The Lazy Genius Podcast - #262 Answers to The Magic Question That Paid Off

Episode Date: May 16, 2022

The Magic Question is what can I do now to make something easier later? The smaller the something, the easier the solution. When you ask the magic question, you usually get a pretty quick win. When you get in the habit of asking that question and then noticing how even the simplest answers can positively impact your day and your time and your energy and your attitude, you want to keep asking! It’s a great question.   Helpful Companion Links Check out my two books: The Lazy Genius Way and The Lazy Genius Kitchen Best of Both Worlds with Laura Vanderkam Find me on Instagram @thelazygenius Episode #258: The Seven Kinds of Rest and How to Know Which One You Need Download a transcript of this episode   This podcast is hosted by Kendra Adachi and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amazon presents Laura versus Fruitflies. Swarming your fruit and terrorizing your kitchen, these little freaks multiply at a rate that would make a rabbit say, yo. Chill. But Laura shopped on Amazon and saved on cleaning spray, countertop wipes, and fly traps. Hey, fruit flies, your baby boom ends here. Save the Everyday with Amazon. Hey there. You're listening to the lazy genius podcast. I'm Kendra Adachi and I'm here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. Today is episode 262. Answers to the magic question that paid off. The first thing we need to address is what is the magic question? The magic question is what can I do now to make something easier later? The smaller the something, the easier the solution. Ask the magic question. Is it? Is it a magic question? Is it?

the third of the 13 lazy genius principles that are explained in great detail in my first book, The Lazy Genius Way. But they are very briefly summarized in my newest book that just came out, The Lazy Genius Kitchen. I've had a couple of people ask me if they need to read The Lazy Genius Way first before reading The Lazy Genius Kitchen. And my answer is no. Kitchen will still make sense without reading Way. But it will have a more robust foundation, let's say, just because you've spent more

time with those 13 principles that I use a lot in both books. But all that to say, the third principle is ask the magic question. When you ask the magic question, you usually get a pretty quick win. What can I do now to make the commute home easier later? What can I do now to make getting out of the door with a toddler easier later? What can I do now to make getting that load of laundry done easier later because laundry always involves later, right? When you get in the habit of asking that question, and then you notice how even the simplest answers can positively impact your day and your time and your energy and your attitude, you want to keep asking. It's just a really, really great question. Now, before I share six answers to the magic question that I've paid off for me

recently, I want to remind you of something that Laura Vandercam said when I was on her podcast, best of both worlds a while ago, she asked me about the magic question and if it was possible to overask it or over answer it. Because, and this is her quote, your future self is not incompetent. I will never, I will never get over how perfect that sentence is. And she's absolutely right. Your future self is not incompetent. You don't have to magic question everything all at once because all that does is make your present self crazy town. So you can overdo this. You can. Now, the gauge or the measurement of what that means is different for each individual person. So I cannot tell you how to know if you've overdone it. But I think a good yardstick is asking yourself this

question. Am I making life easier later? Or am I trying to have control now? Oh, mm-hmm. that'll preach and I said it. But I think that's when you're overdoing it. You have a different goal now, right? You're trying to gain control of as many details as possible. And setting out a coffee spoon for the next morning, when you already know where your spoons are, I mean, they're not hard to get to.

Maybe they are. I need to be fair. Maybe your coffee spoons are hard to get to and that's why you're putting them out. But the point is, like, you could definitely turn that magic question into a big machine and do things that are completely unnecessary because you're trying to gain control of a time of day or a situation that you don't have control over right now. So no big machines. If you're wondering, if you're overdoing the magic question, ask yourself, are you making life easier later or are you trying to get control now?

Okay, now I'm going to share six different answers to the magic question that have paid off for me in recent weeks during the book launch. That has been my season. Real life examples tend to help you guys. And so here we go. But my real life example is definitely center around getting this book into the world recently. Plus, I offered four different podcast episodes in an Instagram poll recently. And this is the one that won. So you guys wanted to hear this anyway. So here you go to the 44% of you who voted for this one over the other ones. Okay. First magic question that I asked, what can I do now to make meal planning easier later? And by later, I mean in book launch time, where I have fewer chances to go to the store. We do Walmart and Target grocery pickup almost exclusively,

but there are things that I can only get or only want to get at certain stores. Trader Joe's Mandarin chicken, which we eat a ton, our bougie rice, which you can only get at the international grocery store. And then the other one that was kind of tripping me up was meat. My Walmart and Target have meat. I mean, yeah, but not always, and not always exactly what I ask for. So, a few weeks ago, I asked this question, what can I do now before things get nuts, right, to make meal planning and having what I need easier later? Because Walmart grocery pickup is not going to cut it during that busy time exclusively. That's not the only thing I can depend on, right? So a few weeks ago, I went to Trader Joe's and I stocked up, you know, I got a ton of

Mandarin chicken and a few other things I needed. I also eventually ended up paying my sister to go back because I ran out of some things and I didn't have time during book launch. A few weeks ago, I also went to the international grocery store and I got two huge bags of rice so we would not run out of rice before this busy season was over. And I joined Butcher Box. This is not an ad. They might be a sponsor eventually. I don't know, but I paid my own money and still do to join Butcher Box so that I didn't have to think about meat. I would just have what I need delivered to me. And it's really delicious meat. those choices have paid off for me. I could still do weekly grocery pickup of our basics,

but those specialty store items and the meat that I took care of in bulk weeks ago, like that has made everything so much easier, right? Because I just do the basics. That's all I need to worry about. Now, listen, this is important. I can do that because I have an extra freezer and an extra pantry. I realize that's not everybody's situation. But that's why that answer was my answer. I'm answering based on what works for me, and you need to answer based on what works for you. The point of sharing this episode is about asking the question, not necessarily what the specific answers are. You get to decide those, not me. Next question. Next question. Feels like an S&L interview sketch. Next question. What can I do now to make going to bed easier later? I need to not

stay up super late multiple nights in a row. And one of the things that makes me put off going to bed is having to do my face stuff, like all the potions and the lotions and the things. And while I do enjoy doing them, my nighttime skincare routine, it wakes me up. So if I'm hanging out on the couch watching the NBA playoffs like I've been doing for weeks and I get tired that I haven't watched my face yet, I dread it. I dread both the skincare and the going to bed with it, because I have to do it or without it because then I have to go to bed with like stuff on my face. So a way that I magic question going to bed when I'm tired and also still get my face tended to is I do my skincare routine when Annie is getting ready for bed.

I'm just waiting on her to like take her shower or brush her teeth or whatever. So I can go ahead and wash my face and put on my retinal and what have you. At seven o'clock, I don't have to do that right before bed. I can do it at seven. doesn't matter? And then it's done so that when I'm tired, all I have to do is brush my teeth. I love this one. What can I do now to make going to bed easier later? Wash my face earlier. Works great. Question number three was very specific and focused on the day after the lazy genius kitchen released. I have shared this in other episodes, but I'm pretty competitive, sometimes to a

fault. And I also, I'm not, I don't have a lot of great discipline, like emotionally, intellectually or like actual physically to not measure and check numbers around what I'm doing. I don't love that. I don't love that that is part of my makeup. And I don't like how it makes me feel. So I did not want to spend mental energy the day after my book came out measuring how many books I sold or what my ranking is on Amazon or any of the other numbers that honestly don't really mean anything until they sort of mean something, but then like what does it even really mean? So the day after a book releases, I mean, sure, it's a big deal, but it's also not that much. It's not that big of a deal.

The book is out. And I had done a ton of work ahead of time to keep the marketing machine in motion, so to speak. You know, we have the lazy genius kitchen show. We have people actually getting their books and y'all are like sharing it like crazy. I had the podcast going talking about the books. We had the latest lazy letter written going out that week. I did not need to spend the day after the book releases working and worrying. So my question was, what can I do now to make my energy and my nerves easier later, specifically the day and the few days after launch? And the answer was to play. It was to have

fun, which is what I did. It's what I did. I scheduled two meals. a brunch and a super fancy dinner with any friends who were still in town from the launch party, the day after the party. And that's all I did that day. I ate with my friends. I did like regular after school stuff with the kids, but that day was a day off, which was strange because again, my book had just been released. That's kind of like opening a business. And then on the day after you cut the ribbon, you're like, hey, this was fun. But like, I'm out. Y'all can lock up behind yourselves when you leave. Like it doesn't make a lot of sense, but also it did. And it was okay. It really was. And I personally had a fantastic few days after launch because I chose to have fun

instead of choosing to obsess over numbers. I couldn't just say to myself, I'm not going to obsess over numbers. I had to remove myself from the possibility of it by literally doing other things, like have fun. And it paid off. We'll be right back. Aw isn't something we need to travel for. It's something waiting for us in everyday life, whether in a city street or a moment with a work of art. I'm Dr. Keltner, host of the Science of happiness podcast. Join me for Cities of Aw, a special series on how our public spaces can spark awe, wonder, and enhance the quality of public life. You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts.

So I played after my launch by also going to New York City with Jamie Golden. It was a blast. I shared the trip on Instagram. You can see the story saved to my highlights about how I saw James McAvoy in an actual play, an actual person, how Jamie literally caught pneumonia on our trip, how it rained most of the time, and how I am obsessed with buildings and trees. I loved that trip so much. On the final day of New York, we were checking out of the hotel at noon and we were going to go,

you know, to the airport to fly home. But noon is kind of late, right? Like especially when you, especially when you have three children and your body is accustomed to waking up before six o'clock every day. Now, Jamie was still sick. So I decided to go out in the morning and take a long walk through the city. Now, that is one of my favorite things to do on planet Earth. I love a long walk through a new place. It's literally my favorite thing to do anywhere. I go. So I will put in my earbuds. I will pick a pleasant route wherever I am, and I just walk. So I took an Uber all the way up to 108th Street at the entrance to the conservatory garden in Central Park. And then I walked through and by Central Park down Fifth Avenue all the way

down to 50th Street. It was many, many blocks. And it was amazing. But here's the thing. Here's where the magic question comes in. I knew I would be getting back to the hotel. really close to when we would check out. What could I do to make my exit from the hotel easier later? Pack before I leave for my walk. Now, I know that that is not some riveting example. Many of you would have chosen to do the same thing. Okay, I'm just going to pack before I leave. But this feels like a very important example because so often we don't pack before we leave or whatever, you know, metaphorical version there is in different categories of that. We think we will have time. We think we will have energy. But then we're rushed at the end, right?

Something I know very well about myself is that I don't like to be rushed. I don't do well rushed. I get stressed and mean. I don't see situations clearly. Avoiding feeling rushed in like any situation in my life really, really matters to me a lot. That means that the best answer to the question, What can I do now to not feel rushed checking out of the hotel was to pack before I left for my walk? And also, my walk took longer than I thought, which happens. And what if I had saved my packing for the end? I wouldn't have enjoyed the entire last half of my walk because I would have been focused on getting back to the hotel and time rather than just enjoying the time. Again, this example is not like a new or innovative answer, but those are the kind of.

kinds of answers that make a big difference in our day and in our lives. Next question. Before I left for my trip to New York, I knew that I would need to make the on-ramp back into regular life easier. So what could I do now before I left to make that happen? Well, Leslie, the operations manager for Team LG, she already started answering that for me on the work front by keeping the week after launch completely clear. No meetings, no interviews, no nothing. It was just space for me to use how I needed to do. Now, I'm making this podcast that week, but there was hardly anything else that I needed to do. It was amazing. It's been amazing. Now, on the home front, I planned to take the Monday after I got back off from work. And I made it a reset day. Remember the seven types of rest?

It needed to be a reset day. So I got home on a Sunday, and I knew that easing back in a regular life would require some rest, but also some work. Grocery runs, assessing where everyone was with their homework and assignments and soccer cleats and what have you, right? Now, I shared this on Instagram, but coming home from a trip, especially when you go by yourself and you come home to other people, it's so strange for me because you don't know what happened. You know, like, what's in the fridge? Why is this box there? Does anyone have clean underwear? Like, even if everything is pretty much the way you left it, you still have to discover that. It still takes like a weird kind of energy, at least for me.

So I magic questioned my easing back in my scheduling Monday as a reset day. Now, again, remember that episode about the seven kinds of rest. Reset is one of those. It is an active kind of rest, but you need it to be able to function after that, right? And so that is what I planned for on that Monday that I came home. And it made a world of difference. It really did. And finally, on that reset day, one of the places that needed a particular reset was the kitchen.

We have five mouths to feed in our house, and my kids go through certain foods very quickly. Plus, I didn't really know what the leftover situation was in the fridge, what we would need for the week. We didn't have a meal plan, all the things. So on Monday morning of last week, I asked the magic question, what can I do now to make today's grocery shopping easier later? And the answer was to clean out the fridge. And actually, maybe a more appropriate word is to assess the fridge because my mom actually cleaned out the fridge for me a couple of weeks ago. You might remember that. But I didn't know what produce had gone limp, what we would need to eat for meals this week, what fruit we needed for lunch boxes. And also if the fridge was ready to hold those things, right? So the answer to the magic question was to assess and clean out anything in the fridge and clear off the kitchen counter. before making a list or meal planning or going to the store. Now, again, this is not a crazy example or super innovative, but another lazy genius principle is to go in the right order.

Sometimes we do the right things just in the wrong order. I needed to go to the grocery store and I needed to meal plan. If I had gone to the store before I meal planned, which I almost did, I almost was like, let's just go to the store and get out of the way. I wouldn't get all that I needed. But even more than that, if I hadn't assessed the fridge before I meal planned, none of it would have worked. When I was making my plan for Monday, like last Monday morning, I did almost go to the store first to get it out of the way. But then my brain perked up and was like, hey, wrong order, Kendra, wrong order.

These kinds of simple choices make a huge difference. Go in the right order. Check your fridge before you meal plan, whatever that looks like to you. plan before you go to the store if that supports what matters most to you. But for me, it for sure does. Assess, plan, then shop. Go in the right order. And I made my future self able to handle that kitchen reset way more easily by assessing the fridge now so that the grocery shopping and putting stuff away would be easier later. I hope these examples help you feel confident in your own decision making. Because here's the thing. The answers to

to the magic question, they don't have to be innovative or creative or sexy to work. Sometimes they're pretty obvious things. But naming them as answers to the magic question, it gives them and you like a little sparkle, right? You're doing those small things. You're naming what matters and thinking just a tiny bit ahead about what might help you feel like yourself later. I hope you have a lot of fun thinking about the magic question this week.

as this episode sits with you and what your answers could be. Okay, before we go, let's celebrate the lazy genius of the week. And this one actually focuses on the magic question, which is super fun. So I got this message from Emily Fabricius a few weeks ago. And here's what Emily says. I wanted to share a way that asking the magic question has been simplifying meals in my home and making them more delicious. Every time we order takeout, I'll order an extra side item that can be used to complement

other meals that I'll make later in the week. For example, if we order Mexican food, I'll get an extra side of refried beans to use with cassidia lunches the next day. Or if we order from our favorite Mediterranean place, I'll get an extra side of chicken shwarma and use it in salads for lunch. This has been amazingly helpful, especially as I've been living in the season, with a four-month-old and a toddler. Thanks so much for helping our family take steps out of survival mode, sincerely, Emily. Emily, this is a fabulous idea. and such a great way to answer the magic question. And I have no doubt, no doubt.

There are people listening who will find this specific answer super helpful in their own lives. Extra sides, extra proteins, even extra sauces can help take a future meal into a more complete space. I love this idea so much. Congratulations for being the lazy genius of the week. Okay, friends, that is it for today. Thank you so much for listening. And a special thank you to those of you who have purchased Lazy Genius Kitchen. at the time that I record this, we won't have final numbers for sales on the first week.

We do know that it hit New York Times, which is a bonkers is so exciting. And I'm actually going to do a behind the scenes, like bonus episode of like, what does it really mean to hit the New York Times? Because it's not what most people think and maybe my own thinking behind it because it was a little bit like up and down. So that'll be coming soon. But the Lacey Genius Kitchen is in New York Times bestseller, you guys. And y'all help make that happen.

It's just so exciting. Selling books is, it's surprisingly hard. And you all made it so much easier because of how enthusiastic and trusting you have been these last couple of weeks. So many of you sent me messages the week the book released saying things like, I got my book and I love it so much already that I just bought five copies to give people as gifts. You guys, that's just amazing. So if you have any type of occasion coming up, especially one that involves a life transition,

like a new house, a new job, a new baby, a new marriage, a new. empty nest, a new school. This book would be an amazing gift. I have been quietly confident that this book will change lives. But now that it's out and y'all are reading it and sharing how you're slowly making your kitchens and even other parts of your home and life work better for you, I am now loudly confident. Loudly. This book works. And I am so grateful to all of you who have been sharing it on. Y'all are just the best. Thank you again for listening. And until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things. things that don't. I'm Kendra. I'll see you next week. Have you ever felt like you were living

just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that. More dangerous than a B minus or a C plus life? Because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think it's good enough. Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming You. People think, okay, an A plus life is not available to me, but there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to Becoming You wherever you get your podcasts.