User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
The DNF pile is toppling over this year so I decided to focus on non-fiction. It's been a mixed bag.
“Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.”I follow the author on Instagram and have watched her videos and find her delightful, relatable, and funny. So, when I saw she had a book out, I was intrigued enough to grab it. It has 'lazy' and 'genius' in the title and what is not appealing about that?
I no longer have kids at home, so I’m not in the frantic years where I’m trying to fit too many hours into the day, but it doesn’t mean many of the principles don’t apply. Still…maybe I didn’t really care that much about this stuff in the first place, but most seems either intuitive or of no help to me.
What I did like is that Kendra doesn’t tell you exactly what to do and when, but helps you decide how to identify what matters to YOU. She teaches you how to be a “genius” in what matters, and let the rest go.
For me, I have the time, and I'm comfortable in being a perfectionist, ha! I suppose I do let some things go, but none of it bothers me (I'm old enough to just not care anymore). In other words, I'm not the intended audience for this book.
Recommended for those who are trying to cram too much into a day and feel the need to be perfect (a genius) at everything.
Rating: really liked it
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.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
ALL. THE. STARS! I have been waiting for this book for over a year and it still blew me away!
I received an advanced copy of The Lazy Genius Way for endorsement and I read it in one sitting. THE WORLD CANNOT WAIT UNTIL AUGUST FOR THIS BOOK! Kendra's book not only held my attention because it is so well written and witty, but because I could not get enough of learning about new systems for life. Her words and the brilliant way she lays out the book made me feel like a loved and seen human, not a robot just trying to get the next task completed.
This book is everything you are expecting from Kendra and then more. After reading this you will have new, revolutionary systems that will help you get things done in a way that saves time, money and your sanity.
What Surprised Me Most: this book has a heartbeat. It’s not just another book about how to get stuff done. Kendra Adachi so obviously cares about her readers. Through the whole book I felt she gave me permission to approach laundry differently, but also to love how I uniquely approach life.
Rating: really liked it
This was EXCELLENT and a terrific way to get ready for the new year. Highly recommend.
Rating: really liked it
Tried and true principles cleverly branded in a new way.
It boils down to one question, what matters most. Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. More of a refresher than a primer for me, but if you're looking for a kickstart in the new year and other books of this ilk haven't done it for you, this one might.
And if you do decide to read it, go into it with the author's final thoughts: never feel guilty about what matters to you and stop trying to be the ideal, future you, carrying a load you were never meant to carry.
Rating: really liked it
I was stopped in my tracks reading the end of Kendra Adachi’s THE LAZY GENIUS WAY: “Hear this now, friend. You are loved. You are seen. You are enough.”
What does this profound reassurance have to with the book’s focus: Living a more fulfilled life? Because the author, a Christian, reminds us that God is in charge and we don’t have to be. Just figure out what matters most and do only that. No apologies!
Kendra offers 13 principles to get stuff done, including:
• Decide once
• Start small
• Find out what you value most
• Go in the right order
• Schedule rest
The title and her bracing ideas made me relax instantly. They reinforce what I’ve been doing the last 10 years. Life is rich and I feel free!
5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 11 Aug 2020
Thanks to the author, WaterBrook & Multnomah, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#TheLazyGeniusWay #NetGalley
Rating: really liked it
Smart. Practical. Personal. This is so far from a book that tells you to do XYZ or leaves you with endless lists and a million ideas without solutions. Instead, Kendra offers you systems and shares stories, inviting you to implement *what works for you*.
I immediately saw several ways I could take the tools she offers and incorporate them into my life, while also making a list of friends to tell about The Lazy Genius Way (it's one that I'll gift and happily recommend).
What surprised me the most wasn't the practical content or helpful systems throughout... it was Kendra's heart in every chapter. You might think a book like this would feel a bit removed or robotic, somewhat like a textbook in the form of a nonfiction title, but Kendra's voice offers kindness, honesty, and the feeling of "she really does get it" in every chapter.
This book accomplishes exactly what it set out to do -- and more. It deserves 5 stars.
Rating: really liked it
I wanted to love it. But too much God talk in there. Where are the books for stay at home moms who aren’t Christian? Ugh.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars
This week has been a bit of a struggle for me reading-wise due to some personal issues I’ve had to deal with that has been a huge drain on both my time and energy. Prior to this issue cropping up, I had started Kendra Adachi’s
The Lazy Genius Way and since it’s a relatively short book, I figured I would be able to finish it quickly. In hindsight now, I realize that was wishful thinking, as I ended up slogging through this book and taking way more time than I should have to finish it. Just to be clear though, this is one of those situations where it’s me, not the book. In general, non-fiction books always take me a longer time to get through, mainly because I feel that I have to grasp and absorb each detail in order to make the reading experience worthwhile – unlike fiction where I don’t need to make a conscious effort to remember every detail, just enough to get into the story and its characters.
In any case – even though it took me longer than I would’ve liked to read, I did enjoy Adachi’s book overall. In addition to being well-written, one of the things I appreciated most about this book is that it doesn’t follow the traditional “preachy” self-help book path -- you know, those books that always come across as though the author (usually an academic) is trying to persuade you to live your life a certain way because they (supposedly) know more than you do. With her book, Adachi takes the opposite approach in that the main message is about doing what matters to you, NOT what matters to someone else. Using her own experiences as examples, she lays out 13 principles she lives by that help her “be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn’t.” I found the advice practical and the way Adachi went about conveying it was engaging enough to keep me interested in what she had to say.
With all that said however, the sticking point for me is that, unfortunately, a lot of what was talked about in the book didn’t resonate with me. Technically, this isn’t the book’s fault – it’s more I don’t have much in common with the perspective that Adachi writes from (white, middle class, Christian wife and mother), plus I consider my personal situation a bit unique, so it was hard for me to see how some of the principles fit into my life. With self-help books, resonance to the subject matter is absolutely important for me, so much so that when I’m not able to relate to a lot of the book, I feel like I just wasted my time reading it. Of course, this is not to say that timing could’ve played a role as well, since, as I mentioned earlier, I’m going through some things right now where my frame of mind may not be as receptive to books like this at the moment.
Overall, I would still recommend this one, as I feel that, as far as self-help books go, this is definitely a good one. Also, I don’t doubt the usefulness of Adachi’s advice or the fact that the Lazy Genius method does work for many people, it’s just I’m not able to see the relevance and application to my life as it is at this moment. I do want to try listening to Adachi’s Lazy Genius podcast at some point though to see if perhaps that format will work out better for me.
Rating: really liked it
I think I've officially reached the peak saturation point for books, blogs, and podcasts from white ladies in their thirties and forties telling us all to figure out what matters to us and then do that. All of these books say the same thing in every chapter. I'm not sure why I still read them. The part about "batching" Valentine's Day cards for kids, as if it were a new idea, was like my jump-the-shark moment for paying attention to mom bloggers.
Rating: really liked it
I really hate to give this book a low rating, because I think I would really like Kendra if I met her, and she seems to be writing from a place of genuinely trying to help women focus on what is important and stress less about what is not. She is funny and a good writer.
But there was not one single idea in this entire book that wasn’t something I’ve heard in a dozen other places, or a suggestion too painfully obvious to be even considered a tip. She almost lost me at the “batching” chapter. When she started talking about the order to do things it felt like someone telling me to put on my underwear before my pants… Well, of course! I made myself get through the whole book because I was determined to find one take away that I had not heard or implemented already out of common sense, but finished the book with zero notes (and I am a big note taker). I don’t follow her online or listen to her podcast (not because I don’t like her content, just because I have never sought it out, even though tons of people I know are fans) so it’s not that I’ve heard her suggestions from her posts.
I’m happy for her success, I admire her as a mom and person who seems to have her priorities straight, and her advice might be just right for someone who has never considered how to work smarter not harder, or is at the very beginning of their home making journey. But if you have ever put moderate energy or thought into simplifying your life or making it easier by planning ahead or improving efficiency or reducing choices or deciding what really matters to you, then you will find no revelations here.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 StarsThe advice was mostly quite obvious but there were still some good nuggets and reminders. I'll probably incorporate a few things into my life.
Rating: really liked it
I loved this. I took my time reading through it and took pages and pages of notes. I love the concept of really paying attention to what matters most to you. Everyone is different and life looks differently for everyone. This was fantastic and I’m planning to implement many of these principles into my life.
Rating: really liked it
1) There is a lot of "god" talk, which isn't explicitly stated in the summary. But there isn't so much that it discredits this book entirely.
2) A lot of this book reads as "if you are anxious or depressed, I've got a solution for you, don't be!" Which is well-meaning.
3) As for a self-help book, the author makes a suggestion/recommendation to better your life and then goes "But everyone is different, so if it doesn't work for you and something else does, then do that." I mean...I could have written that.
The author is sweet and well-meaning, but there is nothing new or helpful in this book that you haven't already read.
Rating: really liked it
Who sent this book my way? I don't know, but somehow this book arrived in my last library curbside pickup. Lazy Genius, I thought. What is that? I began to read with skepticism.
I was wrong to doubt this book. It is what it says; it's lazy and it's genius.
The starting point for the entire book is: Always start with what matters. And each of us decides for ourselves. I like that.
The author outlines a series of thirteen Lazy Genius Principles, and I (basically) like these, too. Number two on the list is something I've used successfully for years: Start small. Absolutely. (It's also the reason I always set 100 books as my Goodreads goal. I know I can do that.) I really like number four: Live in the season. That is, it won't always be this way, but it is this way now. Accept it. Do the next thing with love. Yes. Brilliant. I'm also taken with #5, Build the right routines, and #7, Put everything in its place, and #8, Let people in.
A perfect read for the first week of January. Or any time you want to start fresh.
