The Lazy Genius Podcast – Episode 443: What's Saving My Life

Host: Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius
Date: November 10, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Kendra Adachi walks listeners through her current "What's Saving My Life" list—a seasonal tradition where she names 10 small (and sometimes surprising) things currently making life feel more connected, manageable, and good. She encourages listeners to make their own lists and highlights how celebrating small joys and smart systems can anchor us, especially in busy or challenging times. The episode also features a "Lazy Genius of the Week," a special mailbag segment answering a listener’s business rhythm question, and a closing pep talk for when nothing feels like it's saving your life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lazy Genius of the Week: Jamie Golden’s Master Packing List

(Starts at 04:08)

• Highlight: Jamie Golden (from the podcast with Knox and Jamie) uses a master packing list of everything she might ever need for a trip up to 11 days and subtracts what she doesn’t need for any given trip.
  • "It's so much easier to look at an item and think I don't need that, than to think through my trip and go, what do I need?" — Kendra, (06:25)
• Kendra tries this method for a New York trip and loves it. She adds to her own list whenever she forgets something.
• Shout-outs: Recommendations for Jamie’s pop culture show and their new Patreon, "Shelf Respect," for book lovers who enjoy laughter.

2. Playbook Praise – Why Lazy Genius Playbooks Work

(08:40–10:15)

• Kendra shares listener testimonials about the benefits of her small, flexible seasonal and topical planning playbooks.
• Quote: “They’re like a placeholder for the mess and then you can organize it somewhere else later.” — Kendra, summarizing listener feedback.

3. 10 Things Saving Kendra’s Life Right Now

(13:06–30:18, each item discussed in detail)

1. Stopping Pasta Mondays

• After almost a decade, Pasta Mondays stopped working for her family, especially for her son who hates both Mondays and pasta.
• Pivot: Pasta night moves to Wednesday; Mondays are for universally loved meals.
  • "Making his least favorite food on his least favorite day was starting the week on the sourest note I could possibly choose for him. So guess what I did? I changed my mind." – Kendra, (14:20)

2. Routine (but Not the Type You Think)

• Routines in the Lazy Genius sense are about achieving a goal or feeling, not rigid sequences.
• Recent busy seasons underscore the value of flexible routines, especially for household chores.
  • “The series of steps... is secondary to the destination.” — Kendra, (17:37)

3. The Men’s Section at Thrift Stores

• Kendra finds her best shirts, sweater vests, and even shoes in the men’s section now—a game-changer for clothing and finding sports gear for her family.
  • “Because I really do love the process of thrifting and making something I find work for me, this new discovery… has made something I already love that much better.” — Kendra, (18:39)

4. Thrift Store Mugs

• Collecting unique mugs at thrift stores feeds her joy for variety and makes her morning routine special without splurging.
  • “Choosing my mug every morning… It’s an important part of enjoying my day. And now I’m doing it for a lot cheaper.” — Kendra, (19:29)

5. A New Hairbrush

• A hair mishap in New York leads Kendra to discover the "Mane Ready or Not Detangling Hairbrush," which delights both her and her daughter, Annie.
  • "A hairbrush is not a hairbrush, my friends. I was incorrect on every count." — Kendra, (21:26)

6. Ham Sandwiches

• Lunch on repeat: Kendra’s current phase is huge ham sandwiches, which make lunchtime easy and enjoyable.
  • "Maybe it's the meal itself. Maybe it's the fact that lunch is decided... But every day I look forward to my sandwich and it makes me so happy." — Kendra, (23:21)

7. Instagram Rhythm & Scheduled Rest

• Kendra installs Instagram Monday-Wednesday, removes it the rest of the week, keeping her relationship with social media and the news healthy and manageable.
  • “Constant input is unsustainable, so scheduling rest from it is essential to all of us in whatever way that looks.” — Kendra, (24:37)

8. Starting Small Where You Are

• Overwhelmed by world crises, Kendra focuses on actionable kindness in her own community (e.g., giving to local organizations, personally greeting a regular unhoused neighbor).
  • “Do small things with great love. Just do that right where you are. It'll save your life and theirs.” — Kendra quoting Mother Teresa, (26:54)

9. Solitaire and Playoff Baseball

• Analog relaxation: playing physical solitaire while watching (and loving) every inning of playoff baseball.
  • “…playing cards with cards has been weirdly enjoyable.” — Kendra, (28:02)

10. Rewatching Stranger Things

• Rewatching the entire series is pure fun for Kendra, a practice she believes is essential to a life that matters.
  • "I've also renewed my love of Steve Harrington, who will always be my favorite character in that show, if not one of my favorite characters of all time." — Kendra, (29:26)

Recap List: (30:10)

• Changing Pasta Mondays to Pasta Wednesdays
• Routine
• Men's section of the thrift store
• Thrift store mugs
• New hairbrush
• Ham sandwiches
• Instagram rhythm with scheduled rest
• Starting small where you are
• Solitaire & postseason baseball
• Rewatching Stranger Things

4. Mailbag: Behind Kendra’s 15-hour Workweek

(31:43–36:31)

• Question: How does Kendra run a successful small business working ~15 hours/week?
• Three Key Factors:
  1. Hiring Help: Team members handle business mechanics, creative, and community management, freeing Kendra to focus on content creation and approvals.
  2. Efficient Work Habits: Maximal focus during set hours, deep work without distractions.
  3. Pursuing Contentment Over Growth: Kendra intentionally avoids hustle-driven strategies in favor of enjoying life and maintaining business excellence.
     • “Growth, it does not matter more to me than my life does.” — Kendra, (36:20)

5. Mini Pep Talk: When Nothing Feels Like It’s Saving Your Life

(37:09–39:18)

• Life can feel hopeless or joyless, but there are always small goods—if you do the work of noticing.
• Recommends a grounding practice: Notice 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.
  • “Do the small but valuable work of disrupting your discouragement. Not ignoring it… but disrupt it. Look for something around you that is good.” — Kendra, (38:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Master Packing List:
  • “It is so much simpler for my brain, and probably for a lot of brains, to subtract rather than to add.” — Kendra, (06:56)
• On Decision Fatigue:
  • “We just have too many decisions and anything that helps us make fewer of them is always a win.” — Kendra, (14:06)
• On Contentment in Business:
  • “I'm happy being here, making a great product. And it’s okay if this podcast does not continue to climb charts or whatever. Like, that's not what matters most to me.” — Kendra, (36:06)
• On Disrupting Discouragement:
  • “Because good is here right now, like always. I believe that to my core.” — Kendra, (39:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:08] Lazy Genius of the Week: Jamie’s Packing List
• [13:06] 10 Things Saving My Life
  • [14:20] Stopping Pasta Mondays
  • [17:37] Routine
  • [18:39] Men’s section thrifting
  • [19:29] Thrift store mugs
  • [21:26] New hairbrush discovery
  • [23:21] Ham sandwiches
  • [24:37] Instagram rhythm with scheduled rest
  • [26:54] Starting small where you are
  • [28:02] Solitaire & baseball
  • [29:26] Rewatching Stranger Things
• [31:43] Mailbag: Small business work rhythms
• [37:09] Mini pep talk: Disrupting discouragement

Episode Tone and Style

Kendra’s tone is warm, encouraging, witty, and practical. She uses self-deprecating humor, gentle permission-giving, and celebrates small wins—embodying the Lazy Genius philosophy of “being a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” Her advice is compassionate and deeply human, aimed at reducing pressure, increasing contentment, and helping listeners take doable small steps toward a more fulfilling life.

This episode is a gem for both long-time Lazy Genius listeners and anyone needing reminders to both simplify and savor the small stuff.