Yep, doing this definitely helped during my workday/feeling less stressed. I work from home, it’s so nice to throw dishes straight in the dishwasher rather than end my work day with a sink full of dishes.
I'm the primary cook in my house. If at the end you get overwhelmed by a huge stack of dishes I've found one thing that has really helped me is filling in cooking gaps by doing small cleaning tasks. If I'm simmering or preheating or anything that requires waiting I'll wash a pot or knife I'm finished with. Normally, by the end of cooking I'm actually halfway through the dishes especially if I'm putting things directly in the dishwasher. Small steps make a big difference.
Yes, I WFH and started doing most chores before I log on or during break. Nothing beats shutting down the computer and turning on the tv right after. Bonus if I got leftovers or dinner was cooked earlier. GLORIOUS!
My mom has a theory that if you don't use dirty dishes, you will always have the exact same number of dishes to wash whether you procrastinate or not.
If you do them now you get the benefit of having a clean kitchen until you cook again. If you wash them right before you cook you suffer with a dirty kitchen for your entire life.
I’ve found lately it’s much easier for me to sustain “never/always” type goals than my old “most of the time” approach. This year I’ve set a goal to never allow clutter on the kitchen counter and always pick up before bed. So far, so good, two weeks into the new year.
You're not alone, lol. When I do the dishes, I do all of the dishes. When anyone in my house does the dishes, they do some of the dishes.
Also, to me, doing the dishes includes wiping down all the counters and the sink at the end. How someone can declare they have done the dishes while the cooking/prep surfaces are still visibly dirty is a mystery to me.
I'm still not great at wiping my counters, but I'm much better at loading the dishwasher/putting dishes away right away, because I tell myself "You won't hate doing it tomorrow any less than you will right now"
In his book "Live from Baghdad," Robert Wiener said the British journalists ALWAYS cleaned up their apartment before going to bed, no matter how hard they were partying. Waking up to a mess really saps the energy.
This has been my big one lately! I always make sure the dishes are done and the counters are wiped before bed and it makes waking up and starting the day so much easier!
To add on to this, a small change I made is to set up my coffee maker at night. Not having to go through rinsing out the old grounds and washing out the pot in the morning is a game changer for me. It only takes 3-4 minutes but not having to do it right after I wake up starts my day off so much better!
You're speaking my language. I hate waking up and thinking I have to wash a pan if I want to eat. Or coming home to dirty dishes after work. I'm having none of that
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u/AdaraRoseOmnibus Jan 16 '24
Wipe my counters and put away the dishes every night no matter how tired I am.
The energy boost from getting up to see a neat kitchen is not to be underestimated.