1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,439 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about a genius method of corralling small 4 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: items and being able to tidy up faster. Use trays 5 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 1: and baskets, and the clutter will seem far more under control. 6 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: I don't know if you've noticed this, but in my house, 7 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: any item on a surface tends to attract more clutter 8 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 1: to it. People feel a slight tinge of guilt about 9 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 1: leaving an item on a clear counter, but if there's 10 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,160 Speaker 1: something else there, well pile it up. The solution would 11 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: seem to be to leave all surfaces completely clearer, but 12 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: of course this isn't practical. Some stuff needs to be accessible, 13 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: and some of us, this is definitely my personality, forget 14 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: stuff exists when we don't see it. I actually forgot 15 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: about a bag of my favorite candy that I had 16 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: hid in my desk drawer once. I love that candy, 17 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: but out of sight, out of mind. It is possible 18 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: that if my toothbrush weren't on my bathroom counter, I 19 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: might forget to brush my teeth. So an intermediate solution 20 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: is to use little trays for corralling all items that 21 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: do need to be on a surface without making the 22 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: surface a free for all. Any item that needs to 23 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: be on the surface goes on a tray or in 24 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: a little basket, and the rest of the surface remains clear. 25 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: This provides a natural limit on how many things can 26 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: go on the surface, which can be helpful and still 27 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: makes the surface look relatively neat and a bonus. If 28 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: you do need to make the surface completely clear, just 29 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: whisk the tray or the basket off somewhere else in 30 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,559 Speaker 1: the cupboard in a closet. This is a five second 31 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: operation and a reversible one too, because as soon as 32 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: the surface no longer needs to be clear, you take 33 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: it back out. There are some variations on this theme. 34 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: For instance, all spring, I kept my homeschooling binder and 35 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,559 Speaker 1: papers on one corner of the kitchen island. The rest 36 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: of the island had to be clear, but I acknowledged 37 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: that that one corner could have stuff. Things could still 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: be kept relatively clear that way, and whisked off to 39 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: another place if they needed to be. In any case, 40 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: if you have surfaces that tend to get cluttered, but 41 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: you can't go cold turkey on having them completely cleared. 42 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: Try using a tray or a basket. The surface will 43 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: look better, you'll limit the amount of stuff on display, 44 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,079 Speaker 1: and you'll be able to tidy up faster when necessary. 45 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:41,119 Speaker 1: That's a win all the way around. In the meantime, 46 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 47 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 48 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 49 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 50 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, 51 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me 52 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media 53 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 1: dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all 54 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying 55 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. 56 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i 57 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 58 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.