Pardon the eastern philosophy title, but it sounded so apropo to the successful experiment now being conducted in my kitchen. [Note: That photo is not my kitchen, but a reasonable representation of how it looked not so long ago.]
We do not have a dishwashing machine. My dishwasher’s name is Jeff. He was so very overwhelmed with all the dirty utensils, cups, pots, pans, and baking ephemera that would pile up, seemingly of their own accord. I was entirely frustrated that the pile exsisted and my cooking efforts were hampered. What to do?!?
Instead of giving in to incessant nagging or tantrums towards said dishwasher, I hit upon an elegant solution we called Dish Zen. Here is how it works:
Each person (in this case, two bipeds) is allotted a juice glass, a plastic cup, a large water glass, a plate, a bread plate, a cereal bowl, a coffee mug, and a set of utensils. All extraneous items were moved to the upper shelf regions of the kitchen. We did retain the remaining utensils in a plastic bag on the counter so I can use them in cooking purposes only.
We are forced to wash our used dishes every day, or more. The pots & pans are still pretty much the same but are not as daunting. Jeff’s time at the sink has well-nigh been cut in half, at least!
Look, I can see my counter top! I can shine my sink, a la FlyLady, without a hassle. My husband is happy; the world is at balance.
The librarians at work are all out to the yearly state meeting through Wednesday. I’m head honcho for a major project until they get back. Lots o’ responsibility!