As we enter the period of New Year’s resolution, I wanted to republish the Habit List which is my most powerful tool in developing new habits.  Happy New Year! Note: The PDF mentioned in this post is now available as part of the Habit List Course. You can enroll using the form below: Name: Email:

By Jabulani Leffall  The year 2008 is history in every sense of the word.   History in that it’s finally over and has been for several days as stated by “Capitan Obvious” who is standing over me as I bang this post out.  

I confess. I am a Twilight fanatic. In a matter of two weeks, I read all four books, saw the movie twice, and bought the soundtrack. It was like a sickness, I couldn’t stop. I tried to fight it at first, but by the fourth chapter I’d completely given into the madness. I buried my nose deep into the books during every free moment, stealing myself away from much-needed sleep and midday meals.

Hey gang. We are happy to announce that The Art of Manliness is a finalist in the 2008 Weblog Awards. The Weblog Awards is, according to the site,  “the largest blog competition on the web.”  Voting starts today and we would definitely appreciate your help. The Art of Manliness is up for “Best Culture Blog of 2008.”

One of my happiness-project resolutions is “Learn how to do something new,” and I’ve had several readers email me to ask about RSS and Feedblitz updates. As happiness experts explain, “learning something new” is an excellent way of boosting happiness – though it usually means an uncomfortable period of frustration and discouragement, too.

Do you know whether these common skin care statements are true or false? Take the quiz and find out if you’re a beauty genius or should go back to cosmetics class! Beauty IQ Questions 1. Good genetics is the most important factor in how your skin looks. 2. As you age, you should exfoliate more often than when you are young.

Recently, my mother celebrated her birthday in her usual quiet fashion. She likely never mentioned the day to anyone, remaining just happy to receive a few calls and a gift or two from the people who remembered on that day. That’s just her style.

By Paul MichaelIt seems like new variations of the Nigerian 419 scam pop up every week. The one that caught my attention recently involved renting a home, and it’s a nasty trick that could take anyone by surprise. But if you know what to look for, you can avoid it.

Matthew Cornell is doing a public workshop Reboot Your Work: Modern Methods for Productivity, Sanity, and Control in North Carolina. I’ve been impressed with Matthew’s approach to organization and productivity, so if you are anywhere around Durham I’d encourage you to look into it.

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter. I was sitting here at my computer, pondering whether I wanted to write a post with tips about “making 2009 your best year ever”. It’s been done, and most of my tips you’ve already read before on Zen Habits.

Here is an interesting prototype desk that was entered into the European design competition Prix Emile Hermés. The desk designed by Swedish designer Jarl Fernaeus includes an integrated lamp, charging station, and storage compartments.

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags.