WEBVTT - Make decluttering a habit

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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 make decluttering a habit. If you have

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<v Speaker 1>a little more stuff than you probably need, don't think

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<v Speaker 1>of decluttering as some huge process involving an entire weekend

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<v Speaker 1>or requiring you to take time off work. A little

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<v Speaker 1>bit every day, including a little bit of time for maintenance,

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<v Speaker 1>even when your home is looking better. We'll all add up.

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<v Speaker 1>So even if you are tidy or don't love shopping,

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<v Speaker 1>if you have lived in your home for a while,

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<v Speaker 1>you have probably accumulated a fair number of things you

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<v Speaker 1>may no longer notice. The old shoes in the back

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<v Speaker 1>of your closet, or the dried up pins in your drawer,

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<v Speaker 1>or the stacks of papers and places where there shouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>be stacks of papers. You probably have books you didn't

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<v Speaker 1>love and will never read again, or clothes that fit

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<v Speaker 1>once but just don't anymore. For some people, spring cleaning

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<v Speaker 1>energy means taking hours and hours to clear everything out.

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<v Speaker 1>And if that sort of heroic decluttering is speaking to you, great,

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<v Speaker 1>But I think there is an approach to decluttering that

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<v Speaker 1>is far more manageable, and that is to make decluttering

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<v Speaker 1>a habit. If you are getting dressed and pull out

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<v Speaker 1>a T shirt and realize it's stained or stretched beyond wear,

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<v Speaker 1>throw it away. If you get a dish towel as

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<v Speaker 1>a gift and it doesn't fit in your dish towel drawer,

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<v Speaker 1>pluck a towel you are not attached to from the

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<v Speaker 1>drawer and put it in the donation bag. If you

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<v Speaker 1>buy a new book and your shelves are full, give

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<v Speaker 1>away a book you already have. If you need lemon

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<v Speaker 1>juice for a recipe in your lemon squeezer just isn't

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<v Speaker 1>doing the job, throw it away. If you are in

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<v Speaker 1>your pantry looking for artichoke carts and you spot the

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<v Speaker 1>jar of preserved lemons you bought for a recipe and

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<v Speaker 1>never used, make a note to find a recipe to

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<v Speaker 1>use them. If you are standing in the kitchen waiting

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<v Speaker 1>for something on the stove. To get to the next step,

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<v Speaker 1>you could even empty a drawer out or a cabinet shelf,

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<v Speaker 1>wipe it down, throw away anything out of date, and

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<v Speaker 1>put everything else back. It doesn't have to be dramatic.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just a mildly more productive way to pass the time.

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<v Speaker 1>You really don't have to systematically declutter. Just make a

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<v Speaker 1>habit of giving away or throwing away things you encounter

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<v Speaker 1>that you don't need, using things you'd forgotten about, and

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<v Speaker 1>giving away things that you have more of them than

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<v Speaker 1>you have space for. And if you're feeling especially motivated,

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<v Speaker 1>pass the time by cleaning out a very small space

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<v Speaker 1>instead of just scrolling around on your phone. Will you

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<v Speaker 1>get the satisfaction of opening a drawer and seeing gorgeous spaciousness, Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps in rainbow colored order. Well, probably not, But without

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<v Speaker 1>much effort, you will keep your home under control and

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<v Speaker 1>avoid the need for a heroic purge. And that sounds

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<v Speaker 1>appealing to me. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

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