Member Reviews
I am not a very organized person, or at least, I didn't used to be one. Things have become better in the past 2 years where I have started making conscious efforts to keep things clean and tidy. I have found that I am able to think better and have one less thing to worry about in life. This book came at a perfect time for me. It has some very useful, although simple, principles allowing me to deepen my practice of organizing things. I liked the author's tone and how she gently talks about all things essential.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. This doesn't impact my opinion in any way.
The book was not for me. I hoped for a selfhelp/ slef fulfilment nonfiction book but I got the feeling it was written for christian moms. I sadly did not get much more out of it that 13 vague principles.
If you fall in the target audience, this book would be so much more fulfilling since the chapters and their examples would be more relatable.
I love the practical ideas in this book that seem so simple but can be so life changing. I am thinking of all the different ways I can take the concept of deciding once and apply it to as many areas as possible.
This book came at the perfect time, especially given the dumpster fire that 2020 has been. Kendra gives us the tools to sift through the onslaught of other people’s opinions and focus on what matters to us. She’s an expert permission-giver, and this book is a lifeline for anyone drowning in “shoulds”. I think we can all benefit from some perspective, and this book gives it in a practical, interesting and fun way.
I enjoyed this book. Does a good job of helping determine what is important to you so you know where to focus your energy.
I am officially a lazy genius convert! I learned about Kendra a couple months ago on the Office Ladies podcast and have since devoured a ton of LG content (The Lazy Genius Way, the Lazy Genius Kitchen, countless episodes of the Lazy Genius podcast, you get the idea)!
I feel like Kendra’s approach has been so helpful in my daily life and I love the overall message of being a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t. The Lazy Genius principles break down exactly how to pinpoint what matters and how to approach a variety of topics/issues. Kendra provides helpful real-life examples, actionable techniques, and does so in a funny and relatable way.
I often find myself putting these principles into practice (especially decide once and asking the magic question), and can’t wait to continue to Lazy Genius my whole life (starting slowly of course haha)! This is a book I can see rereading again and referencing often as I go through different seasons of life to see how to tackle new challenges.
This was an interesting and practical book that I really enjoyed! Entirely my fault for reading it while I was sick, since it really made me want to change so many of my routines, but instead I continued to lay on the couch and nap every other hour… I do feel like it followed a logical progression and the principles made a lot of sense and it is definitely a book I can see myself reaching for at times when I need some guidance.
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was funny, witty, and insightful. I’d like to check out the authors podcast too.
I love Kendra's podcast, and I'm sorry it took me so long to eventually read this book - I missed out on much-needed wisdom and inspriration. I will go back to this again and again, whenever I'm feeling like a "life reminder" or some sage advice that's dispensed in a fun, "real" and humorous way.
I liked this casual, funny reminder that our lives are all messy and the important thing is to use your resources on what is important. While the "lazy genius" name refers to how to hack the important stuff, the larger message here was to be thoughtful in what gets our time and energy, and to allow our time to match those priorities - more time for things that matter, less time for things that don't. A lot of this was tailored for moms of young children (not me!), but several tips were still useful. I'm going to be thinking for a while about how to batch my cleaning/housekeeping projects (somehow batching was limited to food prep in my mind). That said, there weren't a lot of new ideas here; this felt more like a familiar combination of tips that might help someone struggling to springboard into routines by breaking them down into very small steps.
Thanks to netgalley and the author for the chance to read and review!
Filled with very useful and relevant information with some pertinent examples from daily life and actionable steps to be a lazy genius - a genius about the things that matter to you and lazy about the things that don't (to you). I greatly appreciated the way the principles were divided throughout the book, which also go along with her podcast, to include priciples such as: decide once, start small, live in the season, set house rules, batch it, and be kind to yourself to name a few. Personally, I feel like a lot of her tips are aimed toward mothers, which is great and she was able to target the audience well in a positive manner, just didn't apply to me so I skipped those sections. Overall, I really enjoyed it and will take away some of Adachi's practical tips and apply them in my daily life.
"Your tasks aren't necessarily the origin of your stress; trying to fit into a mold of who you think you should be almost always is"
Thank you to NetGalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for the ARC in exchange for my review.
Kendra is one of my favorite people online...I've been following her blog, newsletter, podcast, IG for years so I was thrilled to be able to read an advance copy of her book from NetGalley. The Lazy Genius Way is not your usual self-help book. She helps readers identify what's important to them in their current life and then offers ideas/tips/hacks to make individual efforts more effective and let go all of the "shoulds" for what doesn't matter to you. I especially appreciated the one small step section after each of the 13 principles.
Kendra's voice is a perfect mix of smart and snarky. I literally laughed out loud in a few sections and also felt validated when she shared struggles even though we have different life circumstances. Highly recommended!
Review posted 8/9/20 (reposted 4/12/24)
I LOVED this book!!!! I'm a type B person and sometimes feel like I'm a little lazy, so this book was perfect for me! It helped me see a different perspective about being successful, motivated, and goal-oriented. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, even type-A people.
I first discovered Kendra Adachi through her podcast, The Lazy Genius, during the pandemic. I have been an avid listener since. When she announced her book, The Lazy Genius Way, I bought it immediately.
Kendra's approach is different than other self-help/time management/productivity coaches. Instead of giving a prescriptive checklist that only works under certain circumstances, she offers a blueprint to be completely customizable for her audience. In The Lazy Genius Way, readers will find Kendra's "13 Lazy Genius Principles" and a slew of difference scenarios to help readers walk through the process of naming what matters most to them, and the process for integrating routines and habits that matter to them. My personal favorite LGP is "Answer the Magic Question" and I use it frequently to make my life run smoother.
I cannot recommend The Lazy Genius Way enough. I will read anything and everything that Kendra sends my way.
Extremely useful and relevant information! A new way of thinking about simplifying one's life, with quite a few actionable steps.
Simple information is presented differently. A good reminder of how to make your life easier by eliminating things that don't matter. Good examples of how to apply the concepts presented.
Enthusiastically recommenced for purchase by the Scottsboro Public Library, and as a future non-fiction book club selection.
The author says early on "I'm not breaking any ground...", but she does present some ideas in a slightly different way. I like how she presents things as options, what worked for her or someone else, rather than anything being instructional or commanding. There's lots of questions and reminders to keep it simple and go back to what matters and what you can do now to make things easier later. I'm already thinking about who I know who would love this! I wanted to highlight everything so 5 stars.
Nice book, gives useful tips on how to simplify your life in a busy world. What is important to you and focus on that. Will definitely be using some of her principes.
I don’t have children and many tips in this book are how to manage a household, but many of these tips will still be helpful if you are just an adult and feel overwhelmed with life. This book speaks to the ease of routines on your life which is how I was raised and what I should get back to for less overall stress. Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesday, etc. make meal prepping so much faster and can save money. Paring down items and planning out what to wear saves time and energy. Scheduling rest times into your calendar. All very helpful tidbits. Not rocket science, but great reminders.