By Leo Babauta This month, I’m issuing a challenge to all of you procrastinators … and no, you can’t make the joke that you’ll do it later! The challenge is called Undone: The Unprocrastination Challenge, and it’s a part of my Sea Change Program. The challenge is to set aside an “unprocrastination session” every day […]

By Leo Babauta Before I started Zen Habits, I was in a place in my life where I had a beautiful family, but I was stuck and dissatisfied with myself. I knew I wanted to change things — my health, finances, job, way that I was approaching life — but I didn’t really know what […]

By Leo Babauta The world is in a state of fear and uncertainty right now, and it’s stressful and overwhelming for most of us. This kind of fear, stress, uncertain and overwhelm can have some really strong effects on our lives: Constant fear and stress can cause anxiety problems, worsening sleep and health, depression and […]

By Leo Babauta In the middle of the chaos of the world right now, what can we do to take care of ourselves? Let’s talk about a handful of simple mindfulness practices that can be helpful. Breathe deeply into the belly. This is one to start with, no matter where you are or what you’re […]

By Leo Babauta These are times of heightened change, disruption, uncertainty, fear, anxiety. It can feel pretty crazy for most of us. So how do we cope? What can we do in the middle of chaos and crisis? This is when meditation becomes of critical importance. Without meditation, we have no way of dealing with […]

By Leo Babauta All day long, we’re only giving anything a fraction of our attention. We’re distracted, multitasking, opening multiple browser tabs, checking phone messages and social media. I’m a part of this like anyone else. I’m not immune, and I don’t judge. This fractured, scattered, partial attention has many deleterious effects on our lives: […]

By Leo Babauta My Zen teacher Susan recently told a group of her students at the end of a Zen meditation retreat, “We’re all monastics now.” In this global pandemic, we’re in an era of isolation, retreat. We’re also in an era of heightened uncertainty. This can be a terrible thing, and drive us to […]

By Leo Babauta So often, we reject the experience in front of us. It’s usually out of habit, from not wanting this particular experience, not liking the discomfort or uncertainty … or really not liking the fact that we aren’t going to get what we want. We reject the experience in front of us: Not […]

By Leo Babauta It’s time for us to accept that this pandemic, and social isolation, are here for awhile. But in addition to that, our reality has changed, possibly for good. We’re in a new normal. Some things that have changed for many of us: A sense of restriction: We’re not able to do our […]

By Leo Babauta I recently talked with a couple of people who are just absolutely slammed with business because of the current crisis, and feel like they are drowning in busyness and stress. I can relate to that feeling — I’ve experienced it a bunch of times, including recently. So I’m writing this guide to […]

Setting and achieving goals is a process with different phases that will require lots of focus, commitment, and hard work. In order not to get distracted or overwhelmed, there is a need to stay constantly motivated on the journey to reaching your goals. Below are collections of quotes about achieving goals to help you sustain [...]Read More...

Every project manager has their strengths and weaknesses. Still, to be genuinely productive, you must have a blend of project management skills that are adaptable and ready for any situation. No project is ever the same, especially when working with different stakeholders, team members, third parties, and new challenges in each moment. Project managers and [...]Read More...

Humans are guilty of having less than rational thoughts. We do it all the time. We might assume the worst is going to happen or jump to conclusions before we have all the information. Cognitive restructuring helps people become aware of their irrational thoughts so that they can correct them and replace them with more [...]Read More...

The power of the mind is becoming increasingly more apparent. That’s why you’re seeing all this focus on activities such as mindset development, meditation, and mindfulness. Our mindset forms the foundation and plays a big role in our overall success and happiness. That’s why it’s so important for us to find ways to improve our [...]Read More...

One of the greatest teachers around is life. Through life, we experience all kinds of things. But more importantly, these experiences come with very important, inspirational life lessons. The beauty of these life lessons though is that you do not need to experience all of them first hand. Many people have already gone through various [...]Read More...

Great leaders are like mirrors. What they want to see in their team they often exhibit in themselves, even if that means facing things they’d prefer not to. Can a handful of leadership attributes define every great leader? Or could you have a combination of many skills and still be a great leader? Could a [...]Read More...

Putting together a strong resume that stands out from the pack and lands you an interview can feel a bit like solving a jigsaw puzzle, especially when it comes to the skills section. In this day and age, when a computer algorithm is perhaps more likely to comb through your resume before it ever lands [...]Read More...

Goals and dreams are two concepts that are often used interchangeably in the quest for success. Although they can be used to complement one another, they do mean different things. This article looks at what goals and dreams are and how they can be used hand-in-hand in order to achieve personal success. What Are Goals? [...]Read More...

When two people meet and decide to pursue a romantic relationship with each other, they always start with high hopes. They are very happy and look at the other person through rose-colored glasses. But as most of us know, that loving feeling doesn’t always last forever. It does for some couples, but for many, they [...]Read More...

Mental health matters. Taking care of our mental health aids in our resilience and recovery from anything that happens. Anyone can have a bad day, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad life. How we respond to it and take care of our mental health are what’s important. Mental health is important at every [...]Read More...

Talks about product design are a great tool for thinking about sociology because they show us just how much work goes into understanding our basic assumptions about the things we use everyday. Design shows us which parts of a product are absolutely essential for function, and just how much is only there for show. Small […]

As the primary season heats up, the spotlight is back on political advertising and social media. Recent controversies over “fake” ads on Facebook raises questions about the ethics of campaign strategies that target voters with misinformation. It doesn’t help that many of these tech companies are not exactly transparent about processes for addressing biased or […]

For centuries, nations have expanded geographically and economically by taking land and labor from indigenous people. One of the narratives used to justify this colonialist expansion portrays indigenous land and space as empty, simply there for others to occupy. This narrative is known as indigenous absence. Kleinman and Kleinman write that this kind of erasure […]

We bowed our heads in prayer to mourn yet another loss. It was the third murder in a week. The police captain called a meeting together to develop collaborative alternatives to enforcement so the mostly Black and Latino civilian volunteers could get more involved in promoting crime control. Lakeside, where I was conducting research, is […]

For feminists, liking Barbie is tough.  This top selling American toy has long been criticized for fueling sexist stereotypes, because women are not actually focused on dream houses, dream dates, beauty, and unbridled consumption.  And yet Mattel has made attempts to refashion the doll as women’s positions in society have changed.  By the 1990s Barbie […]

Modern policing is often characterized by quasi-militaristic tendencies, from “wars” on drugs and crime to its use armored vehicles and automatic weapons. The Department of Defense 1033 Program, which provides military equipment slated for storage to law enforcement agencies, is a popular way that police and sheriff’s departments acquire military gear. According to data from […]

Sociologists studying emotion have opened up the inner, private feelings of anger, fear, shame, and love to reveal the far-reaching effects of social forces on our most personal experiences. This subfield has given us new words to make sense of shared experiences: emotional labor in our professional lives, collective effervescence at sporting events and concerts, […]

Tis’ the season for throwing down at dinner. Every year the humor and the horror stories about Thanksgiving hit our social media feeds. This isn’t just about politics, either. Family dinners have a strong symbolic significance. When the stakes are high for a once-a-year gathering, other kinds of social conflicts are primed to play out as well. […]

I just wrapped up my political sociology class for the semester. We spent a lot of time talking about conflict and polarization, reading research on why people avoid politics, the spread of political outrage, and why exactly liberals drink lattes. When we become polarized, small choices in culture and consumption—even just a cup of coffee—can become signals for […]

Mattel, creator of the Barbie doll, has launched “a doll line designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in—giving kids the freedom to create their own customizable characters again and again.”  This doll has minimal makeup, a short hairstyle with an attachable long-hair wig, a flat chest, flat feet (for wearing sneakers, hiking boots, […]

It’s Valentine’s Day, and my social media feed is more snarky than smarmy. The Hallmark holiday gets us thinking about love, but it also highlights our unquestioned assumptions about romantic relationships. The culture of love is tied up in all kinds of expectations: what we buy, how we date, even who does the dishes. A lot of […]

Sociologists spend a lot of time thinking about lives in social context: how the relationships and communities we live in shape the way we understand ourselves and move through the world. It can be tricky to start thinking about this, but one easy way to do it is to start collecting social facts. Start by […]

Who’s afraid of a global pandemic? We all are, at the moment. But like so many other forms of fear, concern about medical issues is much more acute for people in precarious and vulnerable social positions. The privileged—particularly those who are white and upper class—can more afford not to be preoccupied with health and medical […]

Because everything is currently terrible, I binge-watched Love is Blind. In case you are planning to do the same, this is a spoiler-free post. You probably know the premise: contestants in this romantic reality romp go on speed dates in little pods. They can’t see their conversation partners, and at the end of the dates […]

Can political leaders put partisanship aside to govern in a crisis? The COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be a crucial test of politicians’ willingness to put state before party. Acting swiftly to slow the spread of a novel virus and cooperating with cross-partisans could mean the difference between life and death for many state residents. […]

Here is the COVID-19 situation in Maryland and Washington, DC.

To date, 311 people have been tested statewide.

Delaware has eight cases of COVID-19, most of them connected to the University of Delaware.

The first COVID-19 death in Nevada was a man in his 60s with an underlying health condition.

Here's a look at the number of coronavirus cases in Nebraska, and the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak.

Here are the latest updates on coronavirus in Kentucky.

Here is the COVID-19 situation in Minnesota.

Here's an update on the coronavirus case counts in South Dakota and the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak.

Here's a look at the number of coronavirus cases in Oregon and the latest news about the COVID-19 outbreak.

Here's a look at the number of coronavirus cases in Rhode Island and the latest news about the COVID-19 outbreak.

Here's a look at the number of coronavirus cases in Idaho and the latest news about the COVID-19 outbreak.

Here's a look at the latest on the coronavirus in Michigan.

Cases of COVID-19 that fly under the radar — without being diagnosed — appear to fuel the rapid spread of the disease.

California has reported 472 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths as of Monday evening (March 16).

Here's a look at the number of coronavirus cases in Louisiana and the latest news about the COVID-19 outbreak.