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)

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.

Great book!

Equal parts practical tips and inspiration to help you figure out the systems that work for YOU. I like how Kendra encourages her readers to determine what’s important to them and then develop systems that work around that. Highly recommend to anyone who has felt overwhelmed with all the advice out there that seems to work for everyone else but you. Great read!

Great achievable real world advice

Listening to this book has helped me see where my current actions could use some tweaking. I’ve already started implementing some things. One silly example, I always try to cut off the ends of broccoli pieces when they don’t look their best and use up whatever I can. Just the other night I was running behind with dinner and stressed. Seeing a brand new fresh package of broccoli, I chucked the 1/5-full nasty old bag. It just wasn’t worth my mental struggle and frustration. Tossing that felt so liberating. Next up maybe disposing of all those clothes I’ll never wear that are mentally cluttering

Mandatory annual book

There is so much wisdom and knowledge and love in the book. I will reread it often!

Brilliant

Brilliantly simple and empowering. A must listen for all of us achiever, get stuff done but feel overwhelmed by the stuff types.

Lovely ending, too.

Her ending words were lovely and I enjoyed the book. It was worth the time spent to have her as part of my life while I listened and learned from her perspective.

I always listen on higher speeds so I’m not sure about the “performance” completely, but I enjoyed it and I’m sure if you listen to the sample that will suffice.

Great inspiration for busy moms who want to “do it all”

I love her podcast and the way she has of simplifying things and thinking through your life. For example- I can still bring dinner to a friend but it doesn’t need to be a 5 course meal. How can I make the things I don’t want to do easier, so I have time to do the things I love to do. What is really important to me in a given situation? I liked that it was very actionable and it’s a quick read because she gets to the point. More so than many of the productivity experts out there who go on and on and become the opposite of productive. She has a kind but direct way of speaking and her voice isn’t annoying.

Highly Recommend

It was a pleasure listening to this audio book. Highly recommend. It was engaging and transformative power

Loved it!

This book was so helpful and practical! I learned so many things that I can’t wait to use, but the most important thing I took away from this book is to change how I view my self worth. More productive doesn’t mean more valuable.

I love this book

I love the book, Kendra's voice and the information she shares. This method just makes sense.