The Lazy Genius Way

Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done

By: Kendra Adachi, Emily P. Freeman - foreword

Narrated by: Kendra Adachi, Emily P. Freeman

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best seller

Being a lazy genius isn't about doing more or doing less. It’s about doing what matters to you.

"I could not be more excited about this book." (Jenna Fischer, actor and cohost of the Office Ladies podcast)

The chorus of "shoulds" is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best. Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor.

It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well.

Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn’t. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra’s 13 Lazy Genius principles, including:

• Decide once
• Start small
• Ask the magic question
• Go in the right order
• Schedule rest

Discover a better way to approach your relationships, work, and piles of mail. Be who you are without the complication of everyone else’s "shoulds". Do what matters, skip the rest, and be a person again.

©2020 Kendra Adachi (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

“As a longtime fan of The Lazy Genius Podcast, I could not be more excited about this book. Kendra has a gift for asking questions that helps you prioritize the parts of your life that really matter and let go of the parts that don’t. She doesn’t preach or pressure; she inquires and encourages. As she admits, it’s not easy to manage the seemingly constant demands of running a house, planning meals, hosting relatives, and creating and maintaining holiday traditions, all while finding time for your own work and self-care. But Kendra makes it all a lot easier!” (Jenna Fischer, actor, author of The Actor’s Life, and cohost of the Office Ladies podcast)

“Kendra has a heart for infusing the mundane and practical with a profound sacredness. Frankly, it’s infuriating how she manages to be effortlessly instructional, inspirational, and hilarious all at the same time, but the world is such a better place for it. I’ve never been more thankful for someone’s voice.” (Knox McCoy, author of All Things Reconsidered)

“If you’ve been taught that nothing good comes from being lazy, get ready to let Kendra change your mind and life forever. Spoiler: laziness is the powerful tool that frees you to be a genius where it really matters. I wish I had this eye-opening book 20 years ago.” (Myquillyn Smith, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Cozy Minimalist Home)

Similar to the podcast, but worth buying

I listen to the author’s podcast (The Lazy Genius) and this is more of the same in many ways. I didn’t find any advice in the book particularly ground breaking, but it was well structured and easy to follow. Unlike many other books of this type I’ve read in the past, it wasn’t just one or two insights told over and over again in slightly different wording. Each of the thirteen principles outlined stands alone and is worthy of it’s own chapter, with a final chapter about how to use them all together.

Much like her podcast, listening to Kendra Adachi narrate her book is like a one sided chat with a girlfriend. Good background listening while doing dishes or folding laundry.

It’s worth noting that the book is written from a Christian perspective. It’s not the backbone of the book, but I can think of multiple places where the author discusses her faith or quotes scripture. I don’t think you need to be Christian to find value in this book, but I can see where it might be slightly off-putting if you aren’t.

For houswives with children

If you work full-time and have kids, you are not the target audience of this book so don’t waste your time. This book is for women who have time to worry about things that working moms either don’t have time for, don’t care about or have already figured out in order to survive. Most of the “problems” this book “solves” could be prevented in the first place by learning how to stop caring what other people think and to stop micro-managing and catering to your kids. I’m giving it one star because there are no new ideas here.

We All Deserve To Be A Lazy Genius

The best part of this book isn’t that Kendra gives us a detailed path for how to get control of our madness. It isn’t that she clearly outlined exactly where we need to turn our attention. It isn’t even that she beautifully conveyed what most authors in the space fail to realize - that life isn’t one size fits all. The best part of this book is that she makes you feel like you DESERVE the clarity and calm that comes from applying her principles to your life. She reminds us that we are all deserving of focusing on what matters to us & letting go of the rest. Every human needs this book because we need these principles so we can stop doing life and start living life.

Buy it!

I don’t want to sound cliche but this book is a must read! I have continually struggled with organization, setting worthwhile goals and dealing with the anxiety of not being able to stick with any of them!

This book has helped me re-evaluate how I can reduce my anxiety by asking the right questions, planning, and giving myself grace when my plans totally flop. This isn’t your typical self-help book with the same mundane answers to life’s issues. Kendra provides simple principles that can be manipulated based on individualized situations.

She’s real and gives examples of how we can become more efficient in our daily tasks, more thoughtful in the way we plan, and more confident in our own process! Everyone is different and so are our daily challenges. The principles in this book will help anyone who applies them to become better people, parents, students, etc. I’ve seriously never been able to finish a self help book and I couldn’t stop listening to this one!

wait for it

I almost stopped listening, but I'm glad I stuck with it. At first I wanted it to speed up and match my pace. The cadence of the recording forced me to slow down. Then came the parts that I identified with most during my current "season". enjoy!

Life-Changing Freedom!

Kendra is smart, funny, and warm! She talks to you like a friend and helps you understand principles to identify and pursue what matters to YOU! Not anyone else. Great for folks who want to grow into who they are!

Lazy Genius is Pure Genius

I am so happy I had the opportunity to listen to this book. I was introduced to Kendra through one of my favorite podcasts. I really love her down to earth and simple solutions for being able to live the kind of peaceful life did we all strive for. Her formula is nothing out rages, or new. It is just common sense coupled with habits that can generate a simple yet happy life.

Our home is a place where we should feel free. We sometimes create these false expectations for ourselves that make our home a prison. Through the simple genius way, we can re-capture the nurturing sense of peace that our homes can bring.

There are many other areas in our lives in which we create a sense of overwhelm because we are trying to keep up. The lazy genius way is a way for us to embrace in perfection, not judge ourselves, and live more purposeful happy lives.

Kendra acknowledges that they are many difficulties in which we can get tangled. Her lazy genius perspective and habits can help to bring us joy no matter what.

Pep talk + a hug

I LOVE Kendra and I love this book. It's a pep talk and a hug all rolled into one. 📣🤗😍 Kendra takes all the goodness of her podcast episodes, which focus on specific or seasonal challenges, and extrapolates that into underlying principals so you can Lazy Genius any challenge unique to you. While some moments feel "duh" that's exactly why they are genius, sometimes we need reminders of the obvious. And most importantly, underlying all of Kendra's big sister cheerleading is the message that you can and SHOULD trust your own inner voice above all others (even hers).

Excellent advice!

I’m struggling to get my house in order with kids. And this gave me the encouragement to tackle a little at a time.

A God send for more intentional living

I absolutely love that Kendra took the time to record the audio for her book. The steps she outlined to lazy genius anything are brilliant! I highly recommend this book to begin to feel like you CAN conquer the overwhelm that life can be. Thank you Kendra for being faithful thru the writing process to the message God gave you to help your fellow sisters (and no doubt brothers :D ).

Should tell you it’s for Christians

There are some great tips in this book and the performance is good enough, but it’s not clear enough that the author is going to regularly go off on a Jesus-related tangent. For those of us who aren’t Christian (so the majority of the global population) this is very off putting. The book details should just be clear about the agenda, that’s all.

Excellent, encouraging, practical

As an English listener, I did find it took a while to adjust to the American accent, but once I did it was so easy to listen and absorb. You can listen to this book while doing something else that doesn't require a lot of attention, like cleaning or decluttering.

The book was recommended by The Minimal Mom for a read along, and I was doubtful - read a load of books before and nothing has changed. It has supported me in making major changes to simplify our home and possessions - more than I expected. I've listened 3x already and will do again.

Very ‘approachable’

I discovered The Lazy Genius some down an ‘Insta’ rabbit hole and have enjoyed both her stories and podcast.
Simple but very accessible advice, delivered in an empathetic way. Lots to take from this book and from Kendra herself 😁

Fantastic book

Thank you so much for your insight, Kendra... you've helped more than you know.