I did not start out life liking to wash dishes. I don’t think anyone starts out liking to washing dishes.

But during my freshman year of high school, I had a revelation – washing dishes is amazing.

There’s just something about the warm water and a (clean) sponge and the knowledge that at the end of the day, you will have sparkling clean dishes and slightly pruney fingers.

(Also, it might have something to do with the fact that it aligns perfectly with my slight obsession to keep things clean.)

I mean, cleaning in general is the best way to procrastinate. It is productive, but not chew-your-fingernails-to-bloody-bits or gouge-out-your-eyeballs-trying-to-write-an-essay productive. And you have so much to show for it!

Plus, you have an astonishingly good excuse to buy that super fancy hipster soap. You know, the organic lavender or clementine-mint or even Trader Joe’s “fresh laundry” scent that you’ve been dying to try out but don’t know if it’s worth it.

Pro tip: it totally is worth it. That stuff smells magical.

Anyway, so the next time you see a towering pile of dishes, don’t panic. First, maybe you’re lucky and have a dishwasher. Second, maybe you’re really lucky and have fancy detergent pods that clean everything without you needing to scrub off the gunk first.

But mostly, you shouldn’t panic because doing the dishes can stop being stressful and start being zen if you change your perspective. It doesn’t have to be exclusively work. It could be a time to jam out to Kendrick Lamar’s new album or break new ground on that bluegrass CD your uncle recommended.

It’ll have a tangible result and you’ll be rewarded by lemon-scented hands and enough forks to last you until the apocalypse (which might be sooner than anticipated).

So blast some music. Get out that super nice soap. Rip open a clean sponge (yeah, you know you’re kinda grossed out by the one you have now). Get cleaning.