Review: The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

Item: The Lazy Genius Way
Author: Richetta

Posted September 25, 2022 by Richetta in Adult Non-Fiction, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Review: The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
Published by Crown Publishing Group on August 1, 2021
Genres: Self-Help / Motivational & Inspirational, Self-Help / Personal Growth / General, Self-Help / Self-Management / Time Management
Pages: 240
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Bookshop
Goodreads

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Being a Lazy Genius isn't about doing more or doing less. It's about doing what matters to you.

"I could not be more excited about this book."--Jenna Fischer, actor and cohost of the Office Ladies podcast

The chorus of "shoulds" is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best. Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor.
It's so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well.
Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn't. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra's thirteen Lazy Genius principles, including:
* Decide once
* Start small
* Ask the Magic Question
* Go in the right order
* Schedule rest
Discover a better way to approach your relationships, work, and piles of mail. Be who you are without the complication of everyone else's "shoulds." Do what matters, skip the rest, and be a person again.

Book Cover of The Lazy Genius Way — Buy on Bookshop | Amazon

The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi is the book I needed in my arsenal right after I had kiddo #1. Now as a mom with 3 young kiddos, I found this book absolutely helpful in so many ways that I went out and bought it Halfway into reading the arc. It isn’t written specifically for a mama reader, but it is definitely a great book for any parent with elementary age or younger kids. The book is titled, The Lazy Genius Way, but I think it could probably be just as aptly called The Tired Genius Way. Because that is what I am most of the time…tired.

Figuring Out What matters

The chapters are organized into Lazy Genius Principles and for each principle, Adachi breaks down how she applied the principle in her own life, opportunities where you could apply the principle, then there is a recap and it ends with one small step. That one small step is powerful for those of us who are or may be neurodivergent and often find themselves swinging the pendulum of hyper focusing on projects to abandoning them and becoming overwhelmed. The small step gives you an opportunity to try out her suggestions in a manageable way,

Mental Permission to Let Go of Things that Don’t Work

Steven Universe GIF by Cartoon Network - Find & Share on GIPHY — I was taking tons of notes!

So many guilt trips, so little time. Americans treat mothers like trash. I said what I said. And part of that includes all of the big and small guilt traps women are faced with every day. If you don’t do this, or do this a certain way, then you aren’t doing it right mentality.

This book helps you simplify your life through decision-making. You reflect on what works and what tends to fail in your family situation. Then you apply the principle and keep what works and finally leave behind what always hasn’t. Sometimes we do things because of tradition or just because we’ve never thought about doing them differently. My eyes were opened repeatedly on areas I could release myself from and try something new that might work better.

Finding Balance Between Hyperfocus and Healthy Productivity

I swear every time I read another great idea that I wanted to try of Kendra’s, there she is in the very next paragraph telling me to slow my roll. LOL! She know her readers so well. That “slow down” is the part that so many of us probably don’t do, or I will just speak for myself and say that I am the reader who will jump up mid-paragraph to go try out something and forget that there is a long-term commitment and plan that needs to go along with it if it’s going to actually be a good solution.

Final Thoughts

Loved this book! I am getting ready to read her companion book The Lazy Genius Kitchen. Trust me when I say this, either buy your own copy or get a notebook ready to take notes. Because if you are in a similar season of life that I am in — mommy, young kids, working, etc — you will definitely find some helpful tips.