Where would you look for it?

A simple question helps give everything a home

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that when you are figuring out where you
should store something, ask yourself this question, where would I

(00:24):
look for this first? Then put the item in that place.
Today's tip comes from Dana kay White, a decluttering expert
who shares her tips through a podcast, YouTube videos, and
her blog, A Slob Comes Clean. Dana was a guest

(00:45):
on my other podcast, Best of Both Worlds and shared simple,
sensible tips like asking where you would look for something
for creating a smooth, functioning home. I have thought a
lot lately about what should go where as we have
unpacked and settled into our new home. Some things are obvious.

(01:08):
Forks go in the silverware drawer and yep, that is
where we would think to look for them. But some
stuff is less obvious, like sleeping bags, scissors, bug spray,
the extra paper, towels and toilet paper. I love Dana's
approach of asking yourself where you would look for something first.

(01:32):
You are making a prediction. You are imagining your future
self wanting this item and tracing your steps to look
for it. You are not asking yourself where the item
should be. There is not a right or wrong answer.
People store their scissors in all sorts of reasonable places.

(01:54):
You are not going to be judged by whether you
put the item where an expert or a complicated set
of rules say you should. You are simply making your
best guess of where you would look for it and
putting it there. In our case, at least one pair
of scissors goes in the top right junk drawer and
one goes in my top right desk drawer. I would

(02:18):
look in the top right drawer of anything for something
like that first, so now I know where they are.
Bug spray goes in the mudroom, since that is by
the door where people generally go out, so that is
probably where I would naturally be looking for it first.
Best to put it there from the get go. I

(02:41):
also like using similar language when asking someone else if
they know where an item is stored. If you ask
your partner, or your roommate or your childcare provider where
they put the three whole punch, they may feel a
wee bit miffed. Why do you think I hit it somewhere?
Since when am I the keeper of the three whole punch.

(03:05):
But if you ask where's the first place you would
look for our three whole punch, that is less aggressive.
You are simply asking for a prediction, not judging the
storage spot or suggesting someone else has a database of
household objects and their locations in their heads. So the

(03:29):
next time you are deciding where to store something, ask
yourself where you would look for it first and put
the item there. And if you are looking for something,
ask your housemate for their ideas of where they would
look for it first. Focusing on predicting a search can
be a practical, judgment free approach to deciding what goes

(03:54):
where and for finding what you have. Do you have
any tips for keeping your space organized? You can share
them with me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and

(04:15):
here's to making the most of our times. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

(04:36):
that's b E the number four then breakfast p O D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled
out with all the letters, thanks so much, should I
look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

(04:59):
production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.