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- [00:00]
Kendra Adachi
This episode is sponsored by the Flexive Gold Journal. If you're a mom, you probably don't need help remembering the hard parts of your day. It's the small good moments that tend to slip through. The Flexive Gold Journal was made with that in mind. It's a one line a day journal you keep for three years. It takes less than two minutes, and all you're doing is writing down one small good moment from your day. And over time, that starts to add up. Because as you write today's moment, you can also look back at what you wrote on the same day last year and the year before and get to remember things you would have completely forgotten. It's also beautifully made vegan leather or linen hardcover, and it's designed to live somewhere you'll actually see it, like your nightstand. Mother's Day is May 10th. If you've been wanting something meaningful, this could be it. Go to 3 and 30 podcast.comgold and use code lazy10 at checkout for 10% off. That's the number three in the number 30 podcast.comgold code lazy10 Mother's Day is May 10th. Order soon, so it arrives in time. This episode is sponsored by Gusto. There are some kinds of work that can take over an entire day, and somehow it's never the work that you started your business to do. Payroll, onboarding, forms, benefits, tax filings. That one document you swear you just had open, but it's slowly disintegrating in your inbox. It's all important, especially because it affects real people on your team. The but it can quickly become scattered. Admin Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. It's all in one remote, friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire onboard and support your team from anywhere. With Gusto, you get automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers comp, 401k options, and more. That kind of support makes sense for small business owners because the goal isn't to spend more time managing the back end of the business. Try gusto today@gusto.com genius and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll@gusto.com genius one more time gusto.com genius hey there. You're listening to the Lazy Genius podcast. I'm Kendra Adachi. This podcast is not about hacking the system to find more time or hacking your energy to get more done. Hustling to be the best or to make the most out of every opportunity is Exhausting and unsustainable. And so here we do things differently on this show. We value contentment, compassion, and living in our season. We favor small steps over big systems. Here we are, lazy geniuses. Being a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. And I am so glad you're here. Today is episode 467. It's 10 years of the Lazy Genius Podcast. You guys, this show is 10 years old. This week is our 10th birthday birthday. And I cannot believe that I have been making the show for like, as long as my daughter's been alive. She's about to be in fifth grade. Guys, are we in fifth grade? This is crazy. So today we are going to celebrate 10 years of the Lazy Genius podcast. I'm going to share some of your own memories of the show, things you've learned as well as my own. And we're going to just have like a big old love fest today. I'm sorry. Grateful that you all have been listening enough that this show even gets a 10th birthday. After that, we're gonna have a little extra something where I share a couple of things I'm looking forward to this summer. This whole episode is looking back, but for that, we're gonna look ahead. And as always, we will celebrate the Lazy Genius of the week with a tremendously simple but glorious tip for a mom of young kids who has to go up and down the stairs every day. And we'll close with a mini pep talk for when you're not sure if. If you made the right decision. Also, super quick plug. Don't forget to order your summer playbook before June hits. Cause that's when the summer playbook runs. It's June, July, and August. That way you can plan your upcoming season with kindness and intention. Like a lazy genius. I cannot wait to finish May for many reasons. Cause May is cuckoo pants. And then I get to pull out my. My Tomato red Summer Playbook and take a deep breath. And I'm so excited about it. It's gonna feel so good. So you can get yours at thelazygeniuscollective Do. Okay, let's jump right into the episode. Into 10 years of this podcast. I wondered how rare a 10 year show is, especially one that continues to grow and stay steady across such a long time like we have. So I went. I went hunting, y'. All. We are in incredibly rare air over here. Frankly, we're in rare air that we're on the air at all. So based on stats from January of this year of 2026, there are about four and a half million podcasts registered with various distributors, but only around half a million of those are active. Active, meaning they have released a new episode sometime in the last 30 days. Now, listen, a lot of shows take long breaks, which is great. And some shows, like serial, they are going to have listeners forever, even if they go, like, years between seasons. But in general, there are half a million active shows of the four and a half million that are out there. So that is already a small percentage of shows that actually, like, last and are happening now. Most shows have to end within the first couple of years. They don't make it that far. And the average number of episodes when that happens is 67, y'. All. Today we are celebrating 10 years at episode 467. That's crazy. But this is crazier, y'. All. There are less than 20,000 podcasts that have lasted 10 years that are still going. It's like 18,000 something now. I mean, that's a lot of shows. 18,000 is a big number. But also, relatively speaking, that is not a lot of shows. And based on how many listeners and downloads we have, the Lazy Genius podcast is in the top.01% of podcasts. Not top 1%. Top 10th of 1% of all podcasts. Y'. All. Y'.
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Podcast Guest/Listener
All.
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Kendra Adachi
That's bonkers. And also because it's because of you. Like, we wouldn't have beaten those odds. We would not have lasted this long. We definitely would not have been able to sustain this show at such a high level for 10 years without you listening faithfully week in and week out, sharing your favorite episodes with friends, leaving reviews, subscribing on your podcast apps. I will just never, ever get over it. We've had over 35 million downloads since we started tracking the downloads in 2020. Not since the very beginning of the show. Cause obviously it started before then, but, y', all, 35. 35 million downloads. I'm just like a random lady in North Carolina who likes to help make life easier. I did not realize all of these podcast numbers. Like, I didn't know this all was true. And I'm just kind of. I'm just kind of gobsmacked by it all. So thank you for listening and for making this show last. I am genuinely so grateful to you. Like, I can't even put it into words. So thank you. Thank you. So let's just keep celebrating, right? We're gonna celebrate the 10 years after the break. I'm gonna share the memory of the very first podcast episode I ever recorded, how and when the Lazy Genius principles fell into place on the show. Some words from you guys about what you have learned and what you remember from these last 10 years and then I will share what's next for the podcast in the future. So much fun. Okay, first, let's take a break to hear from our sponsors, you guys. It's a massive deal that we even have ads like it's a tough market out there and we have been able to partner with our network, the Office Ladies Network, and our parent network Odyssey to keep making this show free for you to listen to. They cost a lot of money to make a podcast, but it means the world to me that you all don't have to pay to listen to it. You get to listen for free because we have sponsors, something a lot of shows don't have. It is such a gift and I'm so grateful. So before we take a break to hear from those sponsors, here's your quick reminder about the podcast recap email that we send out every other Friday. It's called Latest Lazy Listens and it summarizes the episode. It shares the Lazy Genius of the week, the other segments we have on the show, and there's always a little extra note from me to help encourage you through the weekend. So if you would like to get that recap, you can go to the lazygeniuscollective.com listens this episode is sponsored by Good Ranchers. I've noticed that dinner gets harder when I don't have a starting point. If I haven't meal planned and I open the fridge at the end of the day and nothing is obvious, things can start feeling overwhelming fast. That's a big reason I started using Good Ranchers. Having high quality meat already in the freezer makes makes dinner feel so much easier. I'm not scrolling through the grocery store app trying to figure out what to buy or if it's good quality, it just shows up at my door. And it's 100% American meat sourced from local farms and ranchers. But mostly it just makes the daily question of what's for dinner a little easier to answer. Start your plan today and you'll get free meat for life and $100 off your first three orders. Or if you just want to give it a try, you can get four $40 off your first order. Instead, just go to goodranchers.com and use my code GENIUS at checkout. That's $100 off your first three orders or $40 off your first order with my code GENIUS. This month only GoodRanchers.com American Meat delivered this episode is sponsored by Wayfair. I love a dramatic patio makeover as much as the next gal, but this year I knew I had a very specific outdoor problem to solve and future Kendra would be grateful for wet pool towels. I've tried solutions in the past that worked well enough, but they never made the towels invisible. So I turned away fair. And my latest find is a metal fold out drying rack that attaches to the wall like a Murphy bed for wet clothes. I'm planning to use this for pool towels this summer and I am so excited and that's what I appreciate about Wayfair. You can find the big beautiful outdoor pieces, patio furniture, rugs, lighting, pool planters. But you can also find the practical things that solve the everyday problems of living in your space, like the very humble but very important towel situation. No matter what, you need, Wayfair has you covered. Get prepped for patio season. For way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home Wayfair Every Style, Every Home. All right, let's keep celebrating 10 years of the Lazy Genius podcast. Okay? I remember the first episode I ever recorded back in 2016. I sat on my bed surrounded by pillows with a cheap mic like perched on my lap and I talked to Emily Gordon about how to embrace change. So. Cause and I knew Emily when we all went to college together here in North Carolina. And she is a little, she's an absolute delight. Now at the time of our interview, she had just gotten out of a meeting with Judd Apatow, the producer of the movie that she and her husband Kumail Nanjiani, who's an amazing comedian and actor, you probably know who he is, they were writing this movie together. The movie came out the next year, was called the Big Sick. It's tremendous, it's hilarious and so tender. It's like the truish story of how Emily and Kumail met. And it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Like, Emily got nominated for an Oscar. It lost to Jordan Peele for Get out that year. Like, what a crazy beginning to this podcast to have an Oscar nominated screenwriter talk to me about moving to a new city and making friends. She was lovely and generous and thankfully was a podcasting pro. Like she already had her own show at the time because I had like, I had no idea what I was doing. I, I didn't know how to interview. Frankly, I'm not sure I do now. But I do enjoy talking to people and I like, I viscerally remember talking to her inside my pillow fort on my bed on this spring day in 2016. Everything has to start somewhere. And that is where the Lazy Genius podcast began. Now, at first, a lot of you know this already. I thought this was gonna be a guest driven show. Like I would have someone on so to talk about how they handle a certain type of topic and then, you know, we just carry on. But after 10 episodes, I realized that was not the podcast I was supposed to make. I did not trust my own voice or my own credibility at the time. I was honestly afraid, like, who in the world would want to hear me talk to myself by myself for 30 minutes? Like that's crazy. But while I did not know my own voice yet, the decision to make the podcast solo, it really felt right. Some of y' all already know that I'm a Christian, I love Jesus, I listen to the Holy Spirit. And it felt really clear that I was supposed to keep going with this podcast on my own. And I think if I didn't have that conviction outside of me, I probably wouldn't have done it. I just would have been too scared. But thankfully I moved past it. I trusted that voice. I took a short break from the show to sort of conceptualize new episodes, what it was going to look like, look like. And then the first solo episode it came out, it was episode number 11 because I did 10 guest episodes. Episode number 11 was the lazy Genius Shops at Aldi. And Here we are 10 years and 460 some episodes later, and I'm still talking into a mic and you guys are still listening. And I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. Here is another bonkers thing. So I made the podcast for almost four years without the lazy genius principles. Four years, you guys, we didn't have the 13 lazy genius principles. Now, they were there in theory and occasionally in name. Like I wouldn't have been able to name and create them for my book, the Lazy Genius Way, that had the 13 lazy genius principles that didn't come out of nowhere, that didn't come out of thin air. They were already part of the fabric of what I taught. But as a whole, with their names, the 13 lazy genius principles were not the official 13 lazy genius principles until August of 2020, a full four years after I started the podcast. And I think it's no wonder that the show really picked up a lot of steam after that. The book gave the podcast more credibility, but more than that, it gave it more direction and clarity. Like, every single thing we do is rooted in those 13 principles. And when you have a clear foundation in something, like, it's just a lot easier to build on, you know? Speaking of principles, it's time to hear from you guys. Here are a few principles that got singled out in some comments from y'. All. So this one's from Melanie. Melannie says, the most important thing I've learned is to live in my season. Instead of trying to jam my expectations into the unexpected season, I adjust my expectations, which I don't think I would have had the grace to do prior listening to this podcast. Thank you also for adding grace into my vocabulary so that it is now something I can give myself. Melannie. I love that. And what's fun about all of you learning this vocabulary is that you get to share it with your people. You know, that's why I care about this audience and community growing. It's not for my benefit. It's not to, like, hit another number of downloads. It is quite literally for everyone else's benefit that we can all become more grace filled in our language, towards ourselves and towards each other. Here's actually another comment that that sort of aligns with this pretty well. This one is from Dena. Dina says, the biggest thing I have learned from you and have allowed myself to embrace on a soul level is that I am not a robot. Every time you share that you are not a robot or to avoid robot energy, it has reframed how I view myself. I've learned to be kinder to myself, when to dial back ridiculous expectations, embracing God's grace more than I ever have in my 40 years. Dina, that's so lovely. So for everyone, like, think about. Think about how many years we go without hearing permission that we are not robots. You know, without being reminded that we live in different seasons and that we need to be kind to ourselves. Like, a lot of us go a long time without that being in the fabric of how we think. So I just love that we're all learning the same vocabulary so that we can share it with other people, with kids and friends and more and more people, one person at a time, can take that soul level deep breath of believing that they're not a robot and that they can be kind to themselves and they can live in their season. Like, it's just such a lovely little movement that we're doing over here. Okay, so here's some other principal favorites. This is from Jody Jody says, Kendra has taught me a lot of things, but one thing that has really helped me is to live in my season. Parenting is hard and when I'm frustrated with the stuff my 16 year old son leaves laying around or my 12 year old daughter's attitude, I remember to live in my season. I know someday I'll miss the trail of socks in my living room. And the eye rolls. Jodi. I love that optimism. I don't know if I'll ever miss the eye rolls. I freaking hate eye rolls. But I also need to live in my season with that. Like it's such a good reminder that wherever you are, almost certainly it's not gonna last forever and that you can spot good that is here right now even even with the eye rolls. Bethany says, I've learned to be kind to myself and love that your advice is never prescriptive. One area that has given me so much peace is cleaning my house. I love it when you said in one episode you get to decide how clean your house is and that was a game changer for me. A light bulb moment. Yes, I love a clean house. Who doesn't? But realistically in this season, live in my season, it's just not possible to have a house where every room is clean all at the same time. I just don't stress about it anymore. I use the Toddy app that you recommended and I love taking off the jobs when I get around to them, but I decide how clean my house is. I feel like you gave me the permission I needed to to live in my season with grace and kindness. I love that. Bethany and for real, y', all, that app, it's spelled T O D Y like tidy with an o. It's called Toddy is. It is so great to help with chores that especially don't have a regular schedule, but it also works for ones that do. It's a great little app. All right. This one's from Barbara. Barbara says Decide once hands down, has been my biggest takeaway. Thanks Kendra. It saves me almost daily. Cheers to 10 years. And Nicole says my decide once choice is I always say yes to flowers no matter what. If flowers are there, I am there. I love that. I love all the different decide onces that people have that make life just a little better. It's those small things that matter, obviously. This comment from Carly is a great wrap up to the principles she says. I've been listening to the Lazy Genius podcast since before the first book and I honestly feel like this is the home EC class I needed and this isn't about how to make certain meals or do certain tasks, though. Change youe Life. Chicken is 100% legit, and kitchen stones are a thing. But it's the thought process behind the homemaking. Usable in any home setting. Single in an apartment, farmhouse with eight kids, vacation rental for a sister's wedding. I can choose any of the 13 principles I need and apply them accordingly. To feel like I'm creating kind environments for my crew while retaining my sanity. Carly. Yes. That is such a great description of this. Like, what we do here. It helps you create kind environments while retaining your sanity, where you can, like, still get your stuff done. I love that. I love it. So my favorite principle, it changes all the time, but I think the one that has surprised me over the last couple of years is let people in. I have historically been the one to, like, help other people out, keep things kind of close to the vest, and not share something I'm going through, especially if it's not that hard. I can. I can, like, always compare my circumstances to someone else's and find someone who's going through something worse than I am, you know? But, like, what good is that? That doesn't help anybody. I have some great friends who have helped cultivate this. This habit of, like, regularly sharing whatever's going on. And it's really made my life so much richer. Letting people into the tiny hardships, the tiny celebrations, the tiny needs. It makes it more natural and easier to let them into the big stuff, too. So my favorite principle will change again, of course, but right now, I think it's let people in. All right, I have a whole slew of comments from you guys, and they're so kind. You were so lovely to share them with then. I'm just gonna, like, read a bunch for you now. We're gonna keep reading some of these. These first few are some words about the one specific lazy genius thing that has stuck with you over time. This will be fun. This first one is from Mary Jo. It's better to pivot than to plan. It's my mantra now. I used to become anxious when plans changed or didn't go according to plan, and now I don't. Yes, Mary Jo, that is the best. But pivot over plan. That's a big one for a lot of you. Actually, Haley says two minutes is not nothing. Zero minutes is nothing. And 15 minutes is a whole lot of something. You said that in a recent episode. That has completely shifted the way I think about so many tasks. 0 minutes is the only thing that can Be counted as nothing. Turns out I do a lot of somethings all day long. Kendra's constant compassion for herself and us lazy geniuses means the world to me and I'm sure to so many others. Oh, thank you, Haley.
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Podcast Guest/Listener
Thank you.
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Kendra Adachi
Yes. The only thing that's nothing is zero minutes. And listen, sometimes we spend zero minutes, and that's okay, too. Like, sometimes you need to not do anything. But deciding that a task doesn't count or isn't worth doing because it's too small or it doesn't take very long while other things are, you know, waiting, all that does is keep you from doing anything. Small steps, man. Small steps, man. Or start small. Love that. Here's a comment from Tanya. One thing that has always stuck with me is tend to the necessary before it becomes urgent. This has helped me see what is coming up and what needs to be done. So life doesn't feel rushed. I've noticed in my life that I do not like to feel rushed. When I do, I forget things and I don't feel like the best version of myself. So I've learned to be kind to myself and embrace it. I've also learned that my kids do not like to feel rushed either. So this has led to new approaches in my parenting. My son now comes home on Monday and we lay out his homework for the week, and he makes a plan on how he wants to get it done, depending on his schedule. Now it's not me nagging and instead reminding him that he doesn't want to feel rushed. Thursday night. It's been a life changer for us over here. Thank you for all you do. You're a rock star. And raising us rock stars under your wing, that's so great. I love this, Tanya. I'm the same. I do not enjoy being rushed. So it matters to tend to the necessary before it becomes urgent so that I can avoid that feeling whenever possible. That's not true for everybody. Some people don't mind feeling rushed. Some people thrive when they're feeling rushed. So knowing yourself is super helpful in learning how to managing your time. So I love that. And this one from Donna about a saying that stuck. The most important thing I've learned from Kendra is this. Every choice matters because each one matters to someone, but only hold the ones that matter to you. Thank you, Donna. Yeah, that's the crux of all of this, isn't it? It's like, we're not gonna measure our choices against other people's choices. We're also not gonna judge and shame someone for Doing something differently than we do from getting table. Getting dinner on the table differently than we do. Right. Every choice matters because it matters to the person making it. And people matter. That's the whole central point of this. People matter. But since everything could matter, you have to hold on to what matters to you. You have to. You have no choice, really, or else you're gonna run yourself into the ground. All right, here are a few comments about practical tips and ideas that have stuck around for you. So Rachel says the practical things I do, thanks to you. Monthly meal planning, keeping laundry separate for each person. Man, that's a game changer. Have to and hope to. Lists are my favorite. And of course, the practice of acknowledging what matters to me. I tell myself to be kind to myself. Pretty often I notice when a task is actually a project, so then I break it down and make it smaller. Rachel, that's like so many things. I love all of those and love that they're working for you. Brittany says, dust your bathroom before cleaning it. This was a light bulb moment for me, and it just seems so obvious, yet was not until you said it. It has changed my life. Y' all, listen. I will scream it from the mountaintops forever. Dust your bathroom first. Dry to wet. It's just the wildest, most helpful thing that no one ever told me. I'm glad you love it, Brittani. Michelle actually loves it, too. Here's Michelle's comment. I've learned the best, most efficient way to clean a bathroom, thanks to you. It's all about doing things in the right order. Remember, go in the right order is a lazy genius principle. I printed out your bathroom cleaning instructions and I put the paper in the bathroom cabinet. Whenever it's go time, I take out the sheet for a quick review, gather my materials, and get started. To be printed out in someone's home and referred to when it is go time is, like, the highest honor ever. Thank you, Michelle. All right. Caitlin says mine is a little silly, but I literally say it to my husband every week, and that is salt your chicken more than you think. It has changed my chicken so much. Caitlin. Yes. You guys, salt your chicken more than you think. These tiny little pinches you're doing, it's not gonna cut it. It's not gonna cut it. Eventually, you are going to figure out, like, what enough is the more you do it, but salt your chicken more than you think. Like, I have a pillow with the word salt on it for a reason. All right. Paula says, lately, I've embraced your magical nap formula. When I Hit a wall. I know it's time for a Kendra nap. I put on my timer, play a Spotify white noise playlist, and more often than not, I end up snoozing for five to 10 minutes. It's like it gives me Red Bull wings without the chemicals. That's so great, Paula. That's great. Okay, Jody says. On a lighter note, Kendra taught me that a basket can fix a lot of problems. Since listening to Kendra, I've added a basket in my living room for blankets, a hamper in my downstairs bathroom for my son to throw his clothes in, and most recently, a small basket on the counter for my daughter and husband's extra water bottles that don't fit in the cupboard I like. Should I start a line of baskets, you guys? I think baskets can fix most things, like, truly. I'm so glad they've helped you, Jodi. Okay, here's another one from Abby. One of the things that stands out to me is the cycles. I was a clean the whole house on the same day person. Accepting the fact that there are multiple cycles that exist in a home and that they are never truly ever done has given me the permission to tend to them individually throughout the week. When I have the time, I'm relaxing into the habit of noticing the specific things that call my attention and. And targeting my time and energy on those things. Abby, this is great. Realizing that you're never truly done is such a game changer, and I'm so glad that framework has helped to make housework a little easier to manage. It's great. Okay, here are a couple of favorite episodes you all shared. That's always fun. When we create episode ideas and I make the actual episodes, we just never know what's going to resonate with people. What's fun is that sometimes certain episodes stick with a listener for such a long time, which we love. And it's why we also try to make, like, a wide variety of episodes, you know? Now, obviously, we want to have variety and not make everybody bored, but everybody also needs different things, so it's such a privilege to be able to offer a lot of help in a lot of spaces, hoping that one of those episodes is gonna stick with somebody, you know. So here are a couple of favorites from you guys. So Dima says episode 451, permission to not be Great, is probably my favorite because it feels like such a beautiful summary of Kendra's message. Thank you, Dima. Actually, I think that's true. I think if you have someone in your life who you want to Introduce to the idea of being a lazy genius, but you don't know where to start, because, again, there's so many episodes. Handing a person a book, especially a self help book, I mean, that can be tricky, you know, like, it's a lot. But this episode could be a really great place to start, because it is. But it's like the best summary of the overall philosophy. So if someone listens to that and they're like, then I'm not for them, and that's fine. So. But if they do love it, then maybe I am, and then they can sort of Explore. So episode 451 is a great place to start. I agree. Thank you for listening, Dima. Okay, Brittany. Brittany's favorite episode. Everything from the soup episode go in the right order and season every layer. My soup game has never been so strong. Yes. Strong soup game. Should we have a T shirt that says strong soup game? That would be also fun. I feel like I'm just creating merch over here. Ashley says how to go to the pool. There was an episode a long time ago about going to the pool in the summer. I listened at just the right time, and we ended up making it the summer of pool time. We were there multiple times a week all summer long. My whole family remembers that summer very fondly. And while we haven't ever made it as often as we did that summer since, it's still one of our favorite things to do. Ashley, I love that episode too. So I created it after, like, a couple of years of struggling to figure out how to take the kids to the pool, like, kind of efficiently and make it easier. And now we still, like, we use pretty much all those ideas still. So thank you for listening. Okay, I've got three more comments to read, and then I'm actually gonna play some audio comments from you guys just to kind of close this, like, love fest part of this episode. It's just, seriously, you guys, y' all are just so kind and amazing. Okay, this one is from Beth. Kendra, I have learned so much from your podcast and books that has made my life better in large and small ways. I'm a better pivoter. I tell myself to be kind to myself, and then I actually am. I have let go of things that I now see don't matter to me. I love my people better. I tried barrel jeans. They weren't for me. But my jeans exploration led me to my perfect cut. I read more. I stress less. I make better purchases. I pay attention to small, beautiful moments. Beth, what a lovely comment. Thank you thank you so much. Equally lovely is this one from Emily. It really does feel like you're my big sister, which is helpful since I'm the firstborn and I've always been the big sister but never had one myself. I recently considered accepting a full time in person job with a big commute in a highly professional environment. I didn't even want the job, but I asked myself, how can I make this work? What's the smallest problem? As I narrowed the problem to the hair, makeup and outfit routine every day, I thought maybe I could wash my hair less. Maybe I could get a capsule wardrobe. Maybe I could get my eyeliner tattooed on. And there you were in my head. Emily, this is insane. You're not getting eyeliner tattooed on to accept a job that you don't even want. I would say that, yes, she continues. I have a job. I like my job, the schedule works for my family. I could earn more money, but honestly, that doesn't matter as much to me. What matters is the energy required of me each day and I just don't have the energy for this type of career change. In this season of Life, you taught me how to feel content where I am, and I'm forever grateful. Thanks, big sis. That, like, genuinely makes me teary. It's just the sweetest thing. And I'm so glad that you didn't get eyeliner tattooed on for a job you did not even want. And finally, this is from Natalie. I think the biggest thing I've learned is there are so many people out there in the world who think like me. We're all too hard on ourselves and and listening to Kendra every week makes me feel understood. Name what matters and start small are the two things I always come back to. I've named my hot dogs air fryer, chicken nuggets in our home, and a brain dump will help everything. There is no right answer and we all deserve rest and joyful things in our life. Yes, Natalie, that is so beautiful. There is no right answer. There's no one way to do anything. And we all deserve rest and joyful things. It's so beautiful. Okay, here are some more comments that some of you shared via a voice message. I loved hearing your voices, so let's play those now.
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Podcast Guest/Listener
I've listened to the Lazy Genius podcast for about eight years and I can honestly say it has been the best companion for some of life's greatest challenges and made room for some of life's greatest moments. I feel like the Lazy Genius principles and the concepts discussed on the podcast are the scaffolding that I've been able to, like, built. Build a full life around. Deciding what matters most is the foundation, and deciding once is totally the pillars that are holding the house that is my chaotic life up. And these principles have walked through. Having a child with medical needs and disabilities and my husband having a surgery and my kids starting school and deciding if I wanted to have another child, it's just been so such a. Such a guide in creating a life that I have ownership over and that I love. So thank you and happy 10 years. Hey, this is Rebecca Cruz in Houston, Texas, and I've learned so much from the Lazy Genius collective, but I think the thing that resonates the most is decide once decision fatigue is real, y'. All. And being able to just pick something
- [35:04]
Kendra Adachi
like knowing your go to Starbucks order
- [35:06]
Podcast Guest/Listener
or your favorite white wine to have on a daily basis has really saved me a lot of decision fatigue and made my life better. So thank you, Kendra. Hi, Kendra, it's Susie calling from Tennessee. Kendra, I've learned so many things from you. My favorite one that I can think of right now is the that if I wait to rest until after I get everything done, I will never take a rest. And of course that makes sense, but saying it out loud, hearing you say it, it was transformational for me because I was like, that's why I can never rest, because I've never been a place where everything's gotten done. And just realizing that I'm still spending my whole rest of my life not resting because nothing was ever going to be completed was just jaw dropping for me. So now I take a little rest in the afternoon, and I'm good with 15 to 35 minutes, depending upon how the day goes, sometimes even a little bit longer. Sometimes I don't go to sleep, but usually I do. And I'll read a little bit and close my eyes, turn my little sound machine on, and I wake up much better human. So thank you so much. Okay, so this is going to be the worst voicemail ever, because I can't remember which episode it was, and I can't remember how long ago it was, and I can't remember exactly what you said, but it was one of the first podcasts I ever listened to, and it was right after I had a child. And it was a list of 10 things. 10 things that I wish you knew about being a parent or 10 things I wish somebody would have told me something along those lines. And you said something like, you will want to throw your baby across the room. That doesn't make you a bad parent. If you actually throw your baby across the room, that's what makes you a bad parent. And it was just this moment of levity I needed because being a new parent is so hard. And my advice now for all first time moms is you can hate parenting and still love your child. I didn't love being a parent until my child was 14 months old and now I love being a parent, but it took time. So anyway, that was just a super encouraging moment to me and it was a long time ago and I still love listening. Thanks so much, Kendra. You are the big sister that I always needed and never had. I only had a brother and like, I could tear up because I love you so much and I can read in your voice and your inflection is just lovely and it just has done so much for me. I've listened for probably the past four or five years, but I need a shirt that says ask me how to be a lazy genius. But my favorite things that I've learned from you are live in your season, which also goes with not everything can matter. If everything matters, nothing matters. So. So I just learned that I can't do it all right now, but that doesn't mean I can't do it all eventually in my season. And the other thing is to start small. Like if I can't clean off an entire shelf or overhaul an entire room, maybe I can just start with a shelf or a corner and it makes the biggest difference. Thanks for being who you are and everything you've created.
- [38:35]
Kendra Adachi
Hey, Kendra, Lisa here. I just wanted to thank you for your big sister energy. I don't have a sister and so I appreciate your voice and my life in that manner. I thank you so much for your lazy genius principles. So many of them have helped me so much in my life. I would say learning to be kind to myself, learning to pivot over plan and deciding once and batch it have been the main lazy genius principles that have really reframed how I live my days and my life. And I appreciate that the playbooks have also been so super helpful. So I want to thank you and your team for all the hard work you do and the just how great you guys are at making things relatable to as many people as possible. I truly appreciate the work you do and so congratulations on 10 years and thank you.
- [39:33]
Podcast Guest/Listener
Hi Kendra, this is Alison from London and this is in response to your question, what have you learned from the Lazy genius podcast? So I hope I'm not too late with this, but something that has really stuck with me from the podcast is the way that you frame so many things with a caveat, if that matters to you. Because it is so easy when you hear something that feels like an objectively good thing to do, to feel like you therefore should do it. When many times something nags inside me, at least that's telling me that that apparently good thing thing is actually not something that's going to work for me. And instead of overriding that feeling now I pause and I pay attention to it and ask myself why this thing that sounds good actually isn't something that I want to pursue, at least for this season that I'm in. And that's by the way, another concept that I love from you the whole live in your season. So yeah, love the reinforcement of the whole if that matters for you so regularly because it's really made it stick for me. Also, random side note, the kids heard me listening to an episode from the podcast years ago. It was the one on how to lazy genius your laundry. And you have since been known by the kids as the lady who teaches mummy how to do laundry. Thank you for all you do. Kendra hi, I'm Mallory.
- [40:58]
Kendra Adachi
I live in Connecticut and I regularly evangelize the lazy genius cinematic universe.
- [41:05]
Podcast Guest/Listener
I'm a very skilled type, a planner,
- [41:09]
Kendra Adachi
achiever, and all of the lazy genius principles have impacted my life in some way. But most critically, your teachings have given me the tools to pivot. I used to go off the deep
- [41:19]
Podcast Guest/Listener
end as soon as a plan started going sideways, and now I'm equipped to
- [41:25]
Kendra Adachi
pivot, either creatively coming up with an alternative on the fly or more often throwing my hands up in the air and saying, this isn't a failure, it's a pivot. It's figureoutable. Thank you for the peace this has settled within me and by extension in my home and relationships. Keep up the good work.
- [41:46]
Podcast Guest/Listener
Or pivot to just okay work if good work is too tough some days.
- [41:50]
Kendra Adachi
Thanks. Oh my goodness, you guys. Also, I love the phrase lazy Jada Cinematic Universe. Oh, that's so great. Thank you for all of those incredibly kind, thoughtful words that you shared. It's everybody from just written comments to those voice messages. Yeah, it's just really moving and I'm truly humbled by being able to be a helpful, kind voice in your ears to be the big sister that you don't have. It's just really spectacularly special. It's just a great honor in my life and I am so grateful. And so that last, that last comment too about like, keep up the good work or don't, which is I appreciate that permission. That's so great. That's actually a great segue just briefly into sharing what's next for the podcast. And the answer is, I don't know. I don't know specifically. I know that we don't have plans to stop anytime soon. I mean, I never would have thought we would make a show for 10 years, and it's hard to imagine making it for another 10. But also, we've made this show for 10 years and we have no signs of stopping. This is one of the reasons why this is like so specific. But we just love when you fill out the annual survey that we do because it helps us know what episodes you love, what formats you want to see again, what we can leave behind. Like, your feedback makes the show better over time and it's going to pivot again. I'm sure it will. So I want to keep making a show that you love to listen to for as long as I'm supposed to do this. And I, and I hope that's a long time. I hope we could make a lot more episodes. So thank you, you guys. Thank you so much for celebrating 10 years with me. I am just overwhelmingly grateful to all of you. This episode is sponsored by Smile Generation. Did you know your dentist might actually spot health issues before your doctor does? That surprised me too. But it turns out your mouth can reveal a lot about what's going on in the rest of your body. That's why I like what Smile Generation is all about. They're a community of trusted dental professionals focused on helping patients understand the connection between oral health and overall health. Because what happens in your mouth doesn't stay in your mouth. In fact, oral health issues have been linked to long term conditions like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's and more. So caring for your smile isn't just about appearances. It's really about taking care of your whole self. I use the phrase tend to the necessary before it becomes urgent often. And keeping up with regular exams and screenings is one of those small ways to do it. To learn more about the connection between oral health and Overall Health, visit SmileGeneration.com Genius. That's SmileGeneration.com Genius. To learn more about the mouth body connection and find a trusted provider near you. This episode is sponsored by Merit Beauty. My most recent decide once has been using Merit Beauty full stop. I don't want to wake up every morning and renegotiate my entire face. I want a few products that live in the same bag, know their jobs and help me look awake enough to enter the world. Merit is a minimalist beauty brand that makes elevated makeup and skincare designed to help you look put together in minutes. The minimalist is a staple for me. It's not quite a foundation, not quite a concealer, but it replaces both. I swipe it on where I want a little coverage, blend it in with a brush and move on. I also love clean lash because it makes my lashes look longer and awake, but not like I'm going to a wedding at 8:30 in the morning. And on days when I don't feel like wearing makeup, Great Skin Serum gives my skin that fresh, hydrated look without adding a bunch of steps. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their signature makeup bag with your first order at Merit Beauty.com that's M-E-R-I-T Beauty.com to get your free signature makeup bag with your first order. MeritBeauty.com. All right, it's time for a little extra something. Here are a couple things I'm looking forward to this summer. We are obviously in the beginning of May, but I can feel summer coming. My boys told me their exam schedules the other day and they're both done with school more than a week before the official end of school school. So summer's coming even more quickly than I anticipated and it already felt pretty quick. But there are a couple of things that I'm looking forward to in this new season with different rhythms. So one is that it's a summer of getting a kid with a driver's license. Sam is almost done with his hours. He will be taking his test at some point this summer. Hopefully he passes it. You guys send your strongest thoughts and prayers our way. Plus Ben, my middle kid, he's going to start driver's ed this summer. So it's two drivers. What? Different limits, but two drivers. I am undone by this development. However, the idea of a kid being able to take another kid somewhere of Sam just like going to hang out with his friends or driving himself to a saxophone lesson. I am thrilled by this. So excited. Now I have no doubt that I am going to like miss it, but I also am like, what am I going to do with myself? This is so exciting. Another thing I'm looking forward to this summer is pool time. We love our little pool. Some of our best buddies are there. The pool is shaded. I am obsessed with shade in the summer. Even at a pool. I need to protect my skin and prevent sweating at all costs. Please. I think what I'M looking forward to the most about the pool is that it just slows me down. Nothing slows me down like an afternoon at the pool. Since I typically live at the pace of a caffeinated squirrel, the pool and the summer is like a long sabbatical from hurry and I just really love it. And then the other thing I'm looking forward to this summer is produce. Give me all the strawberries, all the tomatoes, all the okra, all the watermelon. Summer produce is outrageously enjoyable for me. It's like all my favorite things. I'm gonna put so many miles on my car going to our favorite farm for produce every single week. I'm gonna eat so many tomato sandwiches. Y', all, you're not even ready. I do it the correct southern way. White bread, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, tomato. That's it. Like, don't get fancy. That's all you need. I mean, you can do what you want, but it does not matter what other tomato sandwich concoction you swear by, I'm not gonna choose it. I'm don't. You can email me, but I will not take your advice. Even if you're like, trust me. No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I have tried other things. I have tried pimento cheese, I have tried American cheese. I've put arugula on it. You know, you're basically making a blt. I want a tomato sandwich with just mayonnaise, tomato, salt and pepper on white bread. We don't toast it. We don't do sourdough. You can, you can, but I will not. And we can all eat our tomato sandwiches in our own way. In juicy peace. Okay, so having a driver slowing down at the pool and all the summer produce that I can hold, that is what I'm looking forward to this summer. And that is today's a little extra something. And now for the lazy genius of the week. This week's tip comes from Ashley Bannon. Ashley writes, I have two little boys, a 2 year old and an 8 month old. Bless you, Ashley. And our bedrooms are upstairs. Most mornings I'm solo because my husband leaves early, which means I'm juggling a baby on my hip, holding my toddler's hand down the stairs and. And somehow trying to carry bottles from overnight. Dinosaur toys that must come downstairs, changes of clothes, my phone. You get the picture. Yes, technically I could make two trips. But anyone in this season knows that finding time to walk back upstairs alone is not simple. So I implemented a decide once solution. I picked a cute bag that I don't mind singing out, and I keep it hanging on a hook on my floor length mirror. Every morning I load it with everything I need to carry downstairs, and during the day it lives neatly on a closet hook, and at night, on my way upstairs, I refill it with bottles, toys that need to migrate back up and whatever else tomorrow morning me will need. It feels small, but it answers that magic question, what can I do now to make my life easier later? It keeps things contained, prevents the back and forth chaos, and helps me function in the sweet but exhausting season without an extra mental load. Small shift, big difference. This is tremendous, Ashley. This is like my favorite type of lazy genius idea to share. It's not some grand solution. There's no massive system here. It's just a bag. It's just a bag that's pretty enough to be out, which it doesn't have to be, but also that helps that it's a bag that's pretty enough to be out that holds what you need to go up and down the stairs. I did something like this with a basket in our old house when we had stairs. But this is so much better, Ashley, because I would still have to carry the basket on on one hip while carrying a kid on the other. So the tote bag idea is so much smarter because you just put it over your shoulder. There's no real extra work, but it's so much easier. Enjoy things like this, y'.
- [50:40]
Podcast Guest/Listener
All.
- [50:40]
Kendra Adachi
Like, solve tiny problems with tiny solutions and you will feel like a lazy genius more and more. Thank you so much for sharing, Ashley, and congratulations on being the lazy genius of the week. And now for a mini pep talk for when you don't know if you're making the right decision. So this feels quite relevant today because the Lazy Genius podcast as an idea, it could have been a poor decision. Like, even if I felt like it was the thing to do, I didn't know if it would work. I didn't know if going to a solo show would work, if joining a network would work, if changing the format to include nanny pep talks and lazy geniuses of the week and little extra somethings, if that would work. But I also think we often measure how good or right a decision is by whether or not it works. And I don't think that's always the rubric. I've learned this from Emily P. Freeman, who is the expert on soulful decision making. We measure how successful a decision is in such binary ways, but just because you made a choice that didn't stick around as far down the road as you thought. It doesn't necessarily mean you made the wrong choice. I am such a believer in the philosophy you never step in the same river twice. You're not the same person and it's not the same river. Whatever choice you make, it's going to have consequences, of course, but sometimes things that don't work out on paper, they make us better people. You become stronger and more confident from mistakes and weird turns than you do from everything going right. You know, we all know that we learn better from mistakes. So why do we get so bent out of shape over making a choice that didn't work out like we expected? Of course we all do it. I do it too. But I think it helps if the measuring stick changes. Just like you don't measure your day by how productive you are, but rather live your day as a grounded, integrated person, you don't have to measure the success of a decision by how well it went. When we wonder and worry if something was right, it can keep us distracted from seeing the good that is here now. The obsession with rightness. It can prevent us from being serene and open handed in a hard season that might have some beautiful things to teach us. Things that we might want to release. So if you don't know if you made the right decision, first, I'm gonna say just add Emily P. Freeman to the voices that you listen to. She will help guide you in the decision from start to finish. And second, remember that a successful decision doesn't have to be measured in the way you might think. Focus more on becoming a whole, integrated, grounded person, no matter the results of your decisions. And you'll likely find more confidence when you make them and more peace when you don't know what will happen next. And that's a mini pep talk for when you don't know if you made the right decision, if this episode was helpful to you, or if you have been looking for a way to support the show. Please share this episode with someone that you know or you can leave a kind review on Apple Podcasts every mention and share. It makes a difference in turning more people into lazy geniuses and it can get us through another 10 years. So thank you for being so supportive. This podcast is part of the Odyssey Family and the Office Ladies Network. This episode is hosted by me, Kendra Adachi, an executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey. Special thanks to Leah Jarvis for weekly production and this week to Kara Smith for gathering and organizing all of the kind submissions that you guys sent in if you'd like a podcast recap every other week, be sure to sign up for the latest Lazy Listens email that goes up every other Friday. Head to the lazygenescollective.com listens to get it. Thanks y' all for listening and until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra. I'll see you next week.
- [54:56]
Podcast Guest/Listener
Foreign.
- [55:03]
Kendra Adachi
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Podcast Guest/Listener
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Kendra Adachi
It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have
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Podcast Guest/Listener
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- [55:18]
Kendra Adachi
I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com
- [55:21]
Podcast Guest/Listener
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Kendra Adachi
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