The Blogger Interviews: Leo Babauta
At the start of the year, my friend and blogger Arvind Devalia approached me and asked if I’d like Leo Babauta to speak at the London Bloggers Meetup. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know who Leo was at first – not having read his Zen Habits blog, or many blogs about health, minimal living, motivation and inspiration. Arvind was very excited and when one or two others started getting excited too, it was high time I checked him out.
I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was Leo writing one of the top 25 blogs in the world, but he was writing content that genuinely offered something of value. The more I spoke to people about Leo, the more I got an excited reaction about the prospect of him speaking. Ultimately Arvind put me in touch with Leo and the rest is history.
For someone who has achieved so much, Leo is a remarkably humble person. When he arrived at our event, he quietly made an entrance and immediately started talking with our community. Many were genuinely huge fans of Leo and his writing, but this didn’t seem to phase Leo or steal away his calm. Aside from his talk, Leo spent the entire evening talking to our bloggers – no commercial pitch, but a genuine interest in simply meeting people. I have to say, it was an absolute pleasure hosting Leo.
I took the opportunity of asking Leo to participate in one of our short blogger interviews which you can read below. – along with a short video clip from the night here. I strongly advise you check out Leo’s blog and perhaps his book The Power of Less (which I have subsequently devoured and loved). Well, enough introduction, over to you Leo and thanks for taking part.
1. What’s your blog called and what’s the URL?
Leo: I write Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net).
2. What’s your blog all about (in 20 words or less)?
Leo: Simplifying your life.
3. When and why did you start blogging?
Leo: I started in January 2007 to chronicle some of the changes I’d been making, to share some of the lessons I’d been learning with others, and to connect with (and learn from) others doing similar things.
4. Which blog platform do you use?
Leo: I started on Blogger.com but quickly moved to WordPress. It’s what I’d recommend to any blogger.
5. Can you give an example of how blogging has enriched your life?
Leo: Oh, in so many ways. It’s connected me with some amazing people from all over the world, and I’ve learned a lot from them and made some good friends. It’s helped me to reflect more deeply on my life, so that I could share with others. It’s given me a job doing what I love — for the first time in my life. And I’ve had readers tell me that I’ve changed their lives in numerous ways … which is the most gratifying thing in the world.
6. Are there any blogs you recommend reading and why?
Leo: I love so many that it would be hard to know where to start. Other than the big names (Dooce, Daring Fireball, Seth Godin, etc.), I’d say read Tweetage Wasteland, Derek Sivers, Idlewords.com, Marco.org, Rowdy Kittens, among many others.
7. What three tips would you give to someone just starting out in blogging?
Leo: 1. Do something remarkable and share how you did it;
2. Focus on writing great posts before all else;
3. Enjoy the connections you make with your readers rather than worrying about numbers.
8. If you could change one thing about your blog what would it be?
Leo: I’m very content with my blog. I’m really racking my brain here and I can’t think of a thing, which is interesting to me.
9. What is the key to getting readers to your blog?
Leo: Creating amazing content on a regular basis. That’s the only reason readers come to your blog — to learn, to be inspired, to be entertained, to be moved. Do that for them regularly, and they’ll not only subscribe, but share your work with others.
10. And finally, what motivates you to keep on blogging?
Leo: It’s those emails I mentioned from people who say I’ve changed their lives. It’s really moving to hear that, and when I write a post these days, I think of people who I might help, and it makes me feel good to know I might make even a small difference to someone.
