I think however, as a recovering #onlychild I'm uniquely positioned to empathize with the #DoomPiles situation. Very much "DONT TOUCH MY STUFF". I'm not tidy, or clean, but I know where everything is AT ALL TIMES. And when something gets moved or goes missing I CANNOT REST until I find it. Toss the house like the DEA looking for drugs. Like The Accountant, there will be agitation and anxiety.

@BlinkPopShift @actuallyautistic Thank-you for saying that, I needed to hear that I'm not alone!

I didn't mention it but we're all #ADHD too so we have #DoomPiles and #ExecutiveDysfunction

I think of it as muddling along as best we can, #NoJudgment and trying to live an #UnmaskedAutistic life at home, even if we can't do it outside the home!

#ActuallyAutistic #AutisticLife

So my partner has pointed out that a lot of the cooking skills I have to share and help others with are things that I barely consider, so today I'm going to talk about my absolute rule number one for cooking.

1. Always start with an empty dishwasher or an empty dish rack and sink.

Ah yes... the groan. But seriously, following this rule will increase your enjoyment of cooking by stratospheres.

When I cooked for the Canadian coast guard I was often working on an MSV which is a tiny, tiny ship - think above water submarine cramped. I once brought a friend to tour the ship and she immediately had a panic attack from the sheer claustrophobia of it.

Cooking for a crew of 13 in a space the size of a walk-in closet was a lot like playing cooking Tetris while surfing with hot liquids. The key to it was flow though, and that applies to all cooking.

I have #ADHD and I struggle with #doomPiles as much as the next person, but I have a serious flow etiquette that I try to follow with my cooking and it starts with this rule. If the place for the dirty dishes is empty, you have a place for the dirty dishes. It's a fact!

Which leads me to my second rule...

2. Incorporate cleaning into your cooking!

Are you finished with that spoon? Put it in your empty dishwasher or quickly wash it and place it in your dishrack; at the very least give anything sticky a quick rinse if you have to let it sit for a bit.

Did you spill something on the counter? Have a cleaning rag ready to go and wipe it up as it happens. You will save yourself the extra time of trying to scrape it off the counter when it dries there and you aren't going to accidentally smear it everywhere else when you put a bowl on top of it and them move it around.

I struggle pretty hard with moderate #MECFS these days, but these are still rules I follow as often as I can because my functional time is really limited and I don't want to make more work for myself. I guard my spoons and this actually helps.

There are days when I really can't, but even on rough days I'd rather take some time to clean my kitchen and then eat toast because it means things will be easier the next time I cook.

If you have a partner or a roommate it may be something you can incorporate into your routine. Maybe they can clean so you can jump in on cooking or vice versa. All I can say is an empty space to put the dirty dishes with change your life.

So throw some good tunes on and make your life easier by emptying that dish rack or dishwasher. It's a serious level up on cooking points. #chronicPain #cookingSkills #food #chronicIllness #ouchThatsTasty