How to stay lazy and get things done

If a long list of tasks is starting to intimidate you, or if your daily routine is getting too busy, the lazy genius method will help you.

What is the lazy genius method?

This simple principle of productivity was brought out by Kendra Adachi - author books "Lazy genius mom." It consists in always asking the one "magic" question: "What can I do now to make my life easier later?" Adachi suggests using the "lazy genius" method, which she helped herself, to "be a genius at what's important and lazy at what's important." doesn't matter".

The main point of the “magic” question is to motivate yourself and perform the smallest action in order to then, when it will be much easier to finish the annoying thing associated with it, to feel relief.

“The smaller the case, the easier it is to do it. When you ask the "magic" question, you usually win pretty quickly. Over time, when it becomes a habit, you will notice that even the simplest answers positively affect your day, time, energy and mood.

says in the description of an episode of Kendra Adachi's podcast dedicated to the "lazy genius" method.

How and when to apply it

This technique can be a good choice when you are short on time or energy or both. The next time you find yourself in a similar situation, first admit that you are unable to complete a big task right now. And then ask yourself what small action you can take to make it easier when you come back to it later.

Here are some examples:

• You don't have time to write children in a circle right now. But you can open the entry form tab in your browser and it will "remind" you to do so the next time you're in front of your computer.
• You don't have time to sew up a hole in your dress. But you can thread the needle and attach it to the dress to do this later.
• You don't have time to clean up your car before you pick up the kids from school. But you can take an empty bin to your car to put all your trash in when you get home.

Answering the following questions will help you identify situations where you definitely can’t hurt to resort to the “lazy genius” method:

• What in your daily routine drains and upsets you? Analyze your daily morning and evening activities, such as how you plan your weekly menu or do your laundry. At what points do you get stuck or get annoyed by the process? What small step can you take now to make it easier later?
• What items on your daily to-do list are left unfinished? Even if you can’t completely close the task today, you can do some small things to make it easier to deal with it tomorrow.
• What task am I avoiding? If you have things to do that you put off until tomorrow week after week, start asking yourself the “magic” question and gradually you will reach your goal.
• What do you do during your breaks during the day? If a task requires at least an hour, and you only have 10-15 minutes to spare, you can do something very tiny to prepare for it, such as finding the right phone number or making a list questions.

Kendra Adachi likens the “magic” question to a domino effect: push yourself and take the first step, and it will give impetus to the next. Also, if you're dealing with a particularly daunting task, small first step helps to reduce stress and move on to the second and third stages. Therefore, the “lazy genius” method allows you to achieve much more than you think, now or later.