The Lazy Genius Way
Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done
byEmily P. Freeman, Kendra Adachi
Book Edition Details
Summary
In a world where the cacophony of "shoulds" drowns out authenticity, Kendra Adachi offers a refreshing alternative: be a genius about what truly matters and lazy about what doesn’t. The Lazy Genius Way isn't a manifesto for more productivity or less clutter; it's a call to reclaim your life, your way. With thirteen groundbreaking principles, Adachi transforms chaos into calm, empowering you to prioritize what fills your heart while dismissing the rest. Whether it's crafting a guilt-free morning routine or tackling the mundane with a new perspective, this guide invites perfectionists and overachievers to embrace a more meaningful, less stressful existence. Rediscover the art of living well by breaking free from external expectations and nurturing the life that resonates with your soul.
Introduction
You're tired not because your to-do list is too long, but because you've been trying to be perfect at everything. Every morning brings another wave of decisions about what to wear, what to cook, how to organize your day, and somehow you end up feeling like you're swimming upstream against an endless current of expectations. The exhausting cycle of either trying too hard at everything or giving up completely has left you wondering if there's another way to live. What if instead of being lazy about everything or genius about everything, you could be strategic about where to invest your energy? What if you could finally stop feeling guilty about not being the Pinterest-perfect version of yourself and instead focus on what actually brings meaning to your life? This approach isn't about doing more or doing less – it's about doing what matters most to you and letting everything else fall into place with ease and intention.
Find Your Focus: Decide Once and Start Small
The magic of deciding once lies in freeing your brain from countless micro-decisions that drain your mental energy. When you make certain choices one time and stick with them, you create space for the decisions that truly matter. This principle transforms mundane daily routines into automated systems that serve your bigger goals. Kendra discovered this power when she grew tired of chaotic Monday mornings. Instead of starting each week stressed about what to wear, what to eat, and how to begin, she created a Monday uniform. Same outfit every Monday for three years – black jeans and a chambray shirt in cold weather, black t-shirt and jeans when it's mild. This single decision eliminated decision fatigue and gave her a confident start to each week, creating momentum that carried through her entire day. What began as a simple clothing choice rippled into other areas of her Monday routine. She decided once what time to wake up, what to do first thing in the morning, and what to serve for dinner that night. These fixed decisions transformed her most dreaded day into her favorite, because she had margin to engage with what mattered most – patience with her children, focus on meaningful work, and energy for the unexpected moments that make life beautiful. Start by identifying one area where decision fatigue regularly strikes you. Choose something small like your breakfast routine, workout clothes, or the route you take to work. Make that decision once, implementing it consistently for at least two weeks. Notice how this tiny change creates space in your mind for bigger, more meaningful choices. Then gradually add other fixed decisions to your routine, always building slowly rather than overhauling everything at once. Remember that deciding once isn't about becoming robotic – it's about becoming more human. When you automate what doesn't matter, you free yourself to be fully present for what does. Your fixed decisions should feel like gifts to your future self, not rigid rules that imprison you. Starting small means embracing progress over perfection and movement over massive transformation. When you try to change everything at once, you usually change nothing at all. But when you start with steps so small they feel almost silly, you build sustainable momentum that leads to lasting change. Kendra learned this lesson through her yoga journey. After years of failed attempts to establish a regular practice with ambitious thirty-minute routines, she committed to just one down dog pose per day. This felt embarrassingly small, but it was too easy to quit. For fourteen months, she held this simple pose for a few deep breaths each morning, sometimes adding a sun salutation when she felt inspired. The breakthrough came gradually. After more than a year of this tiny daily practice, she suddenly noticed her feet were flat on the ground during down dog, her low plank hold was steady and strong, and her breath naturally synchronized with her movements. The consistent small step had created the very transformation that eluded her when she tried to force bigger changes. She had become someone who does yoga daily, not by doing more, but by doing less and doing it consistently. Look for one area of your life that matters to you but consistently gets neglected because it feels too overwhelming to tackle properly. Instead of waiting for the perfect time or energy to dive in fully, identify the smallest possible step you could take daily. Make it so small that you'd feel foolish not doing it. Maybe it's reading one page, writing one sentence, or doing one pushup. Commit to this micro-habit for at least thirty days, trusting that small steps compound into significant changes over time. Celebrate your consistency rather than waiting for dramatic results. The goal isn't immediate transformation but sustainable movement toward what matters. Small steps teach you that you're capable of change and help you build trust in your own commitment to what you value most.
Create Your Systems: Build Routines That Work
Effective routines aren't about following the same schedule every day – they're about creating on-ramps that prepare you for what matters most. Think of routines as launching pads rather than destinations, designed to help you enter your day, your work, or your evening with the right energy and mindset for what lies ahead. Kendra's morning routine illustrates this perfectly. Instead of trying to copy someone else's elaborate morning ritual, she identified what mattered most about starting her day well – choosing what to think about rather than being overwhelmed by mental chatter. Her hyperactive mind would ping between dinner plans, work deadlines, friend concerns, and random worries before she even had coffee. This mental noise left her feeling scattered before the day truly began. Her solution became the cornerstone of her morning routine: deliberately choosing her thoughts for the day. Each morning, she takes inventory of what's swirling in her mind and consciously removes what doesn't deserve her attention – the negative review among hundreds of positive ones, appearance anxieties, or premature holiday planning. She then prioritizes what does matter, distinguishing between important and urgent, giving each thought its proper place and timing. This single practice transformed her mornings from reactive to intentional. Over time, she added other elements like reading and stretching, but the foundation remained the same: preparing her mind for engagement rather than chaos. Even when time is short, this core routine centers her for whatever the day brings. To build your own effective routines, start by identifying what you want to be prepared for. Maybe you want to feel calm and connected during evening family time, focused and creative during work hours, or peaceful and grateful before sleep. Name the energy or mindset you want to cultivate, then choose one simple action that moves you toward that state. Keep your routine flexible and responsive to your actual needs rather than creating rigid rules that become burdensome. The goal is preparation for what matters, not perfect execution of predetermined steps. Let your routine evolve as your life changes, always serving your current priorities rather than becoming another source of pressure.
Live Your Truth: Essentialize and Connect
Living authentically means distinguishing between what truly matters to you and what you think should matter based on external expectations. This requires both the courage to eliminate non-essentials that create noise in your life and the vulnerability to let people into your real experiences rather than your polished facade. Essentializing isn't about minimalism – it's about making intentional choices that support what matters most to you. Kendra learned this when she tried to organize her Instagram following during Lent. She realized she missed seeing real friends' posts and laughing at genuine content, but she didn't miss the comparison-inducing accounts or mindless scrolling that left her feeling empty. By identifying what truly added value to her experience, she could eliminate what detracted from it. The same principle applies everywhere in life. If cooking elaborate meals brings you joy and connects you with your family, then investing in quality ingredients and kitchen tools is essential. But if cooking feels burdensome and takeout allows you more time with loved ones, then fancy equipment is just noise. Your essentials will look different from everyone else's because your values and circumstances are unique. This clarity becomes powerful when applied to your relationships too. Letting people in doesn't mean sharing everything with everyone – it means being honest about your real experiences with people who can handle that honesty safely. Kendra discovered that sharing everyday struggles, not just crises, created deeper connections with friends. Instead of always responding "fine" when asked how she was doing, she began sharing the real texture of her days. Start essentializing by choosing one area of your life that feels cluttered or overwhelming. Name what you hope to accomplish or experience in that area, then honestly assess what supports that goal and what creates distraction or noise. Remove what doesn't serve your purpose, even if it seems like something you "should" want or keep. Trust your own voice about what matters to you. Practice letting people into your ordinary experiences rather than waiting for major life events to be vulnerable. Share a small frustration, a moment of pride, or a simple joy with someone who cares about you. Notice how these everyday connections often feel more meaningful than dramatic revelations, and how authenticity in small moments builds trust for bigger conversations when they're needed.
Summary
The path to a meaningful life isn't found in doing everything perfectly or giving up entirely, but in being intentional about where you invest your limited energy and attention. As Kendra reminds us, "You don't have to be perfect, and you don't have to give up. You simply get to be you." This permission to be authentically yourself while still caring about what matters creates space for both productivity and peace, efficiency and rest, structure and spontaneity. The thirteen principles work together to help you see every situation through the lens of what truly matters to you, rather than what you think should matter or what everyone else is doing. When you decide once on the small things, start with manageable steps, ask what will make life easier later, and build systems that serve your actual values, you create margin for joy, connection, and the unexpected gifts that make life beautiful. Today, choose one small area of your life where you feel stuck between trying too hard and giving up completely. Apply just one principle from this approach – maybe decide once on something that's been draining your mental energy, or start ridiculously small with a habit that matters to you. Trust that this tiny shift will create space for what you truly care about, and remember that being kind to yourself is not optional but essential for sustainable change.
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By Emily P. Freeman
