The Lazy Genius Podcast

Episode #433 – When Your To-Do List Feels Too Long
Host: Kendra Adachi (The Lazy Genius)
Release Date: September 1, 2025

Overview:

This episode tackles the overwhelm of an endless to-do list. Kendra, the Lazy Genius, provides a gentle, practical framework to help listeners sort out their tasks with self-compassion rather than hustle. She shares five clarifying questions that transform a daunting list into manageable action, walks through her own planning routine as an example, discusses a flexible meal planning method ("meal matrix"), celebrates a creative listener tip, and ends with an encouraging pep talk for when tasks inevitably fall through the cracks.

Main Points and Insights

The Heart of the Lazy Genius Approach

• This is not a show about “hacking productivity.” Instead, Kendra roots her guidance in contentment, compassion, and seasonally-appropriate living.
• “Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” (03:29)

Five Transformational Questions for Overwhelming To-Do Lists

Preparation: Remember What You Know

• You're a human, not an optimization robot:
  • “We know that staying grounded is more important than staying on task. That is where you begin.” (07:36)
  • Begin by calming yourself (“breathe”) and remind yourself that an undone list does not define you.

1. What do I HAVE to do today? [09:02]

• Strip the list to “must-do” tasks with hard deadlines—these go on a separate, tiny piece of paper.
• “Be so vigilant and essential and specific. Like, what can only be done today and not later?” (09:33)
• Often, the day’s true essentials are surprisingly few, which lessens urgency.

2. What do I HOPE to do today? [12:02]

• List what you’d like to get done, especially those that are potential “have-to’s” for tomorrow.
• Write these on a second, separate list.
• “There is such freedom in not having to get that second list done today. It’s a hope to, it’s not a have to.” (13:19)

3. What can I COMBINE? [15:25]

• Group similar tasks (“batch” them).
• Kendra references a quote from Psychology Today:

  “Lists are useful because they document what we ordinarily forget. Memory strongly prefers internal structure. And without this structure, remembering is hard work… Unlike stories in which events are connected by cause and effect, items on a list have no internal structure except verticality.” (16:35)

• By creating structure (via batching), the list is less stressful.

4. What can I DELEGATE, DELAY, or be LAZY about? [21:10]

• Delegate what you can, even if it isn’t done “your way.”
  • She shares a story about delegating kitchen clean-up to her sons when she was sick and not worrying about the imperfect outcome. (22:17)
• Delay things that feel urgent but really can wait, and put reminders in your calendar.
• Be lazy about things that don’t need to be done “the hard way.” (e.g., it’s okay to have “cereal or hot dogs” for dinner if that fits today.)
  • “Some days and weeks are like that. So help ease the load of today by making the lazy choice for certain things.” (24:34)

5. What am I trying to do that doesn’t fit in my current SEASON of life? [25:29]

• Examine if you’re carrying over expectations, routines, or tasks from a prior season that no longer work.
  • “Don’t force yourself to do things that don’t fit right now. Don’t expect to do things the same way you did in a previous season.” (27:13)
• Be kind regarding your season and willing to adjust or drop things as needed.

Kendra’s Personal To-Do List Routine [30:43]

• Big Picture (Seasonal/Montly):

  • Uses her own “playbooks”—quarterly notebooks that hold reflections, reminders, and priorities for a 3-month season.
    • “One playbook covers three months at a time, which is short enough to sort of see ahead and plan, but not so long that you’re, like, overwhelmed by it.” (31:40)
  • At the start of each season/month, she records big upcoming events and tasks, rooted in observations from previous years.

• Weekly Planning:

  • Each weekend, reviews digital calendar, jots a weekly list in her playbook, and—if busy—assigns tasks to certain days on a notepad.

• Daily List:

  • Each morning, physically rewrites “have-to’s” and “hope-to’s” for that day only onto a post-it or scrap paper.
    • “It just sucks the emotional urgency out of the day, making that singular list and therefore that day more manageable.” (35:09)
  • Carries the weekly list as a “master list” so nothing’s forgotten.

• Key Principle:

  • Only today’s essentials go on the daily throwaway list; ongoing/hopeful tasks live in the weekly list.
  • Analog works for her—it may not for you.

• Affirmation:

  • “Some people are naturally wired to plan and prepare…and some people are not. That is OKAY. We are all skilled at different things.” (38:00)
  • Preparation is just one component; “adjusting and noticing” are equally valuable skills.

“Meal Matrix” – Easy Meal Planning for Busy Seasons [41:31]

• Kendra’s Fall Meal Matrix Example:

  • Monday: Pasta (her eldest’s favorite—consistency brings ease)
  • Tuesday: Annie picks (and Sam eats leftovers if he dislikes it)
  • Wednesday: Ben picks (he’s the adventurous eater)
  • Thursday: Kid-friendly meal (parents out for date night)
  • Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Rotation—always pizza, always a leftovers meal, one new/social meal

• Purpose:

  • Decision scaffolding reduces fatigue; gives routine with flexibility for variety.

• Quote:

  • “It is such a great meal matrix for the season of life. And so that is a little extra something for you to chew on, if you would like.” (45:40)

Lazy Genius of the Week [46:10]

• Abigail de Gans – for using ChatGPT to input available ingredients and get instant recipe ideas—saving time and reducing decision fatigue.
  • “For dinner decisions, quick is often a win. So this is a great tip.” (47:13)

Pep Talk: When You Forget to Do Something [48:05]

• Permission to Be Human:
  • Tasks will fall through the cracks, especially during life disruptions.
  • “People matter more than productivity. Now, in your regular life at home and in your relationships, you’re allowed to make that true.” (49:09)
  • If something does slip:
    • Most of the time, the fallout is manageable.
    • Apologize, repair, and forgive yourself.
    • “Being an integrated soul in this crazy world is more valuable than getting everything done in an orderly and efficient fashion. People over productivity every single time.” (50:48)

Notable Quotes

• “You are not an optimization robot… staying grounded is more important than staying on task.” (07:36)
• “There is such freedom in not having to get that [‘hope to’] list done today. It was never the intention or expectation.” (13:19)
• “Lists are useful because they document what we ordinarily forget… Unlike stories, items on a list have no internal structure except verticality.” — Robert Kraft, quoted by Kendra (16:35)
• “You can eat cereal or hot dogs even though you had a lazy dinner yesterday—and that’s okay.” (24:34)
• “Don’t force yourself to do things that don’t fit right now. Don’t expect to do things the same way you did in a previous season.” (27:13)
• “Some people are naturally wired to plan and prepare… and some people are not. That is OKAY.” (38:00)
• “Being an integrated soul in this crazy world is more valuable than getting everything done in an orderly and efficient fashion.” (50:48)
• “People over productivity every single time.” (51:05)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:29] – Kendra’s podcast philosophy
• [07:36] – Laying the groundwork for a compassionate mindset
• [09:02] – 1st question: What do I have to do today?
• [12:02] – 2nd question: What do I hope to do today?
• [15:25] – 3rd question: What can I combine?
• [21:10] – 4th question: What can I delegate, delay, or be lazy about?
• [25:29] – 5th question: What am I trying to do that doesn’t fit my current season of life?
• [30:43] – Kendra’s personal to-do list routine
• [41:31] – Meal matrix for seasonal meal planning
• [46:10] – Lazy Genius of the Week (ChatGPT recipe tip)
• [48:05] – Pep talk: Forgetting to-dos and extending grace to yourself

Tone and Takeaways:

Warm, Affirming, and Permission-Giving:
Kendra consistently reassures the listener: It’s normal for life to be messy, for lists to feel “too long” and for things to slip. The episode is practical but grounded in kindness. Use tools and systems as scaffolding, never as measures of your worth.

“You, as a person, matter more than your productivity does. Believe that, even for right now.” (39:12)

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:
You’ll come away with concrete, digestible steps for decluttering your to-do list, ideas for easier meal planning, and—most importantly—permission to step off the productivity hamster wheel and treat yourself with the same grace you’d give a friend.