The start of school might still be several weeks away for some of you, but there are ways that we can make that transition easier by doing just a little bit of thinking and planning now.

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When I shared in last month?s newsletter that my teenage boys finally got cell phones, the response was overwhelming. It was so big, we pivoted our plan for today?s episode to talk about it. This is such a personal conversation, which is why I?m going to share our personal experience. This isn?t prescriptive nor should it be. But in the age of parenting kids and especially teenagers, I think we need all the examples we can get. So whether your kid has had a phone for years, you?re years away from thinking about it, or somewhere in between, hopefully this episode offers encouragement to choose wisely according to what matters most to you.

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Last week, I shared all kinds of tips from you guys about making summer easier, and this week I?m sharing the things that have and have not worked for me in my house. A list is always a good time.

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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 the middle, this episode will be a big help.

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My Breezy Instrumental playlist on Spotify

Priya Parker?s Magical Questions

Kate Strickler (Naptime Kitchen)?s Black Bean Soup

Change Your Life Shawarma

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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.

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Episode #266: How to Lazy Genius a Summer at the Pool

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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. 

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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 how to approach them from a kind Lazy Genius perspective. 

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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.

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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.

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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, naming a few things to help anchor me, and doing what actually matters. I hope you enjoy it!

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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 done in your house without you and your kids hating the chores or each other. Let?s jump in.

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Episode #330: How I Manage a Busy Season

Episode #382: How to Manage Calendar Logistics

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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 season and maybe you?ll hear an idea or two you want to try, too.

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Check out The Playbooks here

Episode #409: How to Parent When Your Kid Is Annoying

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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 responsibilities.

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Episode #238: How to Get Stuff Done When You Don?t Feel Like It

Episode #403: How I Get Stuff Done When I Don?t Feel Like It

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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

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. 

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Jeni?s Ice Cream Grocery Store Locator

Oh Clementine chunky hoop earrings

Levi 94 Baggy Wide Legged Jeans

Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing

Episode #462: The Lazy Genius Guide to Planning a Trip

Counterweights by Shannan Martin

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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!

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Check out the other Office Ladies Network shows: Office Ladies and How We Made Your Mother

Episode #352: Office Hours with the Office Ladies

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Since this is more of a conversation, there?s no transcript for this episode. Thank you for understanding!

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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!

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The Summer Playbook

 Episode #11:The Lazy Genius Shops at Aldi

Tody app

Episode #451: Permission to Not Be Great

Episode #54: The Lazy Genius Makes Soup

Episode #266: How to Lazy Genius a Summer at the Pool

Emily P. Freeman

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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.

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The Summer Playbook

Creature of Habit by Courtney Barnett

Pumpkin by Georgie Parker

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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 friends with other authors and so many more.

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The Best Granola EVER

Emily P. Freeman

Myquillyn Smith (The Nester)

Thing Thing

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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.

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My profile on Spotify

I mentioned looking for a folder on my profile of podcast playlists, but after recording, I realized you can?t see it publicly. Here are those podcast playlists: Planning, Margin, Work, Change, Chores, Cooking, Kids, Office Hours, Summer Sanity, Holiday Sanity, Starter Pack, and Guests

Gonna Try to Run playlist

Calling for Spring playlist

Road Ready app

New York Times Cooking and New York Times Games

Merlin Bird ID app

5 Calls app

Kindle app

Libby app

Chirp app

Audible app

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 use screen time to fill your own bucket, and you?ll hear a handful of ideas for House Rules you could use for kids? screen time to make it easier in your home. Overall, it?s a deep breath of an episode and will help you feel like you?re not reinventing the wheel every day.

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Here?s the episode on chores for kids from a few years ago.

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haid

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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 kind to yourself. It?s truly The Lazy Genius way which I love so much.

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Mrs. Christie and the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman

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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. 

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Episode 411: 10 Things to Do Before Taking a Trip

Episode 165: The Lazy Genius Packs for a Trip

Episode 269: How to Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

Episode 371: How to Lazy Genius a Day Trip

A bonus episode about how I personally Lazy Genius air travel

Travel Playbook

My Maps from Google

Go Now Travel Company

Quince Italian Leather Sling Bag

Dreamegg Portable White Noise Machine

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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.

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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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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).

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

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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.

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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

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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. 

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Episode #458: Simple and Meaningful Ways to Rest

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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. 

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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.

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The Project Playbook

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Episode #91: The Lazy Genius Organizes Paper

Episode #403: How I Get Stuff Done When I Don?t Feel Like It

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I?m always so excited when this episode comes around. Either through voice memo, email, or Instagram, you guys share the challenges of your everyday lives, and we try and Lazy Genius them together, finding compassionate solutions that match the season of life.

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

The Instagram post where we collected today?s Office Hours questions.

Episode #235: When You Disagree on What Matters

Episode #325: Dealing with Differences on How Something Is Done

Episode #337: How to Lazy Genius Division of Labor

Episode #298: How to Keep Up with Household Habits

Episode Three of The Lazy Genius Kitchen video series (making regular dinners on a regular basis)

Watch the whole series here

Episode #333: 7 Ways to Always Know What to Wear

Joyful Anyway by Kate Bowler (out April 7)

House Rules by Myquillyn Smith (aka The Nester)

Episode #332: How to Enjoy Your Evening Hours

The Next Right Thing podcast by Emily P. Freeman

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When it comes to normals like us, people are just trying to live our lives with kindness and contentment, we don?t need to get all up in a twist about housecleaning. Let?s be wise about our homes, what matters in them, and find a way to make twenty minutes enough.

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Podcast Playlists on my Spotify profile

Episode #21: The Lazy Genius Does Laundry

Episode #113: The Lazy Genius Does Laundry Updated!

Episode #427: When You?re Overwhelmed by the World

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Life has many problems and learning to navigate them with kindness while practically solving them is such a valuable skill to learn. It?s kind of the whole vibe of what we do here. We?re learning to be better problem solvers in all kinds of situations, and these 12 tools are essential to solving problems like a Lazy Genius.

Last week, we covered the first five ways, so if you didn?t catch that episode yet, give it a listen before this one.

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Episode #452: How to Be a Better Problem Solver, Part 1

My Absolute Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

?I Want Them Now? Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

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Problems are everywhere. Shoes never get put away, you?re always out of spoons, your brakes are squeaking but you don?t know if it?s bad enough to matter, you miss your friend who lives four states away and feel like you don?t know how to connect anymore. This episode and next week?s are about those kinds of problems and how to solve them.

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Bonus: A New Year Pep Talk with Gretchen Rubin

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January often arrives with a mix of motivation and overwhelm?fresh starts, lofty goals, and the pressure to do things differently. To explore this complicated season, I?m joined by Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author and leading voice on habits, happiness, and human nature. Our conversation is a thoughtful look at how to approach the new year with intention, from embracing clean slates to making space for what matters most. If you're feeling the weight of January expectations, this episode offers both insight and encouragement.

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I?m all for setting goals, trying new things, and tracking what matters. Those are all good and worthy pursuits. But today, I want to offer you a little practical permission to not be great. I?ll even go first and share a few things I?m intentionally choosing to not be great at in this next season of life.

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I can feel it. This is the week. Or at least the week is coming where you look at the holiday decorations and extra presents and general detritus from the busy fall and get an organizational fire in your eyes. Big black trash bags are coming out. That energy is totally fine, but today, let?s talk about what to do before all that happens.

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This is a roundup of all my favorite things I?ve discovered and loved this year only. It?s a really fun list.

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The Diplomat (streaming on Netflix)

Albanese Gummi Bears

B-word Sauce

Merit Beauty

Mane Ready or Knot Hairbrush

Cozy Earth sheets (use code LGPOD for 40% off as of the recording of this episode)

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Columbia Heavenly Long Puffer

Tiny Teaspoons

Winproper Fruit Colander

Caroline Garvin on YouTube

We are releasing an extra episode for you as you enjoy your winter holidays. This is an episode from a while back that I think will be a great addition to your podcast listening queue in this quieter week. It's episode 345: How to Approach Holiday Downtime. This is the time when we move from the scurry of holiday preparations and schedules to just like suddenly being home with little to no agenda, and that can be kind of hard. So this bonus episode might be just for you.

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Episode #320: How to Feel Good About Free Time

Episode #258: The Seven Kinds of Rest and How to Know Which One You?ll Need

Episode #212: A Guide to Summer House Rules

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It?s easy to stay in prep mode after being in it for so long. But today, I want us to remember that the wonder of any season, Christmas or otherwise, often shows up when we slow down. We?ll talk about what it looks like to have eyes of wonder, and then I?ll share some practices to help you notice the sparkle and wonder of the next couple of weeks and then some other practices to help you cultivate that practice of noticing all year long. 

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Find me (and our episode playlists) on Spotify.

One Line a Day Journal

One Second Everyday app

Yearbook Playbook

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If you start to go wide-eyed when you look at your to-do list and have a low-key sense of dread that it?ll all get done in time, this episode is for you. 

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Episode #395: How to Finish Last-Minute Lists

The Best Holiday Music Library Ever

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Regular life doesn?t stop just because it?s December. When life is busy, the ordinary things tend to get the shaft because we?re trying to tend to all the unusual, urgent things instead. But those ordinary tasks are in many ways the backbone of staying a little calmer in a busy season. Let?s talk about what that looks like and what not to do with your chores and routines in a busy season.

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Find our digital products here (which are going into the sunset at the end of the year!)

Episode #439: Chores I Do Every Day, Part 2

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It?s that time of year again, when we?re all feeling a bit like, ?When it rains, it pours.? Most of the rain is really quite lovely, but this season, at least at our house, sometimes feels like so much. I have not been this close to full on maxed out in a long time, and I am feeling it. Today, I want to share a simple Lazy Genius path to naming what?s maxing you out and tending to it well so that you can enjoy this season.

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Check out our newest versions of The Playbooks!

Episode #443: What?s Saving My Life

The Best Granola Ever Recipe

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I think we could all use some help when it comes to holiday gatherings or just larger family gatherings in general. Uncommon situations often produce the unexpected, so let?s talk through some tools that simplify what might already be complicated enough. I have ten super simple ideas to simplify your gathering, and even if you try one, I think it?ll make your life a little bit easier. 

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 Episode #133: Ten Helpful Thanksgiving Strategies

The Only Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe You'll Ever Need

Underrated Overrated Game Cards

Episode #437: Ten Things I Always Do When I Have People Over

Codenames

Hues and Cues

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

Bananagrams

Just One

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It?s time to welcome back our old friend who we get to hang out with every season. These episodes where I share what?s saving my life have become such a gift to me personally. The practice of naming and sharing what is making life full and good and connected is surprisingly integral, and I?m glad this is part of our rhythm here on the podcast. So today I?ve got ten things I?ll share that have been saving my life recently, and hopefully it will inspire you to make your own list.

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Check out our newest versions of The Playbooks!

Jamie, Knox, and Erin?s new Patreon show called Shelf Respect

Make Your Own Hamburger Helper

Episode #439: Chores I Do Every Day, Part 2

Mane Ready or Knot Detangling Hair Brush

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We are entering the season where we?re beginning to think about holiday gifts, especially on a limited budget which many of us are right now. I?m going to share my five rules of thoughtful gift-giving, six budget-friendly categories of potential gift ideas, and seven themes you can use as a family or friend group that put everybody on the same gift-giving playing field.

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Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

Projects Playbook

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Sometimes I feel like it?ll take just one sassy comment or one missed homework assignment or one line at the store that?s longer than I expected before I just lose it. Sometimes life is like that, and it?s normal and okay. But most of us don?t want to stay there for very long.

Today, I?m going to share with you five things to remember and five things to do when everything is a little annoying.

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Episode #409: How to Parent When Your Kid is Annoying

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It?s around this point, towards the end of October, that we all start feeling the pressure. The rest of the year is coming like a snowball rolling down a hill. Today, we?re going to tend to that energy and create some ways to make the rest of 2025 easier and also more joyful, grounded, and rooted in whatever matters to you.

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The Lazy Genius Collective Facebook Group!

Episode #339: How to Make the Rest of 2023 Easier

Episode #392: How to Make the Rest of 2024 Easier

Episode #330: How I Handle a Busy Season

Episode #431: 5 Things to Avoid When Planning a Busy Season

Episode #364: When Life Feels Like a Firehose

Episode #385: How to Manage an Odd Stretch of Time

Episode #395: How to Finish Last-Minute Lists

Greg McKeown?s book Essentialism

Episode #306: What We Need to Have More Fun

Episode #347: How to Know What Brings You Joy

One line a day journal

One second a day app

Learn about The Playbooks here.

Find our digital products here (which are going into the sunset at the end of the year!)

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.

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Check out our network?s newest show, How We Made Your Mother

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