The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius

by Kendra J. Adachi

In general, a man’s life is oriented around him, and a woman’s life is oriented around everything but her, all while her body’s rhythms are annoyingly inconvenient.

An industrial complex is essentially when an industry is in a feedback loop with some element in society. The public and private sectors become so intertwined that separating them is almost impossible, and that connection is often at odds with what’s best for society itself.

Integration is a word used in various psychological contexts and essentially means “wholeness.” When we are integrated, we are able to connect with all the parts of ourselves—desires, bodily cues, big emotions that we don’t know what to do with, small emotions that don’t feel important, stress responses when things go awry, grief that sneaks up on us, anger because we stepped on a Lego, and literally everything that happens moment by moment. When we are integrated, we compassionately love our true selves and seek to live smack-dab in the center of who we know ourselves to be.

I can stay with myself. I can be gentle with myself. I am beloved. It’s okay to be in process. I am making progress. I can come back to myself. I am responsible for only myself. It’s okay for others to be uncomfortable. I am allowed to take care of myself.[3]

You’re a flesh-and-blood person with a beautiful, slightly unruly life who just wants to get your stuff done, have fun, not yell at your people too much, and occasionally feel bone-deep contentment. You want to make hard things a little easier and enjoy life more often than you endure it.

Since our goal is integration and we start where we are, what matters right now in this season is the most important thing

we can initially consider and will positively influence the rest of your life.

Naming what matters is aligning your needs with your season, no matter what is happening. You are paying attention to right now, honoring the life that is in front of you. And the more you practice asking, the more natural naming will become.

Life transitions feel big and overwhelming because they’re multifaceted. It’s challenging to proactively name what matters about a looming new thing like a kid or job or breakup when the transition affects so many aspects of life. How are you supposed to tend to everything at once? Frankly, you can’t. Instead, choose one aspect that matters most right now. In other words, make it singular.

When you have to make a decision in the moment, remember to either trust your gut or trust what already matters. But keep asking the question: What matters right now? It’s the foundation of everything.

PLAN stands for prepare, live, adjust, and notice. As a reminder, there are thirteen Lazy Genius principles, and while all are important, four in particular offer a clarifying outlook for The PLAN. To prepare like a Lazy Genius, go in the right order. To live like a Lazy Genius, live in the season.