A full sink, plates piling up and a kitchen waiting to be tidy… Should we see this as a sign of laziness? Not necessarily. The way we manage household chores can say more about our relationship with disorder, our priorities and our state of fatigue.
Letting the dishes pile up: a different relationship to disorder
Not everyone reacts the same way to a full sink. Some people tolerate clutter very well and don’t feel the need to put everything away immediately. They accept the unexpected more easily and do not necessarily need their environment to be perfectly ordered to feel good.
An experiment carried out at the University of Minnesota and published in the scientific journal Psychological Science also showed that participants installed in a messy room proposed more original ideas than those placed in a tidy room.
This doesn’t mean that people who leave their dishes lying around are systematically more creative. But clutter isn’t necessarily a problem for everyone. Some people prefer to enjoy a meal that drags on, chat with loved ones or rest rather than tidy up immediately. For them, a full sink is simply a task that can wait.
Waiting dishes: when other priorities come first
Not doing the dishes right away can also be an accepted choice. After a long day, some prefer to move forward on a file, play with their children or take time for themselves. The chore will wait until the next day.
This way of prioritizing tasks can be part of a certain time management logic. Not everything can be done immediately, and household chores are not always a priority. Some people are therefore more willing to leave their kitchen messy to devote their energy to other activities.
The situation is different when the dishes pile up for several days and become a source of guilt. It can then be difficult to get started, especially when fatigue and mental workload are already significant.
We can then put off tidying up because we feel overwhelmed, then feel guilty for not having done it. This circle can fuel discouragement. In the scientific journal
Psychological Bulletinpsychologist Piers Steel studied the mechanisms of procrastination. His work shows that we are more likely to put off unrewarding tasks, especially when motivation is lacking.
What if doing the dishes became a moment of relaxation?
What if this chore could also be an opportunity to take a breather? A study of 51 students at Florida State University looked at the effects of mindful dishwashing. Participants were asked to focus on their sensations, such as the smell of the dishwashing liquid or the temperature of the water, rather than performing the gesture mechanically.
Researchers observed a 27% decrease in nervousness and a 25% increase in inspiration among participants. These results should be interpreted with caution, given the small size of the study.
The idea is therefore not to transform each chore into a meditation exercise, but to change, if you wish, the way you approach it. Concentrating on gestures, listening to music or setting a time limit can make the task less painful.
Finally, no need to feel guilty about a few dishes in the sink. On the other hand, if daily tasks become difficult to accomplish and the feeling of being overwhelmed sets in, it can be useful to look for what is weighing on your energy and morale, rather than reducing the situation to a simple lack of willpower.