In How to Be Idle, Hodgkinson presents his learned yet whimsical argument for a new, universal standard of living: being happy doing nothing. He covers a whole spectrum of issues affecting the modern idler—sleep, work, pleasure, relationships—bemoaning the cultural skepticism of idleness while reflecting on the writing of such famous apologists for it as Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Johnson, and Nietzsche—all of whom have admitted to doing their very best work in bed.It’s a well-known fact that Europeans spend fewer hours at work a week than Americans. So it’s only befitting that one of them—the very clever, extremely engaging, and quite hilarious Tom Hodgkinson—should have the wittiest and most useful insights into the fun and nature of being idle. Following on the quirky, call-to-arms heels of the bestselling Eat, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss, How to Be Idle rallies us to an equally just and no less worthy cause: reclaiming our right to be idle.

    . . IN HERE!Behind our stress, clutter, and confusion is an infinitely spacious place one might call stillness or joy. This is our natural state of being, but we usually don't experience it, because we are caught in a web of material possessions, desires, and fears.Our clutter often becomes another member of the family that we feed, house, and lug around. In "Your Spacious Self," author and professional space clearing expert Stephanie Bennett Vogt shows us that it's not our stuff but the holding on to it that creates a force field of stuck-ness that clouds our perceptions and paralyzes our lives.Clutter is not just the junk spilling out of the closet. It is anything or thought that prevents us from experiencing who we truly are. With daily tips, meditations, and a decluttering checklist, "Your Spacious Self" will show you how to: CLEAR THE CLUTTER in your home and in your lifeREVEL IN YOUR OWN SPACIOUSNESS, a place of stillness and joyLET GO OF THE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS that no longer serve the joyous being that you areRadical in its message and elegant in its simplicity, Your Spacious Self offers a new model that combines the ancient wisdom of space clearing with the modern practicality of clutter clearing. It teaches us that clearing is not just something we do but is also a powerful way to be--one small step, drawer, or moment at a time.

    In Awakening the Buddha Within, Surya Das shows how we can awaken to who we really are in order to lead a more compassionate, enlightened, and balanced life. It illuminates the guidelines and key principles embodied in the noble Eight-Fold Path and the traditional Three Enlightenment Trainings common to all schools of Buddhism:Wisdom Training: Developing clear vision, insight, and inner understanding--seeing reality and ourselves as we really are.Ethics Training: Cultivating virtue, self-discipline, and compassion in what we say and do.Meditation Training: Practicing mindfulness, concentration, and awareness of the present moment.With lively stories, meditations, and spiritual practices, Awakening the Buddha Within is an invaluable text for the novice and experienced student of Buddhism alike.

    It's a comprehensive look at both centuries–old techniques and the latest research so you can create an environment where your soul is nurtured so you can be at home wherever – you are.This book has three parts: Part One explains how to understand the deeper meanings and secret messages in your home, and also how clearing your clutter is like modern day alchemy...it can transform your life. Part Two presents little-known information about how to activate mystic forces of nature into your home to revitalize your physical and spiritual health. Part Three gives you an understanding of the Native American Medicine Wheel and shows you how to harness the energy from four cardinal directions.

    What do you see? Whether or not you're aware of it, your environment profoundly affects your health, wealth, family life, relationships, and yes, even your destiny. Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway), which means wind water, is the ancient Chinese study of harmony and energy flow between you and your physical surroundings. You can enrich every aspect of your life by applying Feng Shui principles to your home (inside and out) and workplace (from window office to cubicle). Feng Shui For Dummies is for anyone who seeks a better life. This clearly written, concise, and easy-to-understand guide can help anyone toCreate harmony and happiness in your relationships Increase your prosperity Eliminate chronic patterns of failure, difficulty, and stress Energize your home or workplace Enjoy better health This book shows you how to feel and access the energy of your environment (it's easier than you may think!). Find out how your environment influences your life right now. Use the solutions in this book to overcome obstacles and enhance the positive. You'll be sure to feel the before-and-after differences.Feng Shui For Dummies also covers the following topics and more:The meaning and history of Feng Shui Making the most of the space in your home, both inside and outside Tapping into the power of the five elements Boosting your career Jazzing up your bedroom for increased health, energy, and romance Performing blessing ceremonies Cleansing and curing with meditation Within the past 10 years, Feng Shui has gained widespread popularity in the West. Today, more and more people from all walks of life are practicing Feng Shui and experiencing the positive benefits of auspicious placement. This book shows you everything you need to know to help improve the flow of harmony, creativity, and abundance in your life.

    and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in its place.For all those who choose to live "imperfectly" with the messy things they love, this book shows how to do so creatively, happily, and with considerable style ideas from leading designers. A beautiful and inspiring volume, A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life focuses on living well with everything that makes a house a home. If you have been influenced by the picturesquely cluttered studios of Pablo Picasso or Alexander Calder, or by the art- and book-filled house of Vanessa Bell, this unique style book will stimulate you with its creative ideas.This volume explores how real-life tastemakers (photographers, textile designers, fashion designers, writers, artists) integrate their life and interiors to live well with their passions, histories, conveniences, and inconveniences. In inspiring essays, Mary Randolph Carter muses on such key housekeeping concerns as clutter versus mess; open windows; and unmade beds. Combining practical tips with liberating philosophy—"Don’t scrub the soul out of your home"; "Make room for what you love"—this volume celebrates living beautifully and happily, not messily. Lavishly illustrated with intimate photographs of different living spaces, Carter exalts in the beauty of imperfection and in living perfectly in our "imperfect" homes. Life isn’t perfect—why should your house be?

    In Use What You Have(r) Decorating she shows readers how to do it themselves-quickly identifying the ten most common decorating mistakes, offering simple principles to correct them, and giving DIYers a proven system for making their home look better than they ever dreamed it could. Filled with dramatic before-and-after photos, this guide shows anyone how to turn "ho-hum interiors into inspired spaces without undertaking bank- breaking shopping sprees" (Ladies' Home Journal).

    Practical and inspiring, The Art of Discarding (the book that originally inspired a young Marie Kondo to start cleaning up her closets) offers hands-on advice and easy-to-follow guidelines to help readers learn how to finally let go of stuff that is holding them back -- as well as sage advice on acquiring less in the first place. Author Nagisa Tatsumi urges us to reflect on our attitude to possessing things and to have the courage and conviction to get rid of all the stuff we really don't need, offering advice on how to tackle the things that pile up at home and take back control. By learning the art of discarding you will gain space, free yourself from "accumulation syndrome," and find new joy and purpose in your clutter-free life.

    Buddhism is all about training the mind, and boot camp is an ideal training method for this generation's short attention span. The chapters in this small book can be read in any order, and are simple and easy to understand. Each story, inspirational quote, and teaching offers mindfulness-enhancing techniques that anyone can relate to. You don't need to be a Buddhist to find the Buddha's teachings motivational. As the Dalai Lama says, "Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are."So whether it's Mother Teresa's acts of charity, Gandhi's perseverance, or your aunt Betty's calm demeanor, as long as you're motivated to be better today than you were yesterday, it doesn't matter who inspires you. Regardless of religion, geographical region, race, ethnicity, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, flexibility, or vulnerability, if you do good you feel good, and if you do bad you feel bad.Buddhism isn't just about meditating. It's about rolling up your sleeves to relieve some of the suffering in the world. If you are ready to be a soldier of peace in the army of love, welcome to Buddhist Boot Camp!

    This book pulls together 80 classic and contemporary styles and provides step-by-step tutorials for each one. Trendsetters from teens to professionals will love mixing up the looks for parties, the office, a casual beach day, or an elegant night out. Simple how-to illustrations take the guesswork out of styling, while glossy fashion photographs demonstrate how to tailor and accessorize each 'do. With advice for different hair types and lengths plus product tips and fun variations, Braids, Buns, and Twists! is the must-have beauty resource for showstopping hair.

    In Simply Clean, Becky will help you effortlessly keep a tidy house and build habits to become a neat person—no matter how messy you may naturally be! Simply Clean features: -A 7-Day Simply Clean Kick Start and the 28-Day Simply Clean Challenge, to turn cleaning from a chore into an effortless habit -A designated catch-up day, so you’ll never have to worry or stress when life gets in the way of cleaning -Step-by-step tutorials for speed cleaning hard-to-clean spaces -Dozens of recipes for organic, environmentally conscious cleaning supplies -Many of Becky’s famous checklists, schedules, and habit trackers No matter how big your home or busy your schedule, the Simply Clean method can be customized to fit your life. It really is possible—in just ten minutes a day, you can create a cleaner, happier home.

    Out of sheer necessity, he developed a method called the Bullet Journal that helped him become consistently focused and effective. When he started sharing his system with friends who faced similar challenges, it went viral. Just a few years later, to his astonishment, Bullet Journaling is a global movement. The Bullet Journal Method is about much more than organizing your notes and to-do lists. It's about what Carroll calls "intentional living:" weeding out distractions and focusing your time and energy in pursuit of what's truly meaningful, in both your work and your personal life. It's about spending more time with what you care about, by working on fewer things. His new book shows you how to... • Track the past: Using nothing more than a pen and paper, create a clear and comprehensive record of your thoughts. • Order the present: Find daily calm by tackling your to-do list in a more mindful, systematic, and productive way. • Design the future: Transform your vague curiosities into meaningful goals, and then break those goals into manageable action steps that lead to big change. Carroll wrote this book for frustrated list-makers, overwhelmed multitaskers, and creatives who need some structure. Whether you've used a Bullet Journal for years or have never seen one before, The Bullet Journal Method will help you go from passenger to pilot of your own life.

    Not only has consumption risen dramatically over the last 60 years, but we are damaging the environment at the same time. That is why buying quality and why Tara Button’s Buy Me Once brand has such popular appeal.Tara Button has become a champion of a lifestyle called ‘mindful curation’ – a way of living in which we carefully choose each object in our lives, making sure we have the best, most classic, most pleasing and longest lasting – kettles, desks, pots & pans, scissors, coats and dresses, instead of surrounding ourselves with throwaway stuff and appliances with built-in obsolescence. Tara advocates a life that celebrates what lasts, what is classic and what really suits a person.There are 10 steps to master mindful curation and each is explained in this book, from understanding and using techniques to freeing yourself from external manipulations. Finding your purpose and priorities and identifying your core tastes and style. Learning how to let go of the superfluous and how to make wise choices going forwards.Mindful curation is a lifestyle choice that will make you happier, healthier and more fulfilled spiritual as well as helping save the planet.

    This detachment creates enough freedom in your life and mind to experience real contentment. Contentment is the key–it is not complacency, but more akin to satisfaction and cherishing. Minimalists are known for living well with less stuff. The point isn’t just having less stuff, but the benefits of having less stuff: more space, more time, more money, less trash, less cleaning, less organizing, less stress. The amount of time and space freed up is compounded by the sense of time and space regained, which gives back a precious sense of serenity and control to previously harried lives. Minimalists give Less a chance, and have almost universally experienced an amazing amount of contentment as a result. Minimalism is living with just what you need. Needs are defined individually. Minimalism can include, but is not limited to, frugality or simple living. It can be done expensively, as in having the very best of just a very few things, or it can be done on a pittance. It is ideally debt-free. Space and time are given high value. Unrewarding things or activities are kept to a minimum. A wonderful thing happens along the Minimalist path: you realize you’ve got enough mental and physical space to be yourself, that you are more than the sum total of your possessions, and you actually feel that you are enough in and of yourself. That’s a feeling akin to contentment. And that’s why a Minimalist approach to life, stuff, and everything is a good way to Have it All.

    Foundational to all yogic thought, they are considered to be the guidelines to the yoga way of living that free individuals to take ownership of their lives, direct them toward the fulfillment they seek, and gain the skills to choose attitude, thought, and action. The first five guidelines are referred to as the yamas—a Sanskrit word that translates to "restraints"—and encompass nonviolence, truthfulness, not stealing, nonexcess, and nonpossessiveness. The last five are referred to as the niyamas, or observances—purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender. A self-study section at the end of each chapter may also be used by instructors for group discussion.