TRANSCRIPT
Jenna [00:00:00] Hello.
Angela [00:00:01] Hi there.
Jenna [00:00:02] Okay. We have some really exciting news to share.
Angela [00:00:05] We do. Jenna, tell them.
Jenna [00:00:07] All right. My husband, Lee Kirk, is directing a movie called New Year's Rev. And me and Angela both have parts in it.
Angela [00:00:16] We do. I'm so excited. Tell them what it's about.
Jenna [00:00:18] Okay. Well, this is a story that he wrote with Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Because, you know, Billie Joe starred in Lee's movie Ordinary World.
Angela [00:00:28] That's right.
Jenna [00:00:29] And they stayed friends all these years. His family is very good friends with our family. You know that this delights me.
Angela [00:00:37] I know you're very tickled by it.
Jenna [00:00:39] I am. And so the two of them came up with this story, and then Lee wrote the script. He's now directing it. Here's what it's about. It's about three high school kids who get pranked into believing that their punk band was picked to open for Green Day on New Year's Eve in Hollywood.
Angela [00:00:57] Yes. And so they take this crazy road trip across the country.
Jenna [00:01:01] Yes. All the while believing that when they eventually get to L.A., they're opening for Green Day. And, of course, a bunch of crazy stuff happens on the road. And some of the stuff that happens on the road is based on stuff that actually happened to Green Day during their years of living in a tour van. The movie stars Mason Tames and McKenna Grace along with a whole bunch, other folks like me and Angela. It also stars Fred Armisen, Shawn Gunn and Bobby Lee. And the movie features a ton of Green Day music and ends with a Green Day concert. And unfortunately, me and Angela don't have any scenes together. But we both have such fun roles.
Angela [00:01:39] Yeah. So, you know, we got to do this table read and I mean, how much fun was that table read?
Jenna [00:01:45] So fun.
Angela [00:01:46] I can't wait for people to see the movie. Jenna, tell them who you play.
Jenna [00:01:49] Okay. I'm playing Jodi. She's the mother of Tommy who's played by Mason Tames. And she's a widowed mom who's doing her best to get by and support her family. She's a waitress. She's kind of like a rock and roll past, and she's just trying to do the right thing by her kids.
Angela [00:02:06] Right. Well, I am playing Wilma, and I just love that my character has that name because my mom had a sister named Wilma, who I love dearly.
Jenna [00:02:15] Your Aunt Wilma.
Angela [00:02:15] My Aunt Wilma from Mississippi. Well, this Wilma is a loud and kind of a foul mouthed proprietor of a rough and tumble roadhouse in the middle of Oklahoma. Y'all, I was born to play this role, you know? I know this woman. I know her. I have met her. I'm telling you, I'm thinking about, like, in my hometown. There's a legion hall.
Jenna [00:02:37] Yeah.
Angela [00:02:37] Where you can go have an adult beverage. I know. I know her.
Jenna [00:02:40] Well, it is such a great, fun part. You're going to shine. I can't wait for people to see you in this. And can I? Spoiler alert. Angela, you have been growing out your roots for this role. That is how committed you are.
Angela [00:02:55] I am.
Jenna [00:02:56] You have not been coloring your hair because -.
Angela [00:02:59] For a month, y'all. Look at me. I'm like, y'all. For a month, I just felt like Wilma probably wouldn't fuss with her hair. She's busy. She's running a bar.
Jenna [00:03:08] Yeah, she is.
Angela [00:03:09] Yeah. But I do think she gets her nails done. I haven't shared that with you yet.
Jenna [00:03:13] Oh okay.
Angela [00:03:14] I do.
Jenna [00:03:15] Yeah.
Angela [00:03:15] Because in my family, the Southern gals, they never miss their nail appointment. Everything else might be falling apart, but their nails are done.
Jenna [00:03:22] Yeah. I like this choice.
Angela [00:03:24] Yeah.
Jenna [00:03:25] Well, we had a big conversation. Does my character have a tattoo? Because of her past. And I said she definitely has a tattoo. I think the question is, is her tattoo in a place you can see it? Because it could be somewhere that you wouldn't see.
Angela [00:03:43] Right.
Jenna [00:03:43] Well, she's just at home having coffee.
Angela [00:03:45] What do you decide?
Jenna [00:03:47] She has several places that you can see and not see. So there you go. That's what we went with.
Angela [00:03:53] Okay.
Jenna [00:03:54] All right. So we're sharing this with you because we are off this week. We are shooting the movie.
Angela [00:03:59] We're in Oklahoma.
Jenna [00:04:00] We are. So today we wanted to bring you something that truly helped both of us so much as we kicked off 2025.
Angela [00:04:08] Yes, it is Kendra Adachi, a.k.a. The Lazy Genius. It's episode 399 titled It's a New Year. Let's name what's Working.
Jenna [00:04:18] Yeah. So for some context, as 2024 was wrapping up, Ange and I sat down and we talked about what do we want for the new year for Office Ladies, you know, this is that time of year where you -.
Angela [00:04:31] Reflect.
Jenna [00:04:31] You reflect, yeah, you set goals.
Angela [00:04:33] That's right. And we both had some of the same shared goals for how we wanted our podcast workflow to go. And we were in this sort of reevaluating mindset.
Jenna [00:04:43] And then on January 1st, this episode of Kendra's dropped and I listened to it and I immediately texted Ange about it. I was like, This is what we're doing. Angela, I need you to hear Kendra's approach to this conversation that we had already started. But she frames it in such a delicious way.
Angela [00:05:01] I know, Kendra is so good at this. You know, she offers up such an accessible way to think about what is working for you, which in turn makes you see areas that could use some attention. She has three rules, three questions and three categories to help you ask yourself what's working in your life?
Jenna [00:05:20] And lady, I loved that. I loved coming from a place of positivity rather than negativity.
Angela [00:05:26] Yeah.
Jenna [00:05:26] And now our office ladies team keeps using this phrase What's working?
Angela [00:05:31] What is working?
Jenna [00:05:32] Yes, this has totally crept into our conversations during our team meetings and using this, we have created new strategies to manage our workload. We've created new routines. It has been great.
Angela [00:05:44] And we're using it at work, but it really can apply to every aspect of your life. So to relationships, or maybe just even the rooms in your house. After I listen to this episode, I walked through my house and I would look at a room and be like, What's working here?
Jenna [00:05:59] Yeah.
Angela [00:06:00] And that simple question help me appreciate this little caddy that I bought to hold pens and pencils and scissors. It was just like in that little nook in my kitchen where all the random clutter goes to pile up.
Jenna [00:06:12] Yeah.
Angela [00:06:12] Well, guess what? It's not piled up anymore. It's in a little caddy, and it's working for me. And that small thing makes me happy.
Jenna [00:06:18] I love that.
Angela [00:06:18] But that's just such a small little thing. But when you look around and see what's working, it makes you want to do it to the other rooms of your house. It's like this wonderful domino effect or to your relationships or to your workflow. It's like, okay, well, this one thing is working. How can I make the rest of it work for me as well?
Jenna [00:06:37] Yes. So I have to eat a pretty specific diet because of the cancer medicines that I'm taking. I have to eat like high protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, high fiber, low sugar. In fact, if I don't eat this diet, sometimes I don't feel well. Like it has a direct impact on how I feel in the day. And I was getting really overwhelmed with meal prep, like mentally, like mentally figuring out how every meal was going to fit into this very specific box was exhausting. But I did not have the luxury of being lazy about this. Right. I had to do it. So I used her philosophy. I asked myself to look at each meal from the framework of what was already working because in the moment it felt like nothing was working right. But actually, when I looked at it, my breakfast is working. It's easy. I eat the same thing every day. It's great. My dinners were working because I was already planning and prepping family meals that pretty much met my criteria. So really the only thing that wasn't working was my lunch. And Kendra suggests that you ask yourself if you can apply what is working about one routine to your routine that is not working. So when I dug deeper, I was like, Well, why is breakfast working? And it's pretty much because I eat the same thing and I don't care. I don't care that I eat the same breakfast. So I tried to apply that to my lunches. I picked three lunches that I could prepare easily, quickly, and that I could make in batches of like 3 to 4 days worth. So my three lunches now are soup. Chile are tuna salad done. They have all the stuff in them that I'm supposed to eat. And now I'm not making a new lunch every single day.
Angela [00:08:26] And you're not stressed about it?
Jenna [00:08:28] No. And it's working now. All three of my meals are working.
Angela [00:08:32] That's great.
Jenna [00:08:33] I know.
Angela [00:08:34] It's such a simple question, and I think that's why it's so easy to act on.
Jenna [00:08:38] Yes.
Angela [00:08:40] Well, we hope you love this episode as much as we did. It's just such a great way to start the new year.
Jenna [00:08:44] And just know we are having a good time in Oklahoma.
Angela [00:08:47] We can't wait to tell you about it.
Jenna [00:08:48] Exactly. But now here is the Lazy Genius episode. It's a new year. Let's name what's working.
Kendra: Hi 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 399 - It’s a New Year... Let’s Name What’s Working.
Today is the first Monday of January which might feel any number of ways for you, but just in case you have scattered “oh no it’s the first Monday of January!” energy or if you need a reminder that you don’t have to chase greatness out the gate, this episode is for you.
The beginning of the year or the beginning of anything often has us rethinking our routines and rhythms and systems and choices to see if there’s anything we want to change. That path is well and good and likely necessary on occasion. I love identifying small problems, applying small solutions, adjusting over time, and then slowly building rhythms and systems that work from those small decisions. It’s a slower go compared to Big Black Trash Bag Energy where you just start everything over, but it lasts longer because you don’t keep starting everything over.
So before you start to put on your problem-solving glasses, utilizing that new year energy to make everything fresh and ready to begin, let’s name what’s working. I have three rules, three questions, and three categories to help you think this through. You can take whatever helps and leave the rest. You can be as detailed as you want and write stuff down, or you can just think about it in your head, decide that this particular thing is working really well, high five yourself, and move on. You use the content in this episode in whatever combination and intensity you want. So three rules, three questions, three categories.
Let’s start with the three rules.
Rule number one when you’re naming what’s working: the smaller the better. Naming small things that are working in your life are weirdly powerful. You might try and say “breakfast is working pretty well,” but the specificity and smallness of “having muffins in the freezer and protein yogurt drinks in the fridge are working super well for everybody.” The smaller the thing, the greater the opportunity for you to truly understand what’s working. You can see the particular moving parts of the thing, rather than just a large, ambiguous category. So rule number, the smaller the better.
Rule number two: Working doesn’t mean perfect. We’re naming what’s working. We’re not naming what’s perfect. Very little is, and very little will be. Perfect is relative and arbitrary anyway. So as you assess and decide what’s working, be kind about that word. Working doesn’t mean perfect. It’s working. It might be a little janky in how it’s working, but it’s working. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Rule number three when you’re naming what’s working: Now isn’t forever. What’s working now might not and likely won’t work forever. That can swing both ways. You can have something you love that’s working now, and also it’s good to remember that we have to hold these things with
an open hand. It might not work forever, but we’ll enjoy it now while it does. Or if you do have something that’s working but it’s connected to something in your season of life that’s frustrating to you and you wish it were different, that’s okay. Now isn’t forever. It probably won’t always be this way, so try to not resent where you are. Either way, now isn’t forever.
So those are your three rules as you move into naming what’s working: the smaller, the better; working doesn’t mean perfect; and now isn’t forever.
With that perspective in mind, let’s move to the three questions you can ask to help you narrow your focus on what specifically is working in these categories you’ll name in a minute. The three questions are what problem does this solve, what do I like about this, and how does this make me feel like myself?
First, what problem does this solve? When you’re looking at an area of your life and identifying what’s working there, naming the solved problem could be super beneficial. Maybe it’s solving a problem that you’ve had a for a long time, and naming that the problem is solved is worth celebrating. Maybe it’s solving a problem that you’re spotting in other places, so seeing the success of your solution in one place might help give you ideas for another. Essentially, what problem does this thing that’s working solve?
We have a drink spinner on our counter. It’s just a wooden Lazy Susan on the edge of our kitchen island, and I put it there years ago to try and solve the small problem of glasses and water bottles being all over the house. Kids would leave bottles and cups on random surfaces, they’d be in different places in the kitchen which made the kitchen feel visually cluttered, it was a small problem but an annoying one. So I thought that a great way to solve this small problem would be with the small solution of one place where cups and water bottles go. They have a holding pen, and unless they’re being used, that’s where they live all together as one big beverage family. The drink spinner works beautifully now. It took awhile for kids to remember, but it’s become second nature to everyone in the house. Your cups and water bottles live on the drink spinner. End of story.
If I walked into my kitchen and noticed that drink spinner, I would say “this is working because it solves the problem of keeping track of cups but also of my silent rage about seeing cups everywhere.”
Let’s say I have silent rage about something else that seems to live all over the house, noticing how the drink spinner is working helps me recognize a small solve for a separate small problem. But as you’re identifying what’s working, that’s the first specific question to help you see why it does. What problem does this solve?
***
Before we get into the second question, let me remind you again that you don’t have to be precious or orderly or organized with these questions. You don’t even have to answer any of
them. They’re more for those of you who need a little clarity in trying to identify what’s working. And we do that because we care about today. We care about who we are right now in this life we live in. We care about remembering that we do actually have things in life that are working. We can find our way out of early January discouragement of all we want to change. Instead, we’re going to name what’s working. So use these questions if they help.
The second question you might ask is what do I like about this? Let’s keep joy and pleasure and ease in mind here. What do you like about this thing that’s working? Taking a lunch break every day works so well for me because it solves the problem of not always slowing down on purpose. What do I like about it? I like food, so there’s that. But I also like that there are no expectations of me for that hour. I can eat and watch a show or eat and read a book or eat and sit on my porch in silence for a few minutes before going inside to watch a show or read a book. I like that I can do what I need to do in the moment, but whatever I choose is genuinely enjoyable to me. Name what you like about a thing that’s working. Put some meat on its bones as to why. It gives it more staying power and personal enjoyment that way.
And a third question you might ask to help you understand what’s working is how does this make me feel like myself? Not everything might, and that’s fine. But in order to slowly nurture an integrated life that’s rooted in your own humanity and what matters most to you in your season, it’s not a ridiculous thing to consider how your decisions and rhythms and systems make you feel like yourself. This makes me feel calm which keeps me from going outside of myself in a rage. This makes me feel creative even though I’m doing something mundane because I’m doing it in a unique way that’s working for me. See what I mean?
Also a lot of you often ask me how to figure out what makes you feel like yourself? Sometimes I think we put too much pressure on that question or on the feeling. When something makes you feel like yourself, it might not be the most happy, fulfilled, unicorns and rainbows version of yourself. You might feel like yourself because of the house rule no piles on the kitchen island. Visual clutter might take you out of yourself, so visual tidiness, especially in commonly used spaces, makes you feel more connected to yourself. It doesn’t have to be technicolor to count.
So three questions that could help give a little insight into why something is working are what problem is this solving, what do I like about this, and how does this make me feel like myself?
Now you might be ready to start naming this in your life, but you feel a little scattershot about it. You’re a pinball within the machine of life, just freely associating what is working as one idea pings another. That is honestly a great way to do it. This does not have to be a detailed homework assignment. It’s ultimately just a posture. Name what’s working! Don’t just focus on what’s not. So ping away.
If you’d like to be a bit more methodical or would enjoy a new way of looking at the areas in your life so you don’t miss anything (even though you will), here are three categories to consider: time of day, regular events, and rooms in your house. These are broad on purpose. They’re simply doors you can walk through to help you narrow your focus on what you’d like to notice.
So category one: the time of day. Mornings, mid-morning if you’re home with tiny humans, after school, transition from work to home, dinner, bedtime routine, evenings, etc. Start your thinking at one time of day and just look around. You can even live in it. Tomorrow morning, pay attention to what’s working. What do you see that’s solving a problem, that you like, that makes you feel like yourself or makes someone else in your home feel like themselves? Being present at a certain time of day or using your imagination and memory for that particular time of day can help you notice what’s working.
Category two: regular events. What tasks or events or activities happen on a regular basis? Meals. Meals are very regular. Carpool or commuting. Regular meetings. Decide once gatherings, like messaging friends while you’re waiting for your groceries to be loaded into your car or actually going grocery shopping with a friend every Tuesday or whatever it is. Look on your calendar if you use one or just pay attention to the regular things in life and notice what’s working in there.
And category three: rooms in your house or life. Different rooms have different functions, so literally walking into a room in your home can help you notice what’s working. There could be decorating or cozy decisions that make you happy. Maybe you think of tasks that are often done in that particular room. What about cleaning that specific room? Walk into a room in your house, pause, and ask yourself what’s working in here? What happens in here that’s working? What do I like about this room? What do I like about what happens in this room? These can be physical rooms in your own home, but they can also be your car or your desk at work or any physical space you spend time in. What’s working here?
So those are the three rules, three questions, and three categories. The three rules are the smaller, the better; working doesn’t mean perfect; and now isn’t forever. The three questions that might help you identify why something is working are what problem is this solving, what do I like about this, and how does this make me feel like myself? And the three categories that could help you narrow your focus are times of day, regular events, and rooms in your home and life. So what do you do now?
The point of these ideas is not to fix things. In fact, it’s the opposite. We are noticing what’s working so that we stop the spinout of thinking that everything isn’t. This time of year has us in our heads about fresh starts and big changes, and again, while those are totally fine, begin where you are. Begin with what’s working. Celebrate it! Notice it! So often when we see how many things might be working, we calm down a little about what isn’t. So even though you could in theory go through your entire life with the three rules in mind and ask all three of those questions, I don’t think that’s necessary. That’s not starting small anyway. Pay attention to the area of your life that has the biggest pull to make it better. Stay there and name what’s working. Be where you are. Be kind about the things already in place. Refresh your perspective on the things in your life that do in fact solve your own problems, that you like, that make you feel like yourself. Be who you are and where you are today. You’re doing great.
If you’d like a peek into what’s working for me, episode 349 is called 10 Small Changes I’m Glad I Made and then Episode 366: Twenty Helpful Decisions I Keep Repeating. Those are practical lists of what’s working in my life, and many of them have been working for years. The tiny solutions, the small changes, the decisions you made once that still work, those are the parts of a steady system that you don’t have to keep starting over on.
Be where you are. Notice what’s happening today. Celebrate the changes you’ve made. The smaller the better, working doesn’t mean perfect, and now isn’t forever. And that’s how we start a new year: let’s name what’s working.
One thing I know a lot of you do at the end of December / beginning of January is reread The Lazy Genius Way. I love that y’all do that. It’s so humbling and fun, and I get it! Having a refresher on the 13 Lazy Genius principles as you’re going into a new year is so helpful. If you have never read my first book, The Lazy Genius Way, it dedicates a chapter to each of the 13 principles - Decide Once, Start Small, Ask the Magic Question, Live in the Season, Build the Right Routines, Set House Rules, Put Everything in Its Place, Let People In, Batch It, Essentialize, Go in the Right Order, and Be Kind to Yourself. It’s the little engine that could book, just plugging along, still selling copies over four years later. If you’ve never read it but have thought about it, now is a great time to do it. I read the audiobook, so if that’s more your speed to listen as you’re taking down decorations or going for wintery walks or trying to keep your children entertained before school goes back, give it a shot. I think you’ll enjoy it.
This is also an excellent time of year to read The PLAN. It is all about compassionate time management, helping you rewire your thinking from optimization, greatness, and making the most out of your time to just be a grounded, whole person right where you are, being okay with some things being great and others being mid. It’s practical, permission-giving, and full of pep talks to get you through any January chaos you might experience. I read that audiobook, too, but I think for The PLAN, you’ll be so glad you have the physical copy. Thanks for reading my books and supporting my work, y’all!
Before we go, let's celebrate the Lazy Genius of the Week. This week it's Ashley Eidson with a super interesting approach to holiday gift-giving that actually matters right now, at the beginning of the year. Ashley writes, "Every year, my husband and I save up our credit card rewards across a few different cards and don’t spend them all year. Then, when it is Christmas time, the amount we have in rewards is our budget. We know how many gifts we need to buy each year, we know how much we have, and that’s how we divide it up! Some years we have had to make some decisions like not getting gifts for every coworker in the office, but it always seems to work out where the people we want to give gifts to comes very close to our total. Last year, we had a little bit higher rewards total and we were able to buy some “presents” for ourselves at the end of the year on top of everything else we have purchased. Hope this helps someone else enjoy the holiday season without stressing about breaking the bank with the regular monthly bills and expenses!" What a fantastic idea! Can you see why I wanted to share this right now at the start of the year? This could be a fantastic approach for a lot of us when it comes to holiday budgets.
The rewards just do it for you. Love how practical and helpful this is. Thanks for sharing, Ashley, and congratulations on being the Lazy Genius of the Week!
This episode is hosted by me, Kendra Adachi, and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fischer, and Angela Kinsey. The Lazy Genius Podcast is enthusiastically part of the Office Ladies Network. Special thanks to Leah Jarvis for weekly production.
Thanks, y’all, for listening, and until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t. I’m Kendra, and I’ll see you next week!