O(bjective): This year I went from Inbox Zero (unachievable work goal) to Kitchen Sink Zero. I committed to myself that I would do my best to never let the kitchen sink fill up with dishes!

Imagine by Meta AI. Prompt: A brown skinned bald thin-bearded glasses-wearing man wearing an apron doing dishes

I hate living or working in chaos. That doesn’t mean I avoid the tough, dirty work. It just means I try to get ahead of it so it doesn’t take over my job or my life. And as much as I’m organized at work, at home we struggle to keep things in order sometimes. With 2 kids, a dog, cat and busy lives, who cares that much about the kitchen sink right?

Well I’ve come to realize that for me, a sink full of dishes represents procrastination, stress, being overwhelmed, ignoring something quick and simple and letting it become a big to-do. It also tends to make me annoyed and frustrated at others in my house - which leads to more stress. While doing a sink full of dishes can also be calming as I’ve usually zoned out listening to a podcast or in my own thoughts, I’d rather do that when I’m calm so I can enjoy those moments.

I’ve also come to terms that I can’t count on someone else in my house to care about these things as much as I might. So I’m not imposing this goal on anyone else. Be the change you want to see in the world - or in your house! I’ve noticed that when I leave the sink clean and empty, my family thinks twice about leaving something there. They take the extra step of loading it in the dishwasher!

<aside> 🧘🏾 Pro-Tip: You can’t change others

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K(ey) R(esults)

1. Make it routine: Doing the dishes every day when it’s a regular goal has also made it a passing routine - I don’t focus on it, I just do it whenever I pass by the sink and move on.
2. Enable cooking: It’s easier to feel inspired to make a meal or bake something when you’re not facing the annoying fact that one of your pots or pans or knives or cooking utensils is buried deep under a pile of dishes
3. Spread out: Starting with the kitchen sink leads to keeping the entire kitchen clean
4. Be happy: Take the stress out of life, don’t get annoyed at the small things you can control easily. Don’t get mad at others for something silly.
5. Feel accomplished: It may sound trivial to claim it as an accomplishment, but it is. Getting something done always feels good! Like starting your day by making your bed.

I tested my goal during my holiday break in 2023 before the new year since we were home for 2 weeks and I knew we would be cooking and eating a lot - which meant the dishes would be a constant issue. Noticing the results, I decided to commit to it for all of 2024! A whole year later and I can say I conquered Kitchen Sink Zero!

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” by Jim Ryun