The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi is the book I wish I had when I became an adult and at every point along the journey of adulthood. It is the book I wish I had when I graduated college and started out on my own. It is the book I wish I had when I was newly married. It is the book I wish I had when I became a mom. It is also the book that I am so thankful to have in my hands now!

In The Lazy Genius Way Kendra gives small, practical steps to become a "genius" about the things that matter to YOU in a very gentle and conversational way. I love that she gives a ton of examples from her own life and the lives of others to make it easy to put the principles she describes into practice.

This is not a one size fits all self-help book. This book guides the reader into making decisions around what matters on a very personal level. It left me feeling hopeful and motivated to examine my own life, decide what matters to me and why and then implement steps towards becoming a genius in those areas of my life.

I'll be coming back to this again and again to revisit the principles and hear Kendra's pep talks to live in the season, let people in and be kind to myself.

If you pick one self-improvement/lifestyle book this year, I highly recommend The Lazy Genius Way. I have been listening to Kendra’s podcast for well over a year and I find her so calming and reassuring, but also so incredibly insightful about the little things in life. While you some of what Kendra shares in her book can be found within her podcast, it’s a bigger expansion on her principals for living a more meaningful and productive life. As a longtime listener to Kendra and her weekly Instagram live chat sessions, I read this whole book with her voice in my head. She has an audiobook version of this available with her as the narrator and I can’t wait to give it a listen. 

The layout of the book is excellent. Each of her thirteen principles has its own chapter. Along with plenty of real-world examples, each chapter ends with a summary section and one small step to think about and focus on. Kendra has talked openly about her requirement that the book be a quality hardbound that will be used and written in and she’s exactly right-so many times I found myself adding in notes and bookmarks. 

One of the best parts of this book is the way that Kendra can apply all of these principles to literally every part of life. Lazy Genius Principle #2 is Start Small. She uses the example of a beginning a yoga practice but it also applies to wanting to start your own business or beginning a garden. It has given me so many things to think about and a new perspective that has been especially helpful during these crazy times. Whether you are a parent, an adult, a person just starting out in college, or even on the older side, this book will be helpful. I truly believe that everyone will find something thought provoking and insightful. 

One thing you will not find on any of the pages is guilt or shame. Kendra’s focus on finding what truly matters to you as a guiding focus is literally that-what matters to you. Not to the other moms, social media, or your friends and family. What matters to you. 
I received an advanced copy of this title as part of Kendra’s launch team. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Great book filled with practical ideas for becoming a lazy genius, based on what matters specifically to each of us. So many easy, helpful, practical ideas with prompts to start implementing them immediately. I love Kendra’s podcast and this book does not disappoint!

The Lazy Genius Way is a helpful guide to getting out of your rut, figuring out what really matters, and tackling life one small step at a time. Kendra does not prescribe one single method or 'way' of doing things, but instead asks questions of her readers to help them determine their priorities. Knowing and embracing what matters helps put everything else in focus. As a perpetually indecisive person, her chapter on "making one decision" was empowering and life giving. This book is one I will revisit as I learn to focus on the big things and let the other 'noise' fade away.

Do you think you have one it takes to be a Lazy Genius? Kendra Adachi would certainly argue that most of us do. The Lazy Genius Way, which is based off of advice from The Lazy Genius Podcast, is an advice book meant to simplify your life by making small steps to set yourself up to success. The idea is that you wear yourself out by being a total perfectionist, because you either try waaaay too hard or you give up in advance. Neither really helps the stress. So if instead of trying too hard or giving up you went ahead and narrowed the options you can make success much easier to achieve. Like, say, having a set meal you make when you have guests so you don't have to worry what to cook. Or choosing an outfit that you wear to big meetings so you don't have to worry about that when the time comes.

The advice in this book is truly useful, though I wouldn't call it revolutionary. It is mostly advice that I've heard before, but it has the additional benefit of being all set up in one place, I do think that may well be worth it, since it is all set up and organized and includes chapter notes (always so helpful). The anecdotes may be helpful, but since I do not have children it did make me feel like I'm just not the target audience for this book.

Overall, I do think this book is great for people who need a solid set of suggestions to organize their life into easier routines. I will likely be using a lot of the advice and have highlighted the copy I have. The advice may or may not work for you, as with all self help books, but hey-- what's the harm in trying?

This is a wonderful and practical book that helps you identify and make time for *your* priorities, while giving you strategies for getting everything else done more efficiently, and with a better attitude! The principle that I need the most right now is "Live in the Season." 

"You don't have to be afraid of stress or sadness. You don't have to panic when things fall out of order. You don't have to run away from a season in life that seems to require more than you have to give. Staying engaged with the sadness but not letting it dictate your decisions is a practice in being a genius about what matters."

"We become a generation of woman who are at peace with who we are, who encourage one another to move closer to our deepest identities and shed what's in the way". This is just one of many quotes I could pull from this book. Kendra is here to help us Lazy Genius our way through life, in ways that work for us. She reiterates many times that we need to plan & live in the season we're in and do what works for that season. Kendra infuses this book with humour and personal stories that make you feel like you are sitting down with a friend. Even if you are a follower of her podcast and blog you will still gain many useful nuggets. Check it out!

Kendra Adachi is the QUEEN of figuring out systems for all those things that drive you crazy about managing your home. My kids are young adults and have both moved out now, but I wish I had this book 25 years ago when I first was married. It would have saved my sanity. Not only will she teach you how to be smart about the things that YOU need taming in your life (laundry, dinner, holidays), but she does it with a sense of humor that leaves you not wanting to turn the book down. This was the best book I've read this summer, and I know I'll come back to it again and again.

Kendra really is a genius and her book is delightful. She gives you smart strategies to manage your home and your life without making you feel like you have to have everything together. I already have tried several of her suggestions, and they are (of course) genius. I know I will be returning to this book often.

I’ve loved listening to Kendra on the Lazy Genius podcast for years now and was so excited to join her launch team for the Lazy Genius Way and have the opportunity to read an advanced copy. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I’ve already ordered my own hard copy of the book so I can come back to it, take notes, and remind myself of ways to LG things.

Kendra’s thought process resonates so much with me and I love that she teaches me HOW to think instead of what to think. She does give concrete examples, which is so helpful but her process is priceless.

This book is a wonderful companion to her other work and still feels new even if you’ve been following her for years.

I loved "The Lazy Genius Way" because it is practical and inspirational. It has been highlighted and notes taken of things I want to apply to my life. And the way Kendra writes, it made me laugh at times. It is a book that anyone can apply to their own life.

I've been looking forward to this book since Kendra mentioned she was working on a book proposal. I've been following her work since 2018, and her attitude and positivity really helped me feel like I can have some affect on my daily life, even with small children. This book is a pocket sized distillation of all her Lazy Genius ideas, and it's the most digestible way to absorb her ethos. She's motivating, supportive and practical in equal measure. It's like having your Enneagram 1 friend on speed dial!

ARC provided by published via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

I’ve finished reading, and I’m ready to read it again.

The Lazy Genius Way made me feel seen, opened my eyes to some thought processes I was unaware I had, provided the kick-in-the-pants motivation I needed, and gave me principles that will actually affect my daily life. I’m not a fan of books that are bossy, but Kendra is gentle and kind. She helps you see what matters to you, not anyone else, and shows you how to make changes that will stick. I want everyone I know to read it. It’s that good. Truly.

As so often happens, I would love to give this just one more half-star, so consider this a 4.5 star book. I have been following The Lazy Genius blog for some time now and truly appreciate Kendra's approach to life and how to make things work to create the best days you can have FOR YOU. This book is a distillation and compilation of all of the individual and specific ideas (meal planning, holidays, exercise, etc) and approaches she offers into a set of thirteen more global principles. Her idea is to use simple mindset and decision shifts to change the expectations and approaches of your everyday to create a day filled with what matters to you and therefore feels "easier." Kendra is very good at finding relatable examples for the principles to better illustrate how they can be applied to real life beyond the pure explanation. I came away from each chapter with a confident understanding. For example, under "Decide Once," if I think of that principle alone, I feel sure that I can find specific examples in my life where making one global decision can help me "better my days." However, where I feel the book didn't quite reach my needs was the final stage when she tried to put everything together. The book has A LOT of information - a lot of GOOD information. Kendra attempted to apply all of the principles together in two real-life situations as she had done throughout the book. It helped, but the trouble is, it's just too much information to take in and apply all at once. I LOVE the book and the ideas. What I would have liked was one more chapter to help us more progressively learn how to apply the principles to our lives. Having said that, I liked the book to such a degree that I might create my own "program" to begin to build each principle into habit.

What a refreshing book! I struggle with trying to do everything that a “good housewife and mom” is expected to do and I sink in the chaos sometimes. I’m a homeschooling mother of six amazing children, ranging from Kindergarten up through a high school senior. It can be tough to keep up with the lives around me and the happy chaos they bring to our home.

It is such a blessing to read about Kendra’s transformation and to hear her encouraging words about not having to do it all, but to just focus on what matters to me. I’m artistic and disorganized by nature, but wish for perfection and organization. Efficiency and organization do not come to me easily and Kendra’s ideas have felt ground breaking when I feel like I just don’t have any fresh ideas for how to do things better. There have even been times where I laugh to myself for not having realized some of her simple ideas sooner.

I LOVE that she reminds people of our God that loves us and made us perfectly in his sight. That He already feels that we are good enough just the way we are.

It is truly a refreshing book to read!

“When you fill your life with things that are not essential to what matters, you unintentionally add noise, and managing noise is part of why you’re tired.” – Kendra Adachi.

So much noise, so much stuff, so much tired! I’m sure everyone can relate, especially in the dumpster fire that is 2020. The Lazy Genius Way provides a way out – a framework of principles that you can apply to any portion of your life, no matter how big or small. But this is not a how-to book with detailed step by step instructions on how to make a meal plan or clean your house. Instead it is a how-to how-to book. You decide what matters to you, you apply the principles to your specific situation, and you end up with a plan that works for you. Along the way, Kendra guides you with humor and kindness, the big sister you always wanted to provide you the best life advice.

There are few books that I think should be recommended to everyone, but this is one of them. It would make a great gift for a bridal shower, baby shower, housewarming, or graduation party, but do yourself a favor and pick up a copy for yourself while you’re at it! And the book is just the tip of the iceberg – check out The Lazy Genius podcast for even more examples and encouragement for being “a genius about the things that matter, and lazy about the things that don’t.”

Kendra is a voice of sanity in a stressed out world. In The Lazy Genius Way, Kendra is not one more self-help author telling you how you could live a life as Instagram worthy as hers if you were better, faster, stronger. I have not met Kendra but, after reading her book, feel like I have a friend on the journey. I'm sure that this is a book I will keep coming back to. Kendra Adachi is helping me name what matters so that I can work hard at building a life that matters to me and enjoy it too.

I've been a fan of The Lazy Genius Podcast for a year or so, and while not every topic fits my stage of life, the "general principles" that comprise this book will work for anyone. One of my favorite quotes: "I have good news. You don't need a new list of things to do; you need a new way to see." Kendra's tag line from the podcast--"Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't--is that "new way to see" in a nutshell. And goodness knows ... I do NOT need a new list of things to do, especially a list that fits someone else's life better than it does mine.

Read this book! Principles such as "Decide Once," "Ask the Magic Question," and "Live in the Season" will give you a fresh way to look at what works and what needs to be tweaked, and "Case Studies" give some concrete examples that you can riff on. Kendra's voice comes through loud and clear (and I'm not just talking about "voice" as a literary term --she writes the same way she speaks on her podcast, and I can literally hear her voice in my head as I read!).

This book offers a completely different way of looking at problem solving. Kendra wrote that the reader doesn’t need a list of what to do, but rather a new way to see, and she provides a framework for doing just that. I had several a-ha moments while reading and have been trying to apply the principles within to a variety of challenges since finishing the book. This book is a definite eye opener and game changer for anyone looking to gain insight, freedom, and time!

A fantastic book! Kendra teaches us to remember what matters, calm the crazy and trust ourselves.

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