Streamlining Dishwashing

My tip this week is nothing earth shattering. However, it was revolutionary when I first realized I could streamline my dishwashing and that it would save me time and extra steps every single time I did dishes.

So, here's the big tip - when you are rinsing dishes to put in the dishwasher, stack them all on the counter and then load the dishwasher all at once. Pretty simple, huh? But it truly has made a difference in my life.

In this picture, you can see all the dirty dishes to the left of my kitchen sink. I wash the dishes that have to be handwashed and rinse all the dishes that need to go in the dishwasher.
Then I stack all the dishes for the dishwasher on the counter above the dishwasher. That way, it takes less than a minute to get all of the dishes in the dishwasher.
Like I've been saying from the beginning, this is pretty simple and basic stuff. I know that. But clearly I didn't know it before, so just maybe it's never occurred to someone else either.

If I'm the only one who came a little late to the dishwashing common-sense party then the rest of you can head over to Tammy's recipes for some really smart kitchen tips!