The Lazy Genius Podcast
Episode: How to Get Stuff Done When You Don’t Feel Like It (Rerun)
Host: Kendra Adachi (The Lazy Genius)
Date: February 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode centers on a universally relatable challenge: how to tackle tasks you don’t feel like doing—whether that’s paying bills, cleaning the kitchen, or basic chores. Kendra offers a compassionate, system-based approach rooted in her signature Lazy Genius philosophy: be a genius about the things that matter, lazy about the things that don’t. Drawing on both practical advice and personal anecdotes, she lays out clear steps and principles for getting through unavoidable “ugh” moments in everyday life.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Recognizing Tasks You Don’t Want to Do

• Everyone, including Kendra, faces daily tasks they dread (e.g., bills). The first step is acknowledging that “there are things we have to do that we don’t love doing, and we still have to make time for them” (02:49).
• Real-life example: Kendra uses her dislike for paying bills as a running illustration.

2. Step 1: Ask “Do I Have To Do This Now?”

• Not every task is as urgent as it seems. Kendra urges listeners to assess urgency rationally, not reactively:

  “We get in the habit of responding to the urgent right away, but some things are not quite as urgent as we think they are.” (04:09)

• If the answer is yes (e.g., bills due today, a mess that can’t wait), do it right away to avoid bigger problems:

  “If you don’t figure out how to feed your family when they’re hungry, they will turn on you and become feral.” (05:30)

• If not urgent, move to the next step.

3. Step 2: Ask “If Not Now, When?”

• Name a concrete alternative time. Be specific to avoid the stress of an ambiguous “later”:

  “When you ask yourself, if not now, when? you’re giving yourself a context for what’s best for you.” (08:21)

• Tips for “right now or later” thinkers: use technology (timers, alarms) to commit to a future time.

4. Step 3: Build a Small, Doable System (Lazy Genius Principles in Action)

Kendra demonstrates her process using her bill-paying example and introduces several Lazy Genius principles:

• Decide Once:

  “Somewhere from the 1st and the 3rd of every month is when I’ll pay all the bills. … That is the beauty of decide once.” (13:07)

• Put Everything in Its Place:

  “Bills cannot go in the same place as catalogs … We have two places for mail: one big basket for non-urgent things … and a smaller basket for urgent mail.” (14:56)

• Batching:

  “I grab them all, I open my app, I pay all the bills … and I’m done in 10 minutes. And then I don’t have to think about it again for another month.” (16:30)

5. Personalization and Division of Labor

• Tasks don’t have to be equally distributed in a household—play to individual strengths/preferences.

  “I can manage the hatred of [paying bills] better than he can. … I’d rather do it than him do it.” (12:11)

• Be honest about what works in your specific season of life.

6. Kindness and Acceptance

• Be gentle with yourself when things don’t go as planned:

  “It’s okay to not like doing something. It doesn’t make you a bad person.” (17:40)

• “Live in your season” and be realistic about challenges unique to your current life stage.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you don’t clean up pee right away … actually, let’s just not talk about it.” (05:25)
• “If not now, when? Like for real, when? Name your when.” (08:21)
• “Mail is a very broad category, right? … If I treat all my mail the same way, I will forget many important things.” (14:41)
• “Start small. Just start small.” (20:58)
• “I rarely do something I dislike while not simultaneously doing something I do like.” (21:00)
• “I do a get up countdown. … 3, 2, 1, get up. I don't know, it's weird, but it works.” (22:01)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:12] – Introducing the problem: universal resistance to unwanted tasks
• [04:09] – First key question: “Do I have to do this now?”
• [08:19] – Second key question: “If not now, when?”
• [10:42] – Transition to systems: “create a small, doable system”
• [13:07] – Lazy Genius Principle: Decide Once
• [14:56] – Lazy Genius Principle: Put Everything in Its Place
• [16:30] – Lazy Genius Principle: Batching
• [17:40] – Self-kindness and acceptance; living in your season
• [19:05] – Kendra’s personal list (“How I get stuff done when I don’t feel like it”)

Kendra’s Top 10 Tips (Quick Recap from Episode 403)

[19:05]

1. Remember how much you dislike urgency—avoid it.
2. Be motivated by a well-systemized home.
3. Rely on systems for stuff you hate.
4. If you choose not to do something, actively enjoy the time instead of feeling guilty.
5. Start small.
6. Pair disliked tasks with something you enjoy.
7. Don’t save annoying tasks for when the kids are gone—do them with kids around.
8. Set timers to keep tasks manageable.
9. Use a “get up” countdown when lacking motivation.
10. Ask for help or solidarity—you don’t have to do it alone.

Recap & Takeaways

Kendra’s message is practical and compassionate: chores and dull tasks don’t have to rule your life, nor do you have to use brute motivation or complex systems. By pausing to ask “Do I have to do this now?”, specifying when you’ll actually tackle the task (“If not now, when?”), and building small, repeatable systems using Lazy Genius principles, you can make unwanted tasks less painful. Above all, be kind to yourself, accept the realities of your season, and don’t be afraid to ask for help—or find ways to inject a little joy into the mundane.

Signature Sign-off:
“Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.”

For more on building small systems for your own dreaded tasks, check out Kendra’s back catalog for focused episodes on meal planning, cleaning, and more.