This is a refreshing book that doesn’t help you DO things more or better: it helps you SEE what needs to be done or better still, NOT be done. Kendra has a quirky, hilarious way of putting things and explaining aha moments. She’s that friend that you are your most real self. The one who will take one look at your frazzled face, pour some wine, and ask you the right questions to get you to solve your own problems. This book is universally useful in all life’s mundane moments, and will change how you see your tasks, work life, home life, and even how you see yourself. Read it, highlight it, and get seventeen copies to hand out.

This may sound cliche, but this is not your typical self help book. Instead of telling you exactly what to do, Kendra shares about having the mindset of a lazy genius and why the other choices of choosing to be all lazy or all genius don't work. Kendra puts words to what I've been seeing myself in those around me, particularly on social media. I'm bookmarking the chapter on living in a hard season because there is so much good advice in there. I don't often buy books for people, but I could see myself gifting this book because the concepts are so universal and could be applied to any situation. And read the footnotes! They're hilarious.

I've been a fan of Kendra Adachi's Lazy Genius podcast for a long time and so I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of The Lazy Genius Way book for review. This book was exactly what I hoped it would be and even more.

You can definitely read through this book in one sitting if you want (Kendra's writing style is engaging and entertaining!), but it also serves as a wonderful reference book that you can come back to again and again when you some help adjusting your thinking to find a lazy genius solution for something in your life.

I'm excited to share this book with my friends who aren't "podcast people" so they, too, can benefit from Kendra's practical, compassionate wisdom that helps you discover what is important and what works for you.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great way to think through healthy mindsets when approaching goals and self-improvement, as well as managing tasks and stressors in daily life. I often find myself implementing Adachi's ideas without thinking much about them, which is a great quality in self-help material. My usual opinions about self-help books are that they are far too specific and unrealistic in what they prescribe to readers or that they never really answer the questions they intend to address. Many of them leave you feeling as unprepared as when you started or woefully inadequate to accomplish what they say will set you free. Adachi strikes a beautiful balance between these two dilemmas with elements of self-discovery, priority setting, and simple tips for execution. I would definitely recommend it!

This is a book that has the power to change your life. Kendra is both hilarious and a voice of wisdom, full of kindness and efficiency. Her principles help you discover what is most important to you, and to live it out fully and with intention, clearing away the clutter of others expectations and opinions. I feel more confident in who I am, who I am made to be, who I long to become, and how to make it happen. I envision myself reaching for this book often—in times of crisis, in annual goal setting, in times of listlessness. I highlighted so many quotes, it’s hard to share just one, but this one really got me good: “Second, you are enough. You can stop trying to be the ideal, future you, carrying a load you were never meant to carry. Let go of the working, the listing, the striving—all the things you’re doing to deserve the love of the people around you. You are enough.”

I really enjoyed Kendra’s book. Her tone is light, funny, and conversational. Her tips are very practical. I love how she gets deep when necessary but otherwise keeps it lighthearted!

I’ve been a longtime fan of @thelazygenius podcast and was excited to read her book, which releases soon. If you’ve listened to her podcast, some of the phrases and themes will sound the same, but there is enough new content to make it different than the podcast. It was a good read to help your get stuff done, it isn't lists of things to do but more like questions to ask yourself to figure out what you really want.
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thank you to @netgalley for the early copy of this book! #thelazygeniusway #lazygenius #netgalley

Perfect for the non-self help reader. No lists and rules of hers to follow. She teaches you to think about what matters to you, the reader, and apply it to your life. Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t. Learn to master your own life, not someone else’s. I absolutely loved this book!

m not in a season where I am reading a lot of productivity, optimize your life kind of books. I mean, all they’d really do is make me feel bad about myself because of our current season of postpartum depression + 3 little kids + *waves vaguely at the world*. But friends, let me tell you, this book isn’t your typical productivity, optimize your life kind of book. Kendra holds your hand as you figure out what matters to you and what doesn’t. She’s my adulting doula. If you’ve been around my socials for any length of time, y’all know we’re going through a TOUGH time. This book didn’t make me feel bad about myself and lack of productivity and life optimization. No. This book is filled with grace and felt like a hug. It was like Jerry from “Cheer” giving me a mat talk

If you love the podcast, The Lazy Genius, you’ll love this book! It’s filled with lots of great practical ideas to live your best life, accomplish your to-do list, and focus on what’s truly important to you. I just love Kendra’s warm and friendly style. Great book!

(Thank you to NetGalley and Waterbrook Press for providing an ARC of this book.)

I really enjoyed reading this book. Kendra says in the very beginning of the book that sometimes we try too hard and sometimes we don't try at all. There can be something in the middle and it all starts with deciding what matters to me! That idea alone is resonating with me.

I loved the entire book. There are so many great chapters. One chapter that particularly stood out to me was the concept of Let People In. I liked Kendra's thoughts about letting people into our everyday lives. It's as easy as telling someone something small about your day or letting a friend pick something up from the store for you because she is already going to that store. I realized this is something I can work on improving in my life.

I'm planning to read it again and working through these principles in my life!

The Lazy Genius Way is an absolutely fantastic book to read during the craziness that is 2020. Kendra Adachi nails it with her fun, often quirky, and lighthearted book. She uses examples from her own life and shares the critical secrets of how to Lazy Genius so many of the day to day things we all find stressful. Based on the central tenet of naming what matters, The Lazy Genius Way really is for everyone. I really did love this book and am looking forward to embracing life the Lazy Genius way!

As a person who can be pretty lazy, but also likes things to be clean, organized, and not overwhelming this book was such a great read. Kendra Adachi goes through how to get the things you want done in your life without being overwhelmed with chapters that go through how to prioritize, how to time batch, and how to prepare for the things that will be harder later. So many of these tips are things that I find helpful in my life, but she was able to work it much better than I would be able to.

This is such a great book to get back on track when you feel like your life is spinning out of control that is easy to read and you will get a lot out of.

Synopsis

In this debut book, Kendra Adachi offers practical tips to help us tackle life without running ourselves into the ground. Kendra's motto, "Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't" is the book's framework and the first chapter breaks down what it means to be a lazy genius. The subsequent chapters are 13 lazy genius principles: Decide Once, Start Small, Ask the Magic Question, Live in the Season , Build the Right Routines, Set House Rules, Put Everything in its Place, Let People In, Batch It, Essentialize, Go in the Right Order, Schedule Rest, and Be Kind to Yourself. Each chapter follows a similar flow beginning with a definition and/or real life story about each principle and is followed by steps to apply the principle to your own life. There is also a really helpful recap and a small starting step at the end of each chapter.

My Thoughts

Y'all. Kendra (aka The Lazy Genius) gets my brain. This book was such a breath of fresh air. It's not merely a book of practical principles, but it's also a book about discovering what matters to you and how to tackle those important-to-you tasks. The chapter about seasons made me cry (in a good way) and the chapter about scheduling rest is one of the most helpful things I've EVER READ about self-care. Whether you are a natural when it comes to organization and life-hacks or you need a little extra help, Kendra offers the perfect balance for us all.

This book was amazing! It was laid out in a way that made sense and really helped me to think about the systems of how I am doing life and what really matters, what needs to change to fit what matters and HOW to make that happen.

This is the self-help book for people who like instructions. Actionable instructions. *raises hand*

I understand that sometimes the appropriate inspiration is “see your goal, reach your goal, be your goal.” Those books and speeches can be very useful. But….
Sometimes you just need someone to say: “You want to change your life? Do this real thing, then this physical thing, then achieve this effect.” YES! That’s what you get in The Lazy Genius Way – real actionable steps to make changes in your life. I highly recommend this book.

Favorite Lines:
- You have permission to let go, wonder, and go slow or to desire, hustle, and power through.

- We don’t give enough credit to all that goes before, but that’s precisely why small steps matter: they’re doing invisible work, and we can trust that process.

Stars: 5
Would I Recommend? Yes

I adore Kendra Adachi and her practical advice on how to “Lazy Genius” pretty much any situation. I loved this book because it shares principles that can apply to so many parts of life, not just little tips or hacks She is funny and warm and feels like a friend. Kendra is also a stellar writer and I hope this is just the first of many books to come from her.

I love Kendra Adachi aka @thelazygenius on Instagram. Her instastories are so practical and funny without ever making you feel less than. There are a lot of time saving type books out there but a lot of them are by men or just facts with not a lot of heart.

I’m not a Lean In woman and I’m not a Proverbs 31 woman. I’m just a person trying to keep my work, house, kids, and life reasonably operational. We’re all coming up on a school year that is to put it mildly, a trash fire. Kendra’s warm advice is incredibly timely to this season and I think you’ll enjoy it.

I loved The Lazy Genius Way! Adachi helped me view things through a better lens for the season of life I’m in. She helps you decide what matters, and work from there- be a genius about the things that matter to you, and be smart but lazy about the things that don’t. She uses examples of everything from the mundane (laundry and meal planning) to the sacred (making new friends, connecting with your kids and spouse). It’s full of good advice, given in a warm, friendly way- like a conversation with a good friend.

If you're a suburban, middle-class, Christian, stay-at-home mom of three from the USA, this is probably the book for you. Since I fit very few of these categories, I struggled with resonating with the messages and stories as much I would have hoped to.

The author offers 13 principles for living a more fulfilled life, in what she calls the "Lazy Genius Way". These principles are all illustrated through real-life situations she has gone through. Although I found some of the principles to be useful and resonated with several passages, I just couldn't connect to it as a whole. I don't think this is a bad book, I just don't think it's a book for me.