• Zen Habits

  • Handbook for Life
  • By: Leo Babauta
  • Narrated by: Fred Stella
  • Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (843 ratings)

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Zen Habits  By  cover art

Zen Habits

By: Leo Babauta
Narrated by: Fred Stella
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Publisher's summary

The Zen Habits Handbook for Life is a compilation of Leo Babauta's best articles on living from a Zen Habits perspective. What will this book teach you to do? Basically the same things that Zen Habits aims for overall: how to simplify your life, how to live a happier life, how to be more productive with less stress, how to achieve your dreams. The book includes chapters on decluttering, single-tasking, eliminating nonessentials, planning your day, clearing your inbox, getting motivated, cultivating compassion, boosting self-confidence, living consciously, and much more! Think of it as a little handbook for a better life.

©2012 Leo Babauta (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Zen Habits

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good but repetitive

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This is kind of a "best of" compilation, supposedly. While it is hard to beat Fred Stella's most excellent voice, it is kind of repetitive and doesn't really go anywhere.

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure who the target audience is for Babauta, but my guess this is for executive types wearing suits and ties. Many of the suggestions in the book, I already do, so it wasn't a huge help. There were a couple of things to make you think, but after hearing how to organize an email inbox for the 3rd or 4th time, I gave up on the book.

My attraction to the book was the name (and the fair price). As other's have pointed out, Babauta's works have little to do with Zen. It is more of how to simplify, organize and manage time better.

I'm going to throw out a better book, which like Babauta and Zen, has really nothing to do with Buddhism: Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time. It is also read by Fred Stella, and offers a lot more practical insights than how to organize an email inbox.





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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Motivational Content... Read by a Robot

Where does Zen Habits rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Zen Habits had a load of tips and motivation to help improve one's mindset. From cleaning to increasing the Warm Fuzzy quotient of the world, there is enough here to pull you out of your doldrums. Though there seems to be alot of information that is continously repeated, in slightly different contexts, The framing of a published and repackaged series of blog posts adjusts our orientation so this all makes sence.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narration, though calm and soothing, orften seemed stilted. The narrator was far from conversational, often sounding like he was sight reading the matterial for the first time. Though the writing style of the author, often uses excessive 'and''s and 'or''s, the stilted nature of its delivery, made me wonder if the narrator was a cylon.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

No Emotion

I adore the content of the audiobook.
I’ve followed the blog for years.
I really wish though the Leo would’ve picked a different narrator. I appreciate the attempt of Fred Stella, but with his performance sounds like a robot.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very helpful advice, design of book flawed

This book offers very practical, helpful, insightful and accessible advice. A wonderful combination and a difficult one to achieve.
Unfortunately, the design of a collection of essays fails when someone consumes them all at once. There is far too much redundancy and the repetition is beyond reinforcing, It becomes frustrating.
It would be interesting to have a version of this book done where there is an effort to condense the advice, build on the words originally composed and include examples. Further, it might be interesting to do a new version of the book as a project where folks are followed as They implement the advice and there are stories of their efforts included.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator sounds like a robot

The book was interesting. The author added some humor which was completely lost due to the narration. Not recommended. A little boring. Maybe I will buy the actual book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Zen Habits for Dummies

The author was saying "if you want a more peaceful life get rid of your stuff." For me that is a cop out. I need to peacefully manage my stuff--not get rid of it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

useful but...

The only thing I did not like is that the book mentions the GTD method which I consider as an over-organization tool, that is, a method without any scientific proof, and, above all, it is worse for people with high degrees of anxiety.
Overall, It is and useful guide well narrated to make life easier and minimalistic

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent read! Saved me a couple of months in therapy

Excellent read! Saved me a couple of months or years in therapy. Lol Definitely recommend

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

basic does not mean useless

I am torn on this one. First of all, I did not enjoy it. The advice was basic. It lacked real persuasiveness.
On the other hand, basic does not mean useless. I think the basic advice in this book can have powerful effects on one's life if they were to implement them. I know much of the advice in this book I have already implemented in my life before reading this book and I can attest that the advice works.
Also, the author released the text freely which is a noble gesture and I applaud. I think the author genuinely has found things that work in his life and he wants to share simply to benefit his fellowman.
Where it gets difficult is when reviews demand a star rating from me.
My personal enjoyment of the book was a 2 while his goals and the fact that this could be incredibly useful to those who have not heard this advice before rates it a 5. So in the generous spirit of the author, where my review may spark purchases of this book I will give it a 5. Where I simply review this book for my own records I give it a 2.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Read to Help Live a More Meaningful Life

This was a great read with a lot of useful content to help live a more meaningful life. With some of the content being a little off the conventional path - in a good way from my perspective, my only wish would be for more conviction expressed in the audio narration.

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