Part systems expert, part permission giver, Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius, is here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't.
It’s the end of June which means we’re halfway through the year, so I want to share with you my favorite books of the year so far! Maybe you’ll hear about something that is a great fit for your own reading right now. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Kindle Paperwhite Kindle Page Turner Remote Book of the Month Aardvark Book Club Libby app The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison Greenglass House by Kate Milford Say You’ll Remember ...
People create a mess, and chances are you have more people in your home right now than usual. Obviously that’s not true for everyone, but I’m talking to you at the end of June. June is full of hot weather, bored children, abandoned projects, and therefore almost certainly a mess. Today, let’s take a few minutes to pep talk ourselves into getting unstuck when your space is a mess. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Episode #379: How...
Naming the small things is so important and a practice I’ll continue long after this podcast is over, and today’s episode is in the same spirit. I want to share with you six small things I’m currently doing every day that are making a big difference. And all of these things are particular to this season I’m in and haven’t really been mentioned in other places, save one. I hope it’s a list that gives you some ideas for your own. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your libra...
We're excited to bring you a hilarious and heartwarming episode of The Moth, A Family Circus. On this episode, you’ll hear two stories all about the hectic, maddening, hair-pulling side of raising kids. Mary Lea Carroll tries to figure out how her mom raised so many children without absolutely losing it. PT Smith learns the true meaning of fatherhood. Every week, The Moth’s podcast feed presents episodes of the Peabody-Award Winning Moth Radio Hour and original episodes of The Moth Podcast. Sinc...
Bad moods run rampant in unusual seasons, and for many of you, summer definitely is. Kids are home, temperatures and tempers are high, proximity is constant, and bad moods are inevitable. This episode is definitely not kid-centric because bad moods transcend kids, but many of you will be glad to have this episode as it relates to your occasionally whiny offspring. Regardless, this episode is here to help you navigate bad moods and stay connected to the people you love, no matter their age. Helpf...
When your days are all reaction and no intention, especially with kids, stress tends to take the wheel. In this episode, we’re talking about how a loose plan can help you live with more joy and less chaos. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Episode #419: 5 Things To Do Before Summer Begins Get the next Latest Lazy Letter that lands in inboxes on Wednesday, June 4 Sign up for the Latest Lazy Listens email. Grab a copy of my book The...
Today is Memorial Day in the US, so pools are opening, school is starting to slow down or finish completely, and we are entering the abyss, I mean, beauty of the summer season. Any time we move from one season to another, whether it’s a season of life or a season on the calendar, it’s good to pay attention to a couple of things so that we don’t suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a new season without the tools we need to live in it the way we hope to. I’m going to share five quick things yo...
Kids and screen time. Kids and phones. Kids and rotting brains because that’s kind of what we’re afraid of. But also a lot of things about what comes out of screens are great. It just all feels like too much sometimes but never goes away. Today, I’m sharing with you my personal take on kids and technology, why I think this is hard, and some ways I approach it, both philosophically and practically, that help me parent in a heavily technological world. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The...
I’m sharing my favorite planning tool ever, something that doesn’t start big or push perfection but instead honors your season, your energy, and what matters most today. If you’ve ever felt let down by traditional planners, this episode is for you. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. How to Bullet Journal: The Absolute Ultimate Guide Learn more about The Playbooks or grab a Summer Playbook here Here’s a link to an Instagram Live whe...
Kendra shares ten things currently saving her life, including faith-based music and podcasts, discovering her true colors through DIY color analysis, a favorite cleansing balm, and the importance of noticing small joys. She also discusses deleting Instagram, prioritizing strength training, bird watching, family time with Family Feud, and using a seasonal playbook for planning.
We spend so much time in our kitchens—making food, cleaning up food, putting away food. The mess that comes out of that room is nothing short of terrifying. In this episode, I’m sharing 10 things that help me keep my kitchen mostly clean on a fairly regular basis. Maybe you’ll find an idea or two that will work in your home or you’ll be inspired to notice the rhythms you already have in place without realizing it. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider...
My oldest is wrapping up his freshman year of high school, and I can feel how fast it’s all going. This episode is about what I hope he—and all my kids—know before they leave home. It’s not a checklist of adult skills (though those can be great); it’s more about the slow, everyday work of becoming. I’m sharing a few helpful categories and what falls inside them for us, but your version will look different—and that’s the point. This isn’t about doing it all. It’s about starting small, right where...
Imagine if you could ask someone anything you wanted about their finances. On What We Spend, people from across the country and across the financial spectrum are opening their wallets—and their lives—to tell you everything: what they make, what they want, and—for one week—what they spend. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s time for another Office Hours episode! Every quarter, you send in your questions and challenges, and I offer a Lazy Genius lens to help you navigate them. You don’t need someone else to solve your problems—you’re smart and know your life best. Sometimes just asking the question is the solution. But listening to others? It’s a powerful reminder that you’re not alone in what you’re carrying. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Th...
Naming what matters is the whole foundation of everything we do here, and I think it’s also one of the most challenging. Today, I’m going to share six common mistakes when naming what matters so that you can catch yourself when you run into one of these. Hopefully it’ll help you see with clearer vision. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Episode #406: Big Sister Pep Talk: You’re Not Selfish Episode #255: How to Name What Matters Si...
As we get a little closer to spring break and summer which inevitably involves a trip or two, I wanted to do an episode to help us think about trips with a little more intention. The ten things apply to work trips, family vacations, girls weekends, all the things. If you leave your house for more than a night or two and then come back home, this episode will be helpful. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Bonus Episode: The Disney W...
I did an episode on organizing paper over five years ago, and it’s solid. But it’s time to look at it again. Because paper is everywhere. It’s like Michael Scott said in that episode of The Office where they make their own TV commercial: limitless paper in a paperless world. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Episode #91: The Lazy Genius Organizes Paper Sign up for the Latest Lazy Listens email. Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Geni...
Kids are wonderful. Kids are also annoying. Parenting asks us to love them while they push our buttons, and if we don’t think ahead, we might react in ways we regret. In this episode, three things to remember when your kid is driving you up a wall, plus seven common frustration points and how to handle them with a little more intention. Not a parent? No pressure to listen! But if you need a different episode today, Episode 302: The Lazy Genius Guide to Basketball is here to help you survive Marc...
If you think like a Lazy Genius, there are three surprising steps to a clean house. They’re a short little row of dominoes that impact how you see your home and what you do to keep it clean. And maybe your definition of clean will shift a little, too. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Sign up for the Latest Lazy Listens email. Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links) Download a trans...
This kind of episode is like Christmas for me. I love talking about planning but with a compassionate, flexible bent. We do not need anymore rigidity or weird shame spirals about failed plans. No thank you. We’re just living our lives, putting things in place where we can, intending to do whatever we decide, but then lowkey expecting that not all of those things will happen. We need to be flexible with both our plans and ourselves. Today, I’m going to give some ideas on how to approach both. Hel...
I’m always honored when you all say I’m the big sister you’ve never had, and I think sometimes we need a good ol’ pep talk from a big sister. Today’s is about selfishness. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Burnout by the Nagoski sisters Sign up for the Latest Lazy Listens email. Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links) Download a transcript of this episode. To learn more about listen...
Man, I love these episodes. I love lists so that’s obviously a blast, but intentionally looking for the good things, the life-saving things, the joyful things in my life right now is something I hope I never stop doing. So today I have a list of ten things, a pretty mixed bag per usual. What brings me life and saves my life is going to be different from yours. But I will try and do a good job of sharing why that thing is on the list so that you might better understand why something is on your pe...
For whatever cocktail of reasons, life just feels like a lot right now. An extra amount of a lot. Constant chaos feels like the norm instead of the exception. Finding calm in the chaos is not just a cute alliterative podcast title. It’s required. It’s survival for me right now. It’s necessary spiritually and mentally healthy work for me to actively seek, create, and receive calm in the chaos of life right now, and I want to share ten ways you might try doing that, too. Helpful Companion Links Or...
This is a universal problem. All of us have stuff we have to do and we just don’t feel like doing it. So either we don’t do it and get behind or we do it but with much reluctance. Neither option is fun. So today, I’m sharing ten things that help me get my stuff when I don’t feel like it. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Episode #238: How to Get Stuff Done When You Don’t Feel Like It Episode #341: The Real Reason It’s Hard to Get ...
Y’all are super familiar with this episode by now, but I’m going to take some of your questions from Instagram and Lazy Genius them. I will say that any time we do these episodes, the answers in the post are so good. Some I don’t even answer because y’all do such a great job of answering each other’s, all with a compassionate Lazy Genius lens. So after you listen to this, don’t hesitate to scroll through past Office Hours Instagram posts @thelazygenius because they are quite excellent. Helpful C...
Live in your season is one of the thirteen Lazy Genius principles I write about in my first book, The Lazy Genius Way, and fun fact: it was the hardest chapter to write. Even though I talk about contentment in that chapter, a theme we now cover quite often, I was still hanging on to the greatness train by my fingertips. In this episode, I’m going to share a few highlights about what it means to live in your season since we can always use a reminder, and I’m going to share how that personally loo...
Celebrations are strangely complicated. Sometimes we shy away from them, especially if we’re celebrating something about ourselves. Other times we have them but feel pressure to celebrate a certain way, to make everything as sparkly and memorable as possible. I’m not promising that you’ll never feel disappointed with your celebrations again, but I do think there’s a lot of room to feel greater satisfaction when we mark our moments. Side note: This our 400th episode!! Kind of fun to talk about ce...
The beginning of the year or the beginning of anything often has us rethinking our routines and rhythms and systems and choices to see if there’s anything we want to change. Before you start to put on your problem-solving glasses, utilizing that new year energy to make everything fresh and ready to begin, let’s name what’s working. I have three rules, three questions, and three categories to help you think this through. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to co...
We are right in the middle of this sometimes blissful, sometimes annoying, sometimes deeply ordinary week between Christmas and New Years. Since 2025 starts the day after tomorrow, let’s spend a short time together remembering a few things. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Sign up for the Latest Lazy Listens email. Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links) Download a transcript of th...
I cannot tell you how excited I am about this episode. I’ve been keeping a note on my phone all year of my favorite discoveries and moments and just random stuff I want to remember. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Honey Lip Balm in a little honey pot jar Sanditon on Masterpiece//PBS Jamie B. Golden on Instagram Shark HD430 FlexStyle Hairdryer Abby Jimenez, the author Austin Leather Swivel Armchair from West Elm Andrew Garfield’s...
