Joy isn't the reward you earn after all the work is done. Joy is the work. That's what a new series on For the Love with Jen Hatmaker is all about, the Sacred Yes. It's choosing delight, rest, and pleasure on purpose because saying yes to yourself, that's the thing that finally lets you fill your table with everybody else. Come find your Sacred Yes with Jen. Follow and listen to For the Love wherever you get your podcasts.

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.

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Episode #274: The Back-to-School Starter Pack
• 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.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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.

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Brick device/app
• Life360 for driving safety
• Gabb Phone
• Pinwheel Phone
• Episode #477: What Is and Isn’t Working For Me This Summer
• 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.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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.

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Let us know how we’re doing in our annual survey
• Magical Athlete
• Emily P. Freeman
• Shannan Martin
• 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.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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.

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

• Let us know how we’re doing in our annual survey

• My Breezy Instrumental playlist on Spotify

• Priya Parker’s Magical Questions

• Kate Strickler (Naptime Kitchen)’s Black Bean Soup

• Change Your Life Shawarma

• 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.

• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or

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.

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.

• Let us know how we’re doing in our annual survey

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

• 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.

• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)

• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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. 

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Find out everything about The Playbooks here.
• 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.
• Sign up for The Book List to get all my monthly book reviews.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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. 

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Episode #473: How to Deal with a Messy House All Summer Long
• Episode #423: How to Get Unstuck When Your Space Is a Mess
• Episode #369: The Snack Episode
• 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.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchenor The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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.

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
• Creature of Habit by Courtney Barnett
• Pumpkin by Georgie Parker
• Group Project by Hi Lo Jack
• Music Speaks Louder Than Words by Candi Staton
• To Keep by Dominique Adams
• Big Flower Light Go Bloom by Henry Jamison
• 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.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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.

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Get this month’s Book List by signing up here or peeking through the archive
• Bookmark strap
• Episode #471: Easier Summer Chores for Families
• 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.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or record your idea and share your voice on the show.

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!

Helpful Companion Links

• Order my book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy.
• Learn more about The Playbooks or grab a Summer Playbook here
• Summer Break Calendar from The Essential Calendar
• 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.
• Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links)
• Download a transcript of this episode.

Want to share your Lazy Genius of the Week idea with us? Use this form to tell us about it or