Leo Babauta

Just how focussed are you?

Do you target all your energies on the task at hand, or do you find yourself distracted umpteen times?

Imagine what your life would be like if you were to get much more focussed in all areas of your life.

If like most people you get easily distracted in this age of distraction, then Leo Babauta has just the answer for you – his latest book, called appropriately enough – Focus.

You can read more about Leo’s new book on focus at Zen Habits

If you haven’t heard of Leo Babauta, then let me tell you a bit more about him.

Leo is the world’s leading blogger whose blog Zen Habits now has over 200,000 subscribers and is transforming the world with his message of simple productivity.

Is Leo Babuata the most focussed man in the world?!

Earlier this year, Time magazine named Zen Habits as THE number one blog for 2010. Please do check out Zen Habits today and be sure to subscribe.

Leo has become a friend and a mentor on my blogging journey – and he kindly agreed to an interview for Make It Happen readers:-

1. Leo, welcome to my blog and thanks for accepting my request for an interview.

Usually ebooks or guides are just that – a single document to read, whereas you have given us the Full Monty!

Please describe your product in more detail.

Leo: The usual ebook is available for free download, without having to give away your email address or anything. But if you want more, it’s available in a premium version: there are bonus chapters from me and five other authors, quickstart guides in PDF format, videos going further into several topics, and three expert audio interviews.

It’s a digital course in one neat package.

Focus - A Simplicity Manifesto from Leo Babauta


2. What do you think our mutual hero Gandhi would have to say about Focus?

Leo: I wouldn’t presume to know. He was brilliant, and concerned himself with matters of freedom. Even his insistence on simplicity and self-reliance were tools to greater freedom.

Focus, in that sense, is a tool for freedom as well — it’s a way to free yourself from the tyranny of digital distractions, so that you can create or do what’s important to you.

I hope he would have approved.

3. How do you let your hair down (metaphorically speaking!)?

Leo: As you know, I don’t have any hair to let down! And that’s true metaphorically speaking, too … I don’t think I have to let my hair down, as it’s always down.

I’m always doing things I love, always having fun, so there’s no division between being serious and having fun. It’s all the time.

4. Do you ever have days of being scatty, forgetful or a terror to be around?

Leo: Of course! I’m human, despite what anyone might think. I have a horrible memory — I don’t even try to improve it. I can get moody too — one of the things I should work on is letting go of bad feelings when I feel I’ve been offended. I can usually do that eventually, but until I do I can be moody.

5. You have a world class blog and a worldwide following. And yet recently you said something which I really loved and struck a chord with me deeply.

You said how little you really know and how there was so much more to learn and love.

So what’s next for you, Leo?

Leo: I never know what’s next. That’s one of the little things I’ve learned — I can’t predict or control the future, so I’ve (mostly) stopped trying.

I don’t plan that much (sometimes I do), I don’t set goals very much, I just do what I love and see what comes up.

That makes it very hard to work with me — I don’t stick very well to deadlines or plans. But I usually do something cool in the end. We’ll see what comes next.

6. If you had to share something with Make It Happen readers that you have never ever told anyone before, what would that be?

Please make it profound, earth-shaking and life-changing. Or you can just tell us your shoe size or a nasty habit that you want to shake-off.

Leo: Everything I say is bullshit!

I might sound like I know what I’m talking about, but in reality I don’t know more than the next guy — if anything I know less.

I’m making things up as I go along, just like everyone else. I’m trying things out to see what works, learning a little, making huge mistakes, failing a lot.

I know so little, but maybe my strength is that I realize that and I’m OK with that. Whatever I say, take it with a barrel of salt, and don’t take anything as gospel. Try it out yourself, but don’t think I have any answers.

At most, I’ll get you thinking about something fairly important so you can figure it out yourself.

7. Final question Leo. You are an incredibly giving and generous guy. And I know that from my own personal experience of you over the last year. So what can we, your followers, do to give something back to you?

Leo: My readers (I think of them as online friends who don’t seem to get annoyed by me) have already given me more than I’ve ever given anyone.

You have all given me the opportunity to share what I’m excited about, to learn from you, to connect with you, to make a living doing what I love, to quit a tiresome job and spend more time with my family.

You’ve shared some incredible stories about how simple articles I’ve written have touched you or changed your lives, even if I had no idea that could ever happen when I wrote the articles.

I’m profoundly touched and gratified by what my readers have given me, and I can ask for nothing more.

Thanks very much Leo for sharing your personal insights and tips.Β  We all look forward to getting more focussed in our lives.

To download the free version of Leo’s new ebook and also to purchase the premium version, please visit:-

Focus: A simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction (not an affiliate link)

If you like, you can get all three ebooks as a package:-

Three Zen Habits Ebooks Package

(these are affiliate links, but please rest assured that I only ever promote products I really believe in)

Please share below your tips on getting focussed.

What works for you? What doesn’t work for you?