The Lazy Genius Podcast – Episode #435: Your Five-Step Guide to a Joyful Busy Season
Host: Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius
Date: September 15, 2025

Overview

Kendra Adachi, also known as The Lazy Genius, offers a practical, compassion-based five-step framework to help listeners experience more joy—and less overwhelm—during the "busy season," especially the fall holidays from October to December. The episode emphasizes small, sustainable changes over grand system overhauls and encourages a human-first approach to time management and seasonal busyness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Reality of a Busy Season (04:35–10:20)

• Kendra’s Personal Example: Kendra shares that her family's October–December is jam-packed: 10 family birthdays, high school football, major trips (including NYC for the Macy’s Parade and London), and regular work and life obligations.

• Common Responses to Overwhelm: People typically react to seeing an overloaded calendar by freezing, panicking, or micromanaging—buying planners, overhauling routines, or frantically trying to organize everything at once.

• Key Insight: Trying to see and control everything only increases anxiety and decreases your sense of control.

  “When you look at everything, you understandably think ‘there’s no way I’m going to be able to do all of this.’ And... you can’t. Not all at once. ...This is why lazy geniuses start small, start with today, and stay kind doing it.” — Kendra (10:10)

The Five Steps to a Joyful Busy Season

1. Slow Down, For Real (12:10–16:00)

• Why Slow Down: In busyness, our instinct is to either freeze or speed up—neither is helpful for decision-making.

• How to Slow Down: Notice your breath, slow your scrolling or planner-flipping, let go of the myth of total control.

• Mindset Shift: Replace the goal of “order and greatness” with contentment, present-moment awareness, and compassion.

  “You do not have to hustle all the time. ...It’s mechanized efficiency at the cost of your own humanity. And that’s why you think it’s important, though, to go so fast and do so much and organize everything—because they tell you to. I’m telling you differently. I’m telling you to first: slow down.” — Kendra (15:30)

2. Create Space for the Essential Things (16:01–24:40)

• Identify Essentials: List the seasonal activities or traditions that deeply matter to you (e.g., annual pumpkin picking).
• Put Them on the Calendar Now: Reserve space for these before your calendar fills, even as placeholders.
• Real Life Example: Kendra’s “fall opening ceremony” at a local farm—only two Saturdays available, so she blocks out space early so it doesn’t get lost.
• Permission: You don’t have to create space for everything — just what’s truly essential to your enjoyment.

3. Simplify the Regular Things (22:27–27:50)

• Why Simplify: Busyness means extra things on top of the regular stuff (laundry, food, dishes, carpools, etc.).

• How to Simplify:

  • Meals: Create a dinner queue, use meal matrices, eat more repetitively.
  • Clothes: Lean into uniforms, avoid high-maintenance fabrics.
  • Housework: Laundry straight from baskets, minimal carpool schedule changes.
  • Other: Use paper plates, stick to one purse.

• Key Point: The simpler and smaller the adjustment, the greater the impact during a busy season.

  “Nothing is too silly or small. ...In fact, I think the smaller the choice, the more significant it can be.” — Kendra (26:50)

4. Triage the Extras (27:51–37:50)

• Definition: “Extras” are all the seasonal, one-off, or unusual events (holiday parties, trips, presentations).

• Process:

  • Look week-by-week for big or unusual extras.
  • Ask: Does this require work before that week? If yes, break down and schedule tasks early.
  • Delegate wherever possible—to people, or even to AI for information-gathering.

• Real Examples:

  • Jen Hatmaker’s book event—just needs week-of prep.
  • Thanksgiving in New York—requires earlier research, packing, and gear planning.

• Delegation Tip: Don’t hesitate to ask for help from friends, family, or even tools like ChatGPT.

  “Not every extra thing needs to be broken down with these tasks spread out across a few weeks. But some do. So ...try and notice the difference.” — Kendra (34:45)

5. Prioritize Feeling Like a Person (37:51–42:07)

• Counterweights Practice: Borrowed from Shannon Martin, add “counterweights” to your life—small actions that balance out what’s hard (e.g., tea, naps, sitting with flowers).

• Vigilant Self-tending: Make time for things that make you feel like a human, not a machine.

• Permission to Be Present: Human, joy-bringing things don’t have to be productive or impressive.

  “If you keep pushing through a busy season, especially in an overwhelming news cycle and world, without tending to your own joy and rest and play and relationships, you’re not gonna make it. ...So step five...is to prioritize feeling like a person. Do human things.” — Kendra (41:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have your own values. You have your own season of life, your own pace, your own energy, your own family purpose... All of those things do not need to be crammed inside the productivity-based, patriarchal system where women are simply expected to get everything done now and done well. ...That system is broken. It is unkind. It is not for you.”
  — Kendra, Mini Pep Talk (45:15)
• “Be a people-first person. Not a schedule-first person or a task-first person or an optimization-first person. ...And you count as one of those people.”
  — Kendra (41:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |--------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 04:35–10:20 | The overwhelm of Kendra’s busy season; common responses | | 12:10 | Step 1: Slow Down | | 16:01 | Step 2: Create Space for the Essentials | | 22:27 | Step 3: Simplify the Regular Things | | 27:51 | Step 4: Triage the Extras | | 37:51 | Step 5: Prioritize Feeling Like a Person | | 42:21 | Five-step recap | | 42:44–45:15 | Mini Office Hours: How to figure out what fills you up | | 45:16–46:32 | Lazy Genius of the Week: Melanie Eliason habit stack | | 46:33–47:51 | Mini Pep Talk: When it feels like everything matters |

Mini Office Hours: Where to Start If You Don’t Know What Fills You Up (42:44)

• Listener Nikki asks: “I don’t know where to start to figure out what fills me up... Any suggestions?”
• Kendra’s Advice: Start small, today—noticing micro-moments that bring you joy. Record them, or just enjoy them. Don’t demand that filling up means hard self-work or emotional labor.
• Quote:

  “Just start today. Notice what makes you smile and laugh and relax. ...We’re not trying to micromanage our joy. Just be where you are today.” (44:00)

Lazy Genius of the Week: Melanie Eliason (45:16–46:15)

• Habit Stack Genius: Melanie pairs nail-painting before her daily walk; nails dry during walk, no smudges.
• Takeaway: Small, strategic alignment of habits for big benefits.

Mini Pep Talk: When It Feels Like Everything Matters (46:33)

• Core Message: The pressure to make everything matter equally is a cultural, not personal, expectation—stemming from systems that don’t serve you.
• Permission: Let go of perfection, choose your own priorities, and be “lazy” (i.e., strategic about what doesn't matter in your season).

Recap: Five Steps at a Glance (42:21)

1. Slow down
2. Create space for what matters most
3. Simplify the regular things
4. Triage the extras
5. Prioritize feeling like a person

“Enjoy choosing what does matter to you. Live like it matters to you, and then be lazy about the rest of it in whatever season you’re in.” — Kendra (47:25)

For a deeper dive into these principles, check out Kendra's books—especially "The Lazy Genius Kitchen"—and sign up for her biweekly podcast recap "Latest Lazy Listens" at thelazygeniuscollective.com/listens.

Summary prepared for listeners who want the heart of the episode, actionable steps, and the authentic voice of Kendra Adachi’s lazy genius method—no ad chatter, all content.