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.

8 people found this helpful

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.

9 people found this helpful

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.

2 people found this helpful

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.

1 person found this helpful

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.

1 person found this helpful

Repetitive & Incendiary

3 stars for sheer boredom & repetitiveness. Also, I feel attacked by like every thing he says to declutter. Joking. But for real, very repetitive. use of same phrases too much.

Loved it!

Simple and straight to the point. I found it Helpful Recommend this read. Give it a listen

A good set of tips.

Good life management tips presented well. Read Leo Babauta's blog for more recommendations . It's good.

What my mind needed

Debo decir que esta es la información que necesitaba mi mente. Útil y práctica. Asombrosa historia; narrada por una hermosa voz. Simplemente una guía increíble para la superación personal. I can't get enough of IT!

Nice quick & easy listen

I feel calmer already! Fred Stella, the narrator, has a calming, yet motivating voice, which works well with this book. Leo Babauta's book is based upon his "successful" blog, "Zen Habits", which his readers requested. There are short and sweet tips that are addressed quickly. Some of his advice includes; - Declutter your home in order to declutter your mind. - The art of doing nothing, eg. take a hot bath. - Practice being compassionate towards others. - Bring focus to your breathe. - Remind yourself to be grateful for what you have. - Make the most of your time and spend it wisely. My least favourite part was the part about being more compassionate towards others, because this comes naturally to me, so I was surprised to hear that people have to practice this. Contrary to my distaste to this section, he does have a point. My last job required more face to face interaction, and it was comforting to know that other strangers respond so well once you are well versed in smiling and portraying a sense of self confidence. A nice read for those wanting to feel calmer. You could say it's almost hypnotic. Listening to his stories, I envision images of cycling through winding bends within nature. Breathing in the fresh air and just staring at my jaw dropping surroundings in the mountains somewhere, whilst pondering whether to take a dip in the refreshingly cold, yet sun drenched lake. Leo Babauta creates the illusion of being free, at least within in our own minds.