3694: Life as a Conscious Practice by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits on Breaking Cycles of Distraction

Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Education, Mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3694: Leo Babauta invites readers to slow down and cultivate conscious awareness in their daily lives, transforming automatic habits into intentional actions. By learning to notice urges, pause in moments of discomfort, and deliberately choose how to respond, we can break cycles of distraction and live with greater presence and clarity. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://zenhabits.net/conscious Quotes to ponder: "Without awareness, we are slaves to our impulses, habits, and distractions." "When we pause and bring awareness, we create space to make a conscious choice." "Each urge is an opportunity to bring awareness and learn to stay with discomfort." Episode references: The Power of Now: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's so funny because when you look at the guys, that's never a topic of conversation. Yeah. What you look like? Yeah. Did you watch the football last night? It's never about, I'll watch your skincare routine. Whereas women walk into a room and because we've been taught to be pitted against each other. Yeah. Not always, but sometimes there's, oh my God, you know, I can't. It's a bit of a barrier. Yeah, yeah. and it shouldn't be there.
0:01.1	We should be trying to change that stereotype. always, but sometimes there's, oh my God, you know, I can't. It's a bit of a barrier. Yeah, yeah, and it shouldn't be there.
0:22.2	We should be trying to change that stereotype, believing that there is space for everybody.
0:27.4	There are some things you should always check, like the hygiene rating on your local takeaway,
0:33.9	the setting on your razor, and whether the party actually is fancy dress.
0:38.8	The other thing you should check is your Experian credit report,
0:42.5	especially if you're looking to borrow money.
0:44.8	It lets you understand what lenders see
0:46.8	so you can increase your chances of getting the best deals.
0:50.5	It's dead easy to check it and completely free.
0:54.3	See it in seconds. Download the Experian app today.
0:58.2	This is Optimal Living Daily.
1:00.5	Life as a Conscious Practice by Leo Babouda of Zenhabits.net.
1:05.3	And I'm Justa Mollog, the guy who's been reading articles, book excerpts, even student essays to you every day, including holidays.
1:12.0	Today's author is Leo Babouda of Zen Habits, named a best blog by Time magazine,
1:17.0	and super popular among personal development and minimalism readers.
1:20.8	For now, let's get right to it as we optimize your life.
1:32.2	Life as a Conscious Practice by Leo Babouda of Zen Habits.net.
1:40.5	When we learn a martial art, or ballet, or gymnastics, or soccer, we consciously practice movements in a deliberate way repeatedly. By conscious repeated practice, we become good at those
1:46.3	movements. Our entire lives are like this, but we're often less conscious of the practice.
1:52.2	Each day we repeat movements, thought patterns, ways of interacting with others, and in this
1:57.1	repeated practice, we are becoming, or have already become, good at these things.
	...

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