The Lazy Genius Podcast

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 me, and I’m excited to share those thoughts with you today.

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

Myquillyn Smith, aka The Nester, is the Lazy Genius of making your home feel like you. Virtually everything I know about decorating a home is from her.

 House Rules by Myquillyn Smith

 5 Calls app

Counterweights by Shannan Martin

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Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

Usually here at The Lazy Genius, I’m here to help you find practical ways to manage your time so you can finally feel like a person again. Part of that is what we can be lazy about and part of that is facing the big, existential stuff. That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to Suzy Welch and her podcast, Becoming You. Suzy is an NYU professor and a New York Times bestselling author who has spent her career helping people make better decisions and find their authentic purpose. But she isn't just an expert in a classroom; she’s an expert in the messy, beautiful reality of real life. If you want to get closer to becoming who you are meant to be—and have a lot of fun doing it—you need this show in your life. Find Becoming You with Suzy Welch wherever you get your podcasts.

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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 like in my own life, and tiny problems I’ve solved recently with my Big Black Trash Bag Energy (but without throwing anything beloved away).

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

The Lazy Genius Kitchen Ep. 4 - The Freezer Fix with Annie F. Downs

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Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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 any cooking level. These are the most dependable meal tools out there, and I’m pumped we’re going to have a whole episode of them.

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

Episode #97: One Simple Step That Changes Meal Planning Forever

Fearless Chicken Tikka Masala recipe

Erin Moon’s episode of The Lazy Genius Kitchen video series (making regular dinners on a regular basis)

Watch the whole series here

The New York Times Food app

The Cook’s Book by Bri McKoy

Cookish by Milk Street and Christopher Kimball

I Dream of Dinner by Ali Slagle (I talked to Ali on the podcast a few years ago, by the way!)

Sweet Enough by Alison Roman

Sign up for our every-other-week podcast recap email called Latest Lazy Listens.

Sign up for my once-a-month newsletter, The Latest Lazy Letter.

Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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 a nap and it doesn’t help, it might be because you’re looking for a different kind of rest than what napping offers. 

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

Episode #458: Simple and Meaningful Ways to Rest

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Sign up for my once-a-month newsletter, The Latest Lazy Letter.

Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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 list of ideas and experiences to share. You might hear your own idea or voice on this episode, but more than that I hope you hear yourself, your own experience, that you hear solidarity and a simple, meaningful idea that can help you rest in a sustainable, reasonable, do-it-right-now way. 

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Counterweights by Shannan Martin
• What Should I Read Next, a podcast hosted by Anne Bogel
• Shelf Respect, a new podcast by The Popcast Media Group
• Sign up for our every-other-week podcast recap email called Latest Lazy Listens.
• Sign up for my once-a-month newsletter, The Latest Lazy Letter.
• Get The Book List!
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

Life is full of projects. Some are fun, like my album project of 2026, and some are less fun, like cleaning out a garage. But we all have them, will continue to have them, and you can probably think of one that needs doing right now. It’s nice to have some tools to lean on that help you get better at projects, to start projects you’ll finish, and finish projects that matter to you. So today I’ll share ten ways to get better at projects.

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

The Project Playbook

Sign up for our every-other-week podcast recap email called Latest Lazy Listens.

Sign up for my once-a-month newsletter, The Latest Lazy Letter.

Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

Well, friends, my voice has officially left the building. She’s been gone for a week now, and despite my best efforts (and an unreasonable amount of tea), she has not returned.

So today, we’re doing something a little different. A very special guest is introducing the show, and because she so generously stepped in, I let her choose her favorite episode for us to revisit!

So break out your ladles as we head back in time to March 2018, when we first talked about making soup on the show. I can’t wait to be back next week with a brand new episode. Thanks for understanding, y’all!

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

Listen to The Office Ladies Podcast (Thank you, Jenna!)

How to Tell If a Recipe Is Any Good

Aromatics Infograph from Cooksmarts

The Lazy Genius Loses Weight

Watch me make soup.

Sign up for our every-other-week podcast recap email called Latest Lazy Listens.

Sign up for my once-a-month newsletter, The Latest Lazy Letter.

Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

We do these episodes once a quarter where I share the things - big, small, and varied - that are saving my life right now. It’s a beloved practice, one we’ve been doing for a long time together. Barbara Brown Taylor was the person originally credited for this phrase, and many of us on the Internet really love the simplicity and breadth it offers. So today I’m going to share my list.

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

In the month of February, 10% of our revenue from Playbook sales will go to World Central Kitchen!

Episode #160: Wear Makeup Like a Lazy Genius

Elta MD Tinted Sunscreen

Merit Beauty Foundation Stick

RMS Powdered Bronzer

RMS Powdered Luminizer

Glossier Cloud Paint in Burst

Kosas Eyebrow Pencil

Bobbi Brown Longwear Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow Stick in Nude Beach

Bobbi Brown Longwear Cream Waterproof Eyeliner Stick in Panther

Merit Beauty Clean Lash

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Today we’re running an old episode that I think you’ll appreciate hearing now. It’s Episode 238: How to Get Stuff Done When You Don’t Feel Like It. This happens every day, and I hope these tools help you get your stuff done a little more easily. 

At the end of the episode, I’ll share a short list of personal reminders that help me get stuff done when I don’t feel like it, too.

Helpful Companion Links

Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

Episode #91: The Lazy Genius Organizes Paper

Episode #403: How I Get Stuff Done When I Don’t Feel Like It

Sign up for our every-other-week podcast recap email called Latest Lazy Listens.

Sign up for my once-a-month newsletter, The Latest Lazy Letter.

Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.