We Have a Bowl

**Merlin Mann** (0:08)
Did I tell you about my Apple success story?

**John Siracusa** (0:12)
The AirPods in Hawaii?

**Merlin Mann** (0:14)
Well, those self-same, that's a good point, those self-same AirPods, I just wanted to let you know, I had a great Apple success. And sometimes you advise me, sometimes strongly, about practices with things.
I don't want to open an old wound, but we still have a difference of opinion about what happened to my AirPods Max, for example.

**John Siracusa** (0:42)
I don't think we have a difference of opinion. Difference of fact.
Yeah, finding a fact. I think we agree on the facts of the case.

**Merlin Mann** (0:47)
I stipulate nothing. No, no, no.

**John Siracusa** (0:50)
All right, well.

**Merlin Mann** (0:51)
And I know you worry about me, you know?

**John Siracusa** (0:55)
Mm-hmm, okay, all right, go on.

**Merlin Mann** (0:56)
No, it's okay, let me hear the rest. Because I'm always trying to squeeze out of you some kind of an actionable item on my part, and we don't always agree.
Let's just say it on what those are.

**John Siracusa** (1:06)
Mm-hmm.

**Merlin Mann** (1:07)
So I was going to have my AirPods Pro, and as you taught me, I'll cede you this one, I do try to keep them in the case, you know? So that way you don't lose them, that way they're protected.

**John Siracusa** (1:19)
Would you like to expand on that? Maybe with a trademark name that you can then explain?

**Merlin Mann** (1:27)
It's your bit.

**John Siracusa** (1:28)
The AirPod rules, TM, TM, TM.

**Merlin Mann** (1:31)
Okay, TM, TM, TM. John C. Siracusa's AirPod rules. I'm gonna take a cut at it and you tell me, there's only two places your AirPods should ever be.
It's in your ears or in the case.

**John Siracusa** (1:43)
You got it.

**Merlin Mann** (1:44)
What about on the table for a minute?

**John Siracusa** (1:46)
Nope.

**Merlin Mann** (1:47)
That's not one of the two places.

**John Siracusa** (1:48)
I think since last we spoke, I forgot if last time that my daughter had lost her AirPods twice in like the past month.

**Merlin Mann** (1:54)
How do you do that?

**John Siracusa** (1:56)
For days or weeks at a time. So she's basically had no AirPods, she's been using her backpads and how did she lose them both times? Both times the AirPods, which she leaves everywhere, I think in clothing pockets.
She had the case, she just didn't have AirPods.

**Merlin Mann** (2:13)
Some people in my family do things like, oh, I'm at the store real quick, I got to buy, I bought some gum and I'm going to put my wallet in the bag with the gum, put that in the pocket of a jacket.

**John Siracusa** (2:27)
We're at such a kindergarten level of keeping track of your own stuff that very recently I had a small victory with my daughter.
I gave her a bowl, it's a metal bowl, and I said, when you come in the house, the bowl is right by the door. So when you come in the house, put your wallet and the keys to the car you were just driving in this bowl.

**Merlin Mann** (2:49)
So you're saying there's things you tend to want when you leave the house that you'd be bummed if you didn't have it.

**John Siracusa** (2:55)
But it's not bummed, because with teens, it's like, oh, I have an hour before school.

**Merlin Mann** (3:00)
No, I know.
I'm just trying to understand your thought technology. The idea is you provide a conveyance. In this case, let's say a bowl. You put that by the door. And now when your teen comes in, she knows that's the place where it goes. And she'll instantly understand this, adopt this, and probably pretty soon be very grateful and say, I can't believe I ever live without the bowl.

**John Siracusa** (3:19)
She's been doing that system, which is good, because we've had too many times.

**Merlin Mann** (3:22)
She's been doing the system or she's been doing part of the system sometimes.

**John Siracusa** (3:25)
She's mostly doing it. But like, she'll waste the hour before school time, and then 59 minutes past, she'll be like, okay, well, time to start getting ready. And then she'll be like, all right, I'm ready to go. Oh, but wait, where's my keys? Where's my wallet? And then it becomes a fire drill for the whole family. I'm going to be late. Where's my keys? Where's my wallet?
Anyway, keys and wallet have mostly been in the bowl.
Recently, she got a job recently and she was on her way to work, which she is very often very close to being late for because she doesn't think driving takes time and traffic doesn't exist.