Your Kitchen and Your Consciousness, new from David Allen

You probably noticed that this essay has two references that most of us are not currently doing: making restaurant reservations and having guests over for dinner. But it's still timely, because many people have recently converted their kitchen or dining room tables into workspaces for one or more members of the family. If you don't already have family agreements about managing the kitchen/dining areas, this is a great time to do that. Being proactive will head off situations before they show up as sources of contention.

Some examples for your consideration:
  • If one person is in an online meeting, is it okay for another person to make lunch in the kitchen? Is it okay as long as it's mostly quiet -- spreading mayo on bread vs blending ice cubes for a smoothie?
  • Would it help to have a family calendar review to start the day, to anticipate any meeting overlaps, or times to avoid bandwidth-intensive work?
  • If the kitchen or dining room table is used for work, does that work need to wait until breakfast is over, or be cleared by a certain time for dinner?
  • Is it okay to have a sign that says, "I'm focusing -- later please," or does being at the table mean it's okay to interrupt?
What examples do you think of? And which ones have already shown up?
 
TesTeq said:
I prefer to wash the dishes after the meal, not before cooking. Washing after closes the open loop in my mind.
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Now I'm embarrassed if I gave the impression that I leave the dishes in the sink until prep time for the next meal. I wash up right after the meal.* There are still a few that can accumulate before the next meal, like coffee cups, a saucer or two, and the dogs' food bowls. (I feed them before I feed me.) Those are the dishes I wash before starting to cook.

*Years ago I knew someone who liked to leave the dinner dishes on the table overnight, so she could wake up and see a reminder of the pleasant dinner. I don't think I could sleep with an uncleared table in the other room. Also, dishes are easier to wash before any food remnants dry and stick.
 
gtdstudente said:
On this end an Empty Dish Strainer is Paramount to prevent back-up!
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Agreed. I just spent 45 minutes preparing part of dinner. But some of that 45 minutes was emptying the dishwasher and then clearing the sink of any dirty dishes. And sharpening the knife I would use.
 
If you ever renovate the kitchen . . . consider two dishwashers . . . which means there is always a dishwasher for filling and another dishwasher that doesn't need "emptying". Bam!
 
I can't quite remember the exact quotation but it comes, I think, from one of the great quality gurus . . . It's something like "act with the next person in mind".

So, for example, when parking your car, park straight so you're not straying into someone else's space.

Back to the kitchen - if you use the last of anything, then replenish it, or put it on the errands list. Wash as you go as much as you can so there's little to follow-up on afterwards.

Then it's lees likely that the next person will need David's advice on how to get a kitchen under control . . .
 
gtdstudente said:
If you ever renovate the kitchen . . . consider two dishwashers . . . which means there is always a dishwasher for filling and another dishwasher that doesn't need "emptying". Bam!
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What a smart time-saving idea! Even if you give up cabinet space by installing a second dishwasher, you gain it right back because one dishwasher is always the cabinet for clean dishes.
 
I feel getting the dishes done and the kitchen counter clear at night is key to starting the family's next day morning with a clean (kitchen) slate. It's basically a keystone habit for us (although I admit some nights there is a little residue such as after dinner coffee cups when the dishwasher is already on - though I mostly try to quickly hand wash these etc).

It's all about reducing "drag" on the system to enhance "flow".

This is something we are also trying to get the kids more attuned to for their own (and our) benefit. Small things like rinse your plates quickly when taking them to the sink (before they become sticky or crusty), pick up your dirty clothes from your room and drop them in the laundry basket on your way past the laundry (so the bedroom is always clear and you don't complain about not having what you want to wear), or pick up after the dog when outside playing (before the volume gets too out of control).

These small actions or habit stacking (doing at least one other small action at the same time as you'd be doing something else anyway) are very helpful and almost become automatic - I think it's something akin to the 2-minute rule where you get to the point of saying "I may as well do it right now while I'm here or while I'm doing that other thing anyway".
 
When we redid our kitchen, we set everything up to maximize space and movement. Unloading the dishwasher is my least favorite kitchen responsibility so I have everything close to the dishwasher - plates, dishes, utensils - so I can unload the dishwasher without a lot of extra movement. I am probably a bit obsessive with cleaning as I go and putting things away but in these days of Zoom and Teams and Meet, my colleagues can see my living space so it needs to be presentable, at least for me.

John, to your question about sharing space, this is one we are still working through. At our cottage, we have one office (my husband uses) and I prefer to be in the great room. That comes with needing to use the kitchen, get the dog to take him out, walk through the space, etc. We have a quick check in every morning (who has what, when) so we can be conscientious for each other. If I need a quiet space, I will swap briefly and use the office.

I do put all my technology away each evening; it's a good visual transition from work to not-work and allows us to shift our focus. The longer this goes on, the more we will learn.
 
Deirdre said:
John, to your question about sharing space, this is one we are still working through. At our cottage, we have one office (my husband uses) and I prefer to be in the great room. That comes with needing to use the kitchen, get the dog to take him out, walk through the space, etc. We have a quick check in every morning (who has what, when) so we can be conscientious for each other. If I need a quiet space, I will swap briefly and use the office.
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That quick calendar check-in sounds like a valuable practice. I bet it prevents all kinds of stressful surprises.
 
Dear Fellow GTDers, New revelation from this Kitchen thread. Clean what is already clean. That sounds OCD. OK, seemingly, please hear me out any way. I find cleaning energy consuming. Thus, if I clean what is already seemingly clean then the effort is reduced ten-fold by not allowing it to become a "Cleaning Project." My best example thus far: for the past week or so I have been cleaning the electric stove top everyday and it's not the smooth fancy type. Thus after elements all are cold, I pull out the heating elements to remove the "under-pans" to wash, no more aluminum foil, which is really a no, no. I hand wash and air dry the pans, wipe down the top itself and lift to get underneath . . . done and looking fantastic! A lot of trouble? A lot less trouble than seeing an UNINVITING dirty stove-top that was significantly repelling me to arduously clean it! Hope you find this GTDomestic helpful in keeping your kitchen awesome . . . or . . . at least a little closer to awesome! Feedback welcome. Thank you.
 
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gtdstudente said:
Dear Fellow GTDers, New revelation from this Kitchen thread. Clean what is already clean.
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I completely agree. When I was 19, I worked on a guest ranch that was also a working cattle ranch with experimental farming. I had various jobs, from feeding livestock to irrigation to cleaning bathrooms. The supervisor of the cleaning crew taught me that it's easier to clean a clean bathroom. That good advice has helped me ever since.
 
John Forrister said:
I completely agree. When I was 19, I worked on a guest ranch that was also a working cattle ranch with experimental farming. I had various jobs, from feeding livestock to irrigation to cleaning bathrooms. The supervisor of the cleaning crew taught me that it's easier to clean a clean bathroom. That good advice has helped me ever since.
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Mr. Forrister, Wow . . . huge . . . thank you . . . what a good supervisor you had . . . "it's easier to clean a clean bathroom." Thank you!
 
gtdstudente said:
Mr. Forrister, Wow . . . huge . . . thank you . . . what a good supervisor you had . . . "it's easier to clean a clean bathroom." Thank you!
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Yes, I learned a lot at that job. So much that when the summer job was over I stayed and delayed going back to school.

And please call me John, or Johnny. I'll be Mr. Forrister when I grow up.
 
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