The Lazy Genius Podcast

Today is a bonus episode perfect for the middle of the summer. Chances are good you’re having people over or very much want to. Summer feels like an ideal time to finally open your home and invite more people over for a cookout or hangout, or to watch the World Cup, which you still have a couple of weeks to do. Whether you’re a seasoned host, freaked out about inviting people over, or somewhere in...

We are smackdab in the middle of summer, and now seems like a great time to assess what’s working and what’s making summer easier. One of the best parts about being a Lazy Genius is getting better at solving small problems. The more we keep things small, the more helpful change we actually make, and this episode is that in a nutshell. Thanks to everyone who sent in so many great ideas. Helpful Com...

Every time I make a meal in a bowl, it’s like I’m writing a love letter to myself. And dinner bowls are wildly helpful in the summer. Having a dinner bowl formula that you can personalize for your own set of summer dinners is going to be a huge help when you are too hot and tired to think about dinner, much less cook it.  Helpful Companion Links Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consid...

This is an episode to help us be kind people to our people, particularly in this summer season when kids are usually home. We all want to be kind people, to be thoughtful about how we treat each other, and in the pressure cooker of a weird summer, kindness and thoughtfulness might get compromised. Today, I’m sharing seven typical obstacles to being home with people for a long stretch of time and h...

If your summer looks different than the rest of the year because you have kids at home and everything is more chaotic or your rhythms are a little different because of summer activities and travel and just reading more than tidying, this episode is for you. Helpful Companion Links Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses Creature of...

We’ve collected a handful of great summer reading ideas across several categories that I’m going to share with you today, along with my own personal ideas. Plus, we have some reading questions, kind of like Office Hours, that I’ll sprinkle throughout. We’re going to talk about reading vibes, ways to read more, permission to read what works for you, and lots more. Helpful Companion Links Order my b...

Today is a bonus episode for you that I think will help you ease into summer. We like to release favorite reruns so you don’t have to go digging for an episode that would be great to listen to right now! In this episode, you’ll walk through five clear steps to help you figure out what this season is going to be about for you. This is my favorite kind of planning: kindly thinking about a season, na...

When kids are home all the time, the house gets dirtier, patience gets shorter, and the pressure to make every day count mounts. Today, we’re going to talk about how to create easier summer chores for families in a very Lazy Genius way. The first part of the episode will be about you and how you think as a parent of these kids, and the second part will be some practical ideas of how to get chores...

Every summer, I go into the season with big plans. As my kids grow and as our season of life changes, my approach to the summer feels a little different each time. It can even occasionally feel like starting over. That’s why I love using The Lazy Genius Method to think through the summer and make those plans happen in the most Lazy Genius way possible. I’m sharing what I’m doing in hopes this seas...

I’ve got ‘em, you’ve got ‘em, we’ve all got ‘em. Annoying responsibilities like scheduling doctor’s appointments, updating insurance, renewing stuff, car maintenance, making phone calls. There are a slew of things that are super responsible but also highly annoying that can make even the most organized, zen person have a full come apart. So let’s talk about how to Lazy Genius those annoying respon...

Family Lore is a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates ancestral mystique. Each episode begins with a guest sharing a fascinating family legend, followed by a historical deep-dive to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. Available now. https://link.pscrb.fm/f0281/FLFD To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-p...

Once a quarter, I share the things that have been saving my life that season, and I hope it’s encouragement for you all to make your own list. I just love how this practice helps us stay grounded where we are, pay attention to small things that matter, and just find more joy.  Helpful Companion Links Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Jeni’s Ice Cream Grocery S...

I’m delighted to welcome Jenna and Angela back to the show today! They joined me on the show for a special edition of Office Hours to celebrate joining their new podcast network. I asked if they’d like to do it again, and they said yes! Helpful Companion Links Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. Check out the other Office Ladies Network shows: Office Ladies and...

You guys! This show is 10 years old. This week is our tenth birthday, and I cannot believe I’ve been making this show for as long as my daughter has been alive. Today, I’m going to share some of your own memories of the show and things you’ve learned as well as my own, and we’re just going to have a big ol’ lovefest. I’m so grateful we get to celebrate 10 years! Helpful Companion Links Order my bo...

If your calendar feels like it's yelling at you, you're not alone. Welcome to Maycember. It's end-of-the-year energy, but in May. Instead of trying to fix your whole schedule, let's look at one week at a time. In this episode, I'll walk you through a simple way to declutter your week that you can use now or anytime you need a breather. Helpful Companion Links Order my book The PLAN or ask your lib...

We have never done an episode like this before, and I’m so excited to do it today. I know an AMA isn’t like Truth or Dare at a sleepover (spoiler alert: I always picked Truth!), but it feels like that kind of fun. We’re all just eating our popcorn in cozy pants and chatting about nothing important. We’re talking about desert island snacks and how I came up with my kids’ names and how I became frie...

Today, we’re going to talk about how to create healthy phone habits. Healthy habits are personal. What’s healthy or unhealthy for me might not be for you, so this isn’t a judgmental episode. Instead, we’re going to examine what healthy means, what parts of our phone experience need some attention, and figure out how to create some better practices that align with what matters. Helpful Companion Li...

We like to rerun old episodes that still feel relevant and maybe even needed during this season, so today we want to share with you Episode 210: How to Lazy Genius Kids Screentime. A lot has changed in the landscape of screen time in the last five years, but I do think this episode is still relevant. In this episode, you’ll be reminded that there’s no singular way to do this, I’ll encourage you to...

We love Office Hours. Once a quarter, folks send in their problems they want to Lazy Genius, and I answer them in this episode. We get questions that run the gamut, and it’s always encouraging to hear the normal problems and normal solutions of normal people. Solve what matters, put your energy into those things in small ways, be lazy about what doesn’t matter as much, and do it all while being ki...

I’ve done a handful of travel-related episodes on the podcast over the years, but I realized I’ve never done an episode about planning an actual trip. Since we’re coming up on the summer holidays, a time when folks sometimes take trips, it seems like a great time to Lazy Genius this thing that’s fun but also a little stressful.  Helpful Companion Links Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to...

A few weeks ago, I followed my boys as they walked into the house, and one of them said, “Man, I love home.” And the other said, “Me, too. Home is pretty great.” I tried to play it cool and thankfully didn’t cry because that would have embarrassed them so much. But it got me thinking - why do they love home? Why do any of us love being home? I was able to identify a couple of things that surprised...

You know that feeling of wanting to burn everything to the ground and start over? I like to call that Big Black Trash Bag Energy, and today, I want to share three small steps to help you identify what that energy is really saying. Then we’ll talk about a little framework to figure out what problems that energy wants you to solve. This episode is chock-full of personal examples of what this looks l...

I could talk about meals my entire life and never run out of things to say.  There are so many decisions, and things like seasons, budgets, and dietary restrictions impact those decisions. It just never ends. You’ll be feeding yourself and maybe others forever. So today, I’m sharing twelve ways to easily feed your people. They work in any season for any family grouping - single to many - and for a...

Today is a bonus episode where we’re resurrecting an old episode that feels like a good thing to listen to right now. The Seven Kinds of Rest and How to Know Which One You Need is one of those episodes we didn’t expect to become a classic, but it kind of has. It helps differentiate different kinds of rest and what you might actually need. It’s why when people, even people like me, tell you to take...

Daily rest is the sustainable driving force of living whole, present lives. We wrongly think that rest comes from big, sweeping things, like vacations or long weekends away. Those are great, but we all need ways to rest and feel like ourselves every single day. So today, we’re going to hear from you. Over a hundred of you shared ideas of how you get simple, meaningful rest, and we have curated a l...