fine art play in a lifestyle that values simplicity and decluttering?”
Leo: Simplify and declutter so that the fine art may stand out, so that you may enjoy it more fully.
A painting in your home, for example, is much better appreciated if it isn’t surrounded by clutter. Great music is better enjoyed when you’ve found the stillness and quiet that doesn’t distract from the music. A beautiful novel is best experienced when you’re able to shut off technology and disconnect for a little while. By simplifying, you find the time and space to enjoy art.
Q: And finally, someone asked a personal question. She’d like to know how your recent move to San Francisco has affected your own life’s simplicity and focus? (I’m going to tack on my own question, since I live here, too, and ask you what the biggest surprise has been for you about San Francisco?)
Leo: The process of finding simplicity and focus are the same no matter where you are—they just allow you to enjoy wherever you are that much better.
Guam is a very different place than San Francisco, and I love the differences between the two wonderful places, but in the end, I still love writing, spending time with my family, reading, getting outside and getting active, taking walks, enjoying simple food. That hasn’t changed, but the nature and people and food have.
The biggest surprise … hmmm. I can’t really think of anything, except the Giants making it to the World Series! I’ve been a Giants fan since I was a teen-ager, so this has been incredible. Other than that, I came into the city without expectations, so no surprises or disappointments. Everything has been perfect.
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Considering that last answer, it’s definitely fitting that as I sit here finalizing this post for publication tomorrow morning, the San Francisco Giants have just won the world series. I can hear the fireworks and happy yelling through my open window right now. (Go, Giants!)
Thank you, Leo, for agreeing to this interview and responding so quickly to my request. You’re a blogger and a gentleman.
And thanks once again to those who contributed their questions. Feel free to continue the conversation in the comments!