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Shipping is free both ways, and you can choose how often you get a box every month, two or three. It's convenient, personalized, and actually makes getting dressed feel fun again. Elevate your style by signing up@dailylook.com today. Take your style quiz@dailylook.com and get 50% off your first styling fee with the code LAZYGENIUS. That's dailylook.com code LAZYGENIUS hi there. You're listening to the Lazy Genius Podcast. I'm Kendra Adachi. This podcast isn't 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. So. So here we do things differently on this podcast. 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'm so glad you're here. Today is episode 432, 10 Things I've Learned in 10 Years of the Lazy Genius Y'. All. The Lazy Genius Collective as a business is 10 years old tomorrow. Can you believe that we have been a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't for an entire decade. We are a fourth grader. It is amazing. So today I'm going to share with you 10 things I've learned in those 10 years. Some are personal. Some are business related, some are just random. But I'm looking forward to celebrating this 10 year mark with a top 10 list. We'll also have a little extra something at the end of the episode in the form of another top 10 list. Specifically my top 10 favorite characters from books I've read over the last 10 years. You guys, I know what a big ask. I spent Capital T time on this just so I could have it and it was really fun and I thought it would be fun to share. And of course we will end things with the Lazy Genius of the Week and then a mini pep talk for when you're pulled in too many directions. As a quick reminder, there is still some time for you to get your Fall Playbook before you get too far into September. The fall cover is this gorgeous deep navy. The pages are white and thick. The type is clean. The pages are dot grid and the questions to help you name what matters for the fall and spaces for lists and seasonal ceremonies for the fall and the pages to help you triage your tasks for the fall. They are all super helpful and will make your actual planner that you can still use alongside the Playbook work better for you. I'm at the point where I only use my Playbook along with my Google Calendar and then the occasional like daily sticky note. It organizes my time and priorities exactly the way that I personally need it to. So I don't even use a planner anymore. But that doesn't mean you can't. So the Fall Playbook it covers September, October and November. So if you kept forgetting to order one the last couple of weeks because like, of all the energy that August brings, you can hop over now to the lazygeniuscollective.com playbooks. I wouldn't tell you about them if I did not think they were awesome. And they are incredibly, incredibly awesome. Plus there is a QR code in the inside cover that gives you access to some tutorial videos and a private Facebook group where people are sharing all kinds of ways that they are using their Playbooks with like photos and ideas. Things that I never even imagined. They're so cool. So if you try Playbook, I hope you love it. Okay, let's get to the episode. Here are the 10 things I've learned in 10 years of the lazy genius. Number one steady is better than viral. There was a time where I spent a lot of time trying to like maximize all of my content channels. Like how can I create Instagram content that people want to see? How can I title an episode in such a way that I. A lot of people are going to want to click and listen, and it'll rise to the top of the podcast charts. What media outlets can I pursue to help me catch fire? There was, like, a lot of that for a little while, especially in the early days. I thought the only way to do this work was to have some viral moments and then build on them. However, it did not take long before I realized that was wrong as well as unsustainable and. And honestly, not even in line with what I care about. I am a good is here right now person. I'm a contentment person. I'm a let's just do what we can with what we have based on what matters in this season of life person. I mean, I love excellence, but not at the cost of my own energy or quality of life. And, y', all, that is not a person who wants to pursue going viral as part of her job. Like, it just doesn't even really matter. I've only had one Instagram post go legit viral. It was in June of 2024, during the Olympics. Maybe you saw it. I posted this reel. It didn't even have my face in it. It had no, like, words. It was just eye of the tiger. It was a short video of me holding a carton of Ben and Jerry's in front of the TV showing someone doing a floor routine during the Olympics. And I say, welcome to my favorite time of the year when I watch athletes make magic with their bodies while I eat ice cream. Y', all, that thing, it got 3 million views, and it didn't take very long for that to happen. Like, it for sure went viral, but did it do anything for me, like, for the business? Not really. Out of 3 million people, I got 901 new followers. I just went back and checked, and then, like, a week later, I lost over 700. Like, whatever, you know, like, they came and they went, which happens. It's also so funny. Like, y'. All. Y' all know my personality. You. You know, you probably saw it and it tracked as me, but it wasn't like it was some, you know, perfect picture of what I do every day in. In this business, you know, no one would know what a lazy genius is from that reel. Just someone who watches the Olympics with ice cream, like, as intended. So depending on my stuff to go viral, that left the conversation a long time ago for me, thankfully. Instead, I prioritize doing steady, dependable, excellent work for the people who are already here and listening. And that's you. So thank you for keeping this business going by sharing episodes with friends and family. That is like grassroots growth, and that's the kind of growth that really matters to me and actually works. Okay, number two, I have to write out ideas in order to find them. Typing just does not cut it. So I'm such a fan of, like, finding what works for you and doing it rather than trying to make someone else's way of doing something work. It's kind of like trying to wear a jacket that just doesn't fit, you know? So finding my ideas, breaking podcast episodes, working out Instagram content, mapping out my books. None of that can happen on a computer. None of it can. I need notebooks and whiteboards and giant sticky notes that hang from the wall. Like, I have to use my hand to write the thing down. That is true for my work. It is also true for my life. When I plan out a week, when I plan out the meals. I cannot do any of that on a computer. I have to write it down. That's why I have so many dry erase boards around my house. And it's why the playbooks are paper. They're for people who need to write, like me. I remember a time when I was helping plan this big event at my church with a friend of mine, and we were both on our laptops, like, making notes and trying to come up with ideas and stuff, and it's like, my brain would not function properly. We were, like, down the hall. We were at the church down the hall from her office, and I finally was just like, hey, girl, I'm going crazy. Can you go get me some paper and a pen? This is ridiculous. So she did, and I started to write the exact same things I was typing. And it was like everything made sense. Like, ideas came faster. I spotted categories more quickly. I just need to write it down. I can't type things in the beginning. Ideas do not work for me that way. The early processes of, like, planning and creating, they have to be written in order to work. I sort of knew that a little in my regular life, but it wasn't until I was having to be creative as part of my job, day in and day out, that I realized the necessity of a notebook and a whiteboard. And now I don't even start anything on the computer. It's like a waste of time. Why would I even do that? For example, like this episode, I could have jotted down lessons that I've learned on my computer. Could have typed them out. No, no. I wouldn't have gotten more than two before my brain Just short circuited. So I wrote them down on paper, I edited and ordered them on paper, and then I put them into the computer. To actually write that thing, it is just necessary for me. And now I just lean into it, you know. So if that's you about paper or honestly about anything else, isn't it so great to just know how your brain works and then you just always do it that way? You know, it's kind of the best. Okay. The third thing that I have learned in 10 years of doing the lazy genius is that my problem solving instincts are good. So early on, especially when I was trying to get up the courage to do a solo show without interviews. Because I started out, the first 10 episodes were interviews. I wasn't sure if I had enough to talk about. Like, I didn't know if I could. Lazy genius. More than like a dozen things. I wasn't sure if I could help people solve problems in a way that actually worked for them, you know. Well, 10 years later, I have learned and I truly believe that my problem solving instincts are good. I love putting together compassionate systems and ways of viewing everyday challenges. I love office hours episodes where I get to help y' all solve small problems. I love answering your questions in DMS and comments when you ask them. I love doing live events with a Q and a. Holy cow, Moly. I live for a Q and A. I have problem solving skills. But more than that, I think I have problem solving instincts. I just trust that the thing that comes to mind is the thing to try. I have been gifted at seeing what the problem really is under the surface. I can find small solutions that might just make that thing a little better. Believing that to be true of myself is a long way from where I was at the start of this business. Unsure if I could come up with any ideas about anything. And here we are ten years later. In fact, I value my problem solving instinct so much that we talk as a team about how to integrate that skill into our content more. Like, we might start having more office hours episodes or doing single office hours segments at the end of regular episodes, or just doing more problem solving live on Instagram. I used to do that more back in the day, but I stopped when Instagram became too overwhelming for me. But I wanna leverage that natural problem solving ability in a way that helps you guys. That feels really valuable to me. It's also helped me see and value my problem solving instincts in regular life. Like, I have more confidence in sharing solutions for things in places where my feedback is asked for. I. I Promise. I'm not just solving like random problems every time I see them completely unsolicited. Cuz that would be crazy. But I feel more confident in. In using that skill when it is called upon in other areas of my life. Okay, number four, I get a lot of joy from casting books. Okay, so y' all know I read a lot of. I read a lot of books, I read a lot of novels. And in many of the novels that I read, I cast the characters or at least ones that like, come to mind pretty easily. I still get DMs from people asking for my casting for Throne of Glass, which is like, it's four images of nine pictures each. It's like so many people in that series. I make casting photos just for myself, you guys. Like, my photo app has so many random collages of celebrity faces because it's like so much fun. It's so much fun. So years ago I went on my friend Anne Bogle's podcast, what Should I Read Next? A terrific podcast. And she helped me name how cinematic my reading is. I imagine I love to really see it, and it makes sense that part of that means seeing the people, hence the casting. I have like a whole process of how I do it. Sometimes a person will just come to mind when I'm reading and I read the book with that person as the character in my mind until it just doesn't make sense anymore. Like, I'm reading this fantastic. Oh my gosh, this fantastic sci fi book right now. It has gone through three different castings for the main character. Like, things just keep happening where the person that I started to imagine didn't really fit. Now I have landed on the correct person and it's like the whole book like went up three enjoyment levels for me. I just love casting books so much. And the point is, I don't know that I would have been able to pinpoint that love without regularly talking about my reading in the monthly newsletter. But I'm so glad it happened, which reminds me of something very exciting coming. So, as you recall, we did a survey last month to help us make better decisions for you moving forward in this next year. And one of the things that we learned that was legit, kind of hilarious was that there was a part of you, there was like a pretty decent percentage of you that what you wanted the most of was books and reading. And then there was another percentage of you that wanted. That was the thing you wanted less of was books of reading. So it's like, that's what you want. The Most and that's what you want the least. So we have made a decision that I think is going to be fabulous for everybody. So currently, the monthly newsletter, which is called the Latest Lazy Letter, it has, among other things, my book reviews. For everything that I read that past month, which is usually like 10 to 12 titles, I read a lot. Some of you listening to this podcast would say that that is your favorite part of the newsletter. And then others of you listening are like my least favorite part of the newsletter and you skip it all together. So we are going to separate the book reviews into a separate newsletter. It's still going to go out on the first Wednesday of the month. The latest lazy letter will go out in the morning like it always has, and then the book list will go out in the afternoon. This allows us to take more time and space for like ratings and reviews. It keeps the book stuff in one place and it allows me to share casting pictures. So the latest lazy letter is already so long. And adding more images to it during the book reviews, it would break the. It would, it would break your Internet. So this way the book people get the book stuff and then the non book people don't have to. And now there's room for casting photos. I am so excited. So we will have a link to sign up for that in the next latest lazy letter that goes out next week, next Wednesday. So if you're already subscribed to that newsletter, you don't have to do anything except just like click the book list link in that newsletter will make it very obvious. And if you would like to sign up for the newsletter now that the books are going to be gone or you would like to sign up for just the book list because that's all you really want. We will have specific info for you in next week's episode. We're still getting everything kind of set up, but it is almost ready for you. We're really excited about it as a team. And now I'm going even harder into my castings because there's room for them in the book list. So it's a good. It's a good day. Okay, so that's number four. I really love casting books. Number five, I have learned that I can trust the process. So I am, I am not typically a process person. Anyone who knows me know that knows that I'm absolutely a results person. Waiting for something to happen is kind of the worst. Like, I hate waiting. I hate waiting. I also typically hate the process because processes by nature are not perfect. You have to go through Some real messy stuff, because before you can find the end that works. And I do not enjoy that mess. This is why writing books has traditionally been so challenging for me. When I wrote my first book, the Lazy Genius Way, I assumed I would write it from start to finish, like, chronologically. And it would mostly be great writing, like, the whole time. Like, I would know what I was doing. I did not know that you have to stare at white pages and vomit up words that make no sense so that you have something to edit but. And you write out of order and you change your mind and all the things. I did not know how messy it would be. Eventually a book came out the other end. But it was so hard for me, not just with the writing, but, like, on an emotional level. It was bad for so long before it started to get good. And I did not like. I did not like sitting on a bad book for months and months. Then when I wrote my second book, the Lazy Genie's Kitchen, I had to write that book in 10 weeks because of some publication logistics. And I don't even remember those 10 weeks, you guys. That's. 10 weeks is insane. That's. That's. That's ridiculous. So the. The process of writing a book was, like, hit with rocket fuel. I don't even know how I ended up with a coherent book, let alone one that I genuinely love. So that feels like a wash. But then by the time I wrote the plan, I had, like, a better idea of what the process entailed. Right. I knew that I would have to write garbage for a while, but it was still really hard. I still wanted the writing to be more linear and for the process to be less messy. But I trusted it way more than I did with the first two. And now I bet that when I write another book, it'll be even easier. Still, I'll trust the process. I'll trust the mess. I'm not going to be thrown by thousands and thousands of mediocre words just so I can find the good ones. That's just how it goes. That muscle memory has also shown up in my regular life. I can see it. I have become more comfortable with the middle and the mess and the unknowns than ever before. I trust that solving one small problem at a time works better than a big system. I trust that living in my season and tending to just the next couple of weeks, or the next few days, or even just right now is better than trying to avoid the process by fixing it all right now with, like, big black trash bag energy. This job has taught me to trust the process and I'm so glad. So in 10 years of a lazy genius, I have learned that study is better than viral, that I have to write things down on actual paper, that I can trust my problem solving instincts, that I am obsessed with casting books, and that I can trust and maybe even enjoy the process of anything. Now before we get into the last five and before we take an ad break which makes this episode free for you to listen to. So thank you sponsors. Here's your quick reminder that we send out a podcast recap email every other Friday. It is called Latest Lazy Listens and it summarizes the episodes, shares the lazy genies of the week, as well as other segments that we might have on the show. And it has a little extra note from me to help encourage you through the weekend. So if you would like to get that recap, head to the lazygenies collective.com listens.