The Lazy Genius Way

Sure, that thought feels icky, but the real truth is that we don’t resent giving gifts; we resent not having the margin to be more thoughtful about the process.

Want to develop a cleaning routine? Wipe off the kitchen counter each night before bed.

What’s important, then, is to make good fixed decisions—ones that will add value to your life instead of taking value from it. Decide once, on purpose, about everything, from the items in your closet to what’s on your calendar. A single, intentional decision relieves your brain of effort, freeing you to think about what matters to you instead of li

Make the Same Meal When You Have People Over Inviting new people over can feel scary, so make it easier by offering the same meal each time. Choose a crowd-pleasing recipe you feel confident making, and always serve it the first time someone comes to your home. Now you can enjoy being hospitable rather than stressing out over what to have or how it

Decide once to go out for pancakes the night before the first day of school. And if everyone digs it, do it again the next year. Decide once that you’ll spend Christmas Eve looking at Christmas lights in your pajamas, and then pile in the car.

Small steps are easy. Easy steps are sustainable. Sustainable steps keep moving. Movement, not necessarily a finish line, is the new goal.

The smaller the step, the more likely you’ll take it and the more often you’ll engage in what matters to you.

Pause and think about the cleaning tasks that sap you dry. What would happen if you made one decision just one time to make the process a little bit easier?

But we assume, then, if we’re not sweating because of it, we’re not benefiting from it. That goes for exercise, doing laundry, and combating loneliness. If we’re not working excessively hard to make something happen, we might as well give up until we can put forth the effort required.