WEBVTT - Where would you look for it?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that when you are figuring out where you

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<v Speaker 1>should store something, ask yourself this question, where would I

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<v Speaker 1>look for this first? Then put the item in that place.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip comes from Dana kay White, a decluttering expert

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<v Speaker 1>who shares her tips through a podcast, YouTube videos, and

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<v Speaker 1>her blog, A Slob Comes Clean. Dana was a guest

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<v Speaker 1>on my other podcast, Best of Both Worlds and shared simple,

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<v Speaker 1>sensible tips like asking where you would look for something

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<v Speaker 1>for creating a smooth, functioning home. I have thought a

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<v Speaker 1>lot lately about what should go where as we have

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<v Speaker 1>unpacked and settled into our new home. Some things are obvious.

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<v Speaker 1>Forks go in the silverware drawer and yep, that is

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<v Speaker 1>where we would think to look for them. But some

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<v Speaker 1>stuff is less obvious, like sleeping bags, scissors, bug spray,

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<v Speaker 1>the extra paper, towels and toilet paper. I love Dana's

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<v Speaker 1>approach of asking yourself where you would look for something first.

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<v Speaker 1>You are making a prediction. You are imagining your future

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<v Speaker 1>self wanting this item and tracing your steps to look

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<v Speaker 1>for it. You are not asking yourself where the item

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<v Speaker 1>should be. There is not a right or wrong answer.

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<v Speaker 1>People store their scissors in all sorts of reasonable places.

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<v Speaker 1>You are not going to be judged by whether you

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<v Speaker 1>put the item where an expert or a complicated set

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<v Speaker 1>of rules say you should. You are simply making your

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<v Speaker 1>best guess of where you would look for it and

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<v Speaker 1>putting it there. In our case, at least one pair

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<v Speaker 1>of scissors goes in the top right junk drawer and

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<v Speaker 1>one goes in my top right desk drawer. I would

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<v Speaker 1>look in the top right drawer of anything for something

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<v Speaker 1>like that first, so now I know where they are.

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<v Speaker 1>Bug spray goes in the mudroom, since that is by

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<v Speaker 1>the door where people generally go out, so that is

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<v Speaker 1>probably where I would naturally be looking for it first.

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<v Speaker 1>Best to put it there from the get go. I

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<v Speaker 1>also like using similar language when asking someone else if

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<v Speaker 1>they know where an item is stored. If you ask

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<v Speaker 1>your partner, or your roommate or your childcare provider where

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<v Speaker 1>they put the three whole punch, they may feel a

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<v Speaker 1>wee bit miffed. Why do you think I hit it somewhere?

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<v Speaker 1>Since when am I the keeper of the three whole punch.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you ask where's the first place you would

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<v Speaker 1>look for our three whole punch, that is less aggressive.

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<v Speaker 1>You are simply asking for a prediction, not judging the

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<v Speaker 1>storage spot or suggesting someone else has a database of

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<v Speaker 1>household objects and their locations in their heads. So the

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<v Speaker 1>next time you are deciding where to store something, ask

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<v Speaker 1>yourself where you would look for it first and put

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<v Speaker 1>the item there. And if you are looking for something,

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<v Speaker 1>ask your housemate for their ideas of where they would

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<v Speaker 1>look for it first. Focusing on predicting a search can

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<v Speaker 1>be a practical, judgment free approach to deciding what goes

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<v Speaker 1>where and for finding what you have. Do you have

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<v Speaker 1>any tips for keeping your space organized? You can share

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<v Speaker 1>them with me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our times. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four then breakfast p O D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters, thanks so much, should I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.