The Lazy Genius Podcast

How to Get Stuff Done When You Don’t Feel Like It (Rerun)

February 5, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • When facing a task you don't want to do, the first rational step is to ask, "Do I have to do this now?" and if the answer is no, immediately follow up with, "If not now, when?" 
  • To create a small, doable system for disliked tasks, apply Lazy Genius principles like Deciding Once, Putting Everything in Its Place, and Batching. 
  • When dealing with tasks you dislike, remember to be kind to yourself, live in your current season, and utilize the summary tips from Episode 403, such as remembering your dislike of urgency and starting small. 

Segments

Sponsor Ad Read
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Ritual’s Hyacera is a vegan, GMO-free skin supplement supporting hydration, clinically studied to improve skin smoothness and glow within 90 days.
  • Summary: Ritual’s Hyacera supplement targets skin hydration from the inside out using one vanilla-essenced capsule daily. The ingredients are clinically studied, showing improvements in skin smoothness, elasticity, and glow in a recent trial. The product is Clean Label Project Certified, vegan, and GMO-free.
Podcast Introduction and Rerun Context
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(00:01:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The Lazy Genius Podcast prioritizes contentment, compassion, and living in one’s season over hustling or hacking for more time.
  • Summary: The Lazy Genius Podcast, hosted by Kendra Adachi, focuses on valuing contentment and compassion rather than unsustainable hustling. This episode is a rerun of Episode 238: How to Get Stuff Done When You Don’t Feel Like It. The host promises to share a short list of personal reminders from Episode 403 at the end.
Identifying Tasks Requiring Action
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(00:02:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Tasks that cannot be dropped from the to-do list, like paying bills, require a structured approach to maintain lazy genius principles.
  • Summary: Life necessitates completing tasks one does not enjoy, such as paying bills, which cannot be ignored. The goal is to find a way to complete these necessary tasks while still adhering to lazy genius philosophy. The process begins by identifying the specific task causing resistance.
Urgency Check: Do I Have To Now?
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(00:04:08)
  • Key Takeaway: If a task is truly urgent (e.g., overdue bills, immediate hunger), the answer to “Do I have to do this now?” is yes, and it should be done immediately to avoid worse aftermath.
  • Summary: The first question to ask when facing an unwanted task is whether it must be done in that exact moment, distinguishing between truly urgent needs and perceived urgency. Ignoring urgent tasks leads to worse consequences, such as late fees or family meltdowns. If the answer is yes, the advice is simply to proceed with the task.
Scheduling Non-Urgent Tasks
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(00:07:19)
  • Key Takeaway: For tasks that are not immediately necessary, naming a specific future time (‘If not now, when?’) and using technology to schedule it prevents generalized procrastination.
  • Summary: If a task is not required immediately, the next step is to name a specific future time for completion. For those who default to ’later,’ using a timer, alarm, or calendar notification is crucial to move the generalized ’later’ into a tangible ‘right now.’ This prevents stress from forgetting the commitment.
Applying Lazy Genius Principles
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(00:09:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Creating a small, doable system by applying principles like Decide Once, Put Everything in Its Place, and Batching simplifies disliked tasks.
  • Summary: The host uses paying bills as an example to illustrate applying Lazy Genius principles to build a manageable system. Deciding Once means setting a recurring time (e.g., the first to third of the month) to handle all bills. Putting Everything in Its Place involves separating urgent mail (bills) from non-urgent mail to streamline triage.
Bill Paying System Details
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(00:12:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Batching bill payment once a month, rather than paying them as they arrive, prevents emotional drain and reduces the risk of missing due dates.
  • Summary: The host prefers Batching bill paying, completing all payments in one 10-minute session monthly, rather than dealing with them sporadically. This system is supported by the principle of deciding who handles the task (‘If not me, who?’), which in this case is the host because her partner finds administrative tasks more soul-draining.
Additional Principles for Disliked Tasks
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(00:16:49)
  • Key Takeaway: When tackling disliked tasks, it is vital to be kind to yourself regarding procrastination and to honestly assess how your current life season impacts your workload.
  • Summary: Two crucial principles for handling disliked tasks are self-kindness—avoiding self-blame when consequences arise—and living in your season. Some seasons, like caring for an aging parent while managing your own home, will naturally involve more disliked chores, and this reality must be acknowledged.
Summary of Episode 403 Tips
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(00:17:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Motivation for disliked tasks can be maintained by remembering the dislike of urgency, depending on systems, and actively choosing to enjoy downtime instead of feeling guilty when tasks are postponed.
  • Summary: Ten personal reminders from Episode 403 include remembering the dislike of urgency to prevent tasks from becoming critical, and depending on systems for tasks truly hated. If a disliked task is postponed, the time should be actively enjoyed (e.g., reading) rather than wasted feeling guilty, which helps refill energy for when the task is eventually done.
Sponsor Ad Read: Rachel Braython
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(00:22:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Rachel Braython’s podcast, From the Heart, offers vulnerable discussions on self-care, motherhood, and healing, reminding listeners they are enough.
  • Summary: The podcast From the Heart with Rachel Braython releases new episodes every Friday covering topics like self-care and healing. The show aims to encourage listeners by sharing open and vulnerable stories about life’s challenges. It serves as a reminder that the listener is enough as they are.
Sponsor Ad Read: California Closets
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(00:23:22)
  • Key Takeaway: California Closets designs custom solutions, such as integrating charging stations and Murphy beds into home offices, to maximize functional space.
  • Summary: California Closets provides custom organization solutions designed for specific needs, exemplified by a home office/guest room conversion. This design included a spacious desk with built-in charging and a queen-size Murphy bed concealed by sleek cabinets. They offer free design consultations via phone or their website.