WEBVTT - Second Cup: Start with the trash

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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 to start with the trash. If you are

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<v Speaker 1>tackling a huge cleaning or decluttering project, simply getting rid

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<v Speaker 1>of the trash can make it all seem more doable,

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<v Speaker 1>a strategy that is helpful in more broader contexts too.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip, like another this week, comes from Casey Davis's book,

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<v Speaker 1>How to Keep House While Drowning. This book is about

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<v Speaker 1>how to maintain an organized home even if you are

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<v Speaker 1>in a very busy stage of life, or if you

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<v Speaker 1>are struggling with mental challenges that make executive functioning difficult.

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<v Speaker 1>Davis notes that when you survey a mess or mound

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<v Speaker 1>of clutter, you are really looking at things in five categories.

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<v Speaker 1>There is trash, dishes, laundry, things that have a home

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<v Speaker 1>but aren't in their home, and things that don't have

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<v Speaker 1>a home. If you tackle one of these five categories

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<v Speaker 1>at a time, you will have a fairly functional space.

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<v Speaker 1>By the end, things might not be in rainbow order,

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<v Speaker 1>but the space will be functional and that is a

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<v Speaker 1>major win of those five categories. She suggests starting with

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<v Speaker 1>the trash, Get a bag, grab the stuff that is

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<v Speaker 1>clearly garbage, and get it out of there. I love

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<v Speaker 1>this suggestion because some stuff is in fact clearly trash,

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<v Speaker 1>like food wrappers, packages, things came in. For the most part,

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<v Speaker 1>it is not mentally challenging to figure out what is

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<v Speaker 1>trash now. Later on you might decide that many of

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<v Speaker 1>the items with no home are also trash, but that

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<v Speaker 1>involves more decision making. Decision making can be hard when

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<v Speaker 1>you are tired or depressed or anything along those lines,

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<v Speaker 1>but trash that is easier. You just grab and go,

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<v Speaker 1>and in many cases, by the time you have gotten

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<v Speaker 1>all the trash out of any given space, it will

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<v Speaker 1>look better. The bulk has been reduced, the stuff that

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<v Speaker 1>might attract pests is gone. With obvious trash out of

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<v Speaker 1>the picture, the next steps of cleaning won't be quite

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<v Speaker 1>so overwhelming. I find that this mindset, starting with the

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<v Speaker 1>trash can help with lots of big projects. Sometimes I've

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<v Speaker 1>written things that need to be quite a bit shorter

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<v Speaker 1>than my original draft. On the first edit, I can

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<v Speaker 1>start with the trash, throw away lines and the throat

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<v Speaker 1>clearing that all first drafts have. The work will get

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<v Speaker 1>more challenging later, but the first part is doable. Or

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<v Speaker 1>if you need to clean up how you are spending

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<v Speaker 1>your time, some things will be challenging. Should I focus

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<v Speaker 1>on this project at work or another? Do my kids

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<v Speaker 1>need more time? Or does my marriage need more time?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what the answer is to those questions,

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<v Speaker 1>but getting rid of the trash first, the mindless time

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<v Speaker 1>not spent in enjoyable ways, is going to help clear

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<v Speaker 1>things up at least a little bit. If you're trying

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<v Speaker 1>to clean up your finances, there might be big questions

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<v Speaker 1>of downsizing or looking for a different job, but you

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<v Speaker 1>can buy yourself at least a little breathing room on

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<v Speaker 1>the way there by getting rid of any expenditures that

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<v Speaker 1>are just garbage fees you forgot you were paying paying

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<v Speaker 1>too much for cell phone bills or insurance. Start with

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<v Speaker 1>the trash. We all face difficult decisions in life, but

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<v Speaker 1>when you get at least a few of the easy

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<v Speaker 1>ones out of the way, maybe the difficult decisions will

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<v Speaker 1>seem slightly less overwhelming, or maybe not, but at least

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<v Speaker 1>you'll have less trash, and that is often a good

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<v Speaker 1>in its own right. In the meantime, this is Laura,

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that

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<v Speaker 1>so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch.

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