One Dish at a Time

If you're like me, doing the dishes is not something that you look forward to. There's something about the stack of dirty dishes after a nice home-cooked meal that makes stupid internet games and blog reading sound ever so much more appealing.

However, by accident a couple of years ago I stumbled upon a technique for getting myself to do the dishes. I fully commit to doing exactly one dish, and no more. If, at the end of doing that dish, I feel like being done, I can be done. Somehow this limiting of the scope quiets my inner naysayer and makes it much easier to get started.

The funny thing is, once you've gotten started, its really easy to keep going. After each dish, you can commit to doing exactly one more dish, and it really doesn't seem so bad. Dish follows dish, and before you know it the bottom of the sink is visible.

This method works well enough that my fiance and I use it as a way to get ourselves to do all sorts of things we don't want to do. Need to write a paper thats due a little too far away to feel anxious about, or know you should be writing blog posts but can't get yourself to start? Try doing it one dish at a time. Just write the introduction. Just open the editor and write the title. Before you know it, you'll be most of the way done.

Now excuse me, I've got a dish to wash...