Usually, I take the photos I use on my site, but my sink is empty because I had the idea for this post as I was cleaning it out. Anyway, the photo above came from Jane's Kitchen Miracle, a site that looks pretty good and certainly is getting at what I wanted to talk about today.
I'm a finisher. When I start a task, I see it through. Here are some of the jobs I usually complete in one day or right away:
- laundry (wash, dry, fold, put away)
- dishes
- grading a set of essays
- paying bills
For bigger tasks, I may not finish them right away, but I stick with each job until it's completed.
I live with a houseful of people who like doing things in stages and/or putting them off as long as possible, which I admit, often drives me to insanity. For example, I have never understood the directive to "Please put your dishes in the sink." Why on earth not put them into the dishwasher, which takes the same amount of time as putting them into the sink, and saves another person from having to do any work at all? One person's actions can reduce the overall amount of work for the group.
Similarly, I put items that have to go upstairs at the bottom of the stairs. Then, on my next trip up, I bring them along. Items left at the top, I bring down the next time I pass them. Unpacking from a trip, I bring my bag to the laundry room to remove the dirty clothes, then put everything else away before I go to bed that night. If I see empty cans or bottles left in the sink or on the counter, I toss them in the recycling container.
Okay, so many that paragraph wasn't coherent, but it's a list of habits that overall, get things done and reduce the total amount of work. I don't understand why everyone doesn't work to limit the overall workload. Please note that when some people don't pay attention to efficiency, the efficient people end up taking on more of the burden. Ugh.
So, a bit of a rant, but that's what happens when I spend a lot of time trapped in my home with people who don't see the world exactly as I do (which, to be fair, is anyone else in the total population of the planet minus one: me). I love the people with whom I live, but if I could give them all efficiency training without being seen as a horrible nag, I would.
Any advice for how to move one's family members towards starting jobs earlier, finishing what they start, and reducing the overall family workload? I'm all ears.