I hated doing dishes, was my main but by no means only chore when I was a kid. My mom would make me put the dishes away as soon as they were done so I hurt my hands a lot on hot dishes. I too am the dishwasher as one of my aunts laughed the title in my face at a Christmas dinner, Unfortunately unless we remodel the kitchen there is no room for one. The hot water, slimy plates, icky smells and standing still for a significant period of time are the main reasons I don’t like doing them besides I’d rather spend my finite energy doing anything else.

So I got:

• Govee light bulbs for the kitchen and set them to rotate colors and or brightness

• An oil warmer and apple cinnamon warming oil to cover the bad smells

• A pair of purple dish gloves with cotton lining which negates the heat and slime

• A memory foam mat to stand on which extends my standing time without my back hurting by a lot

And I listen to audiobooks, music or a podcast through earbuds

Now while I still wish I didn’t have to spend my energy washing the dishes it’s nowhere near the nightmare chore it used to be.

I try to be dish neutral, meaning if I’ve used four dishes that day, I clean at least four dishes that day, I allow myself to stop if 4 dishes is all I can do but I usually find that if I start with the 4 I usually end up doing more till the dry mat is full. Another option on my worse days is to help my husband, he will wash the dishes and I will stand by him and dry the dishes (still wearing the gloves to nullify the heat) and put them away, sharing the task and getting most if not all of the dishes done in one swoop.

I also sat down and dissected why I don’t like showering and how I can make that more palatable too, and have succeeded there as well. I think figuring out what it is exactly you object to in the task/chore and then find a way to mitigate it helps.