I can usually manage to clean up at least half of the mess from making food during the waiting parts of the food-making, which is really essential for those days when I’m not braining well enough to actually go back and finish cleaning up later. This way, I at least reduced the mess. I’ve also gotten into the habit of putting away each ingredient immediately after using it, for longer cooking projects, which is useful because it means there won’t be a big overwhelming pile of food to deal with later, and even if I never do any of the dishes at least food won’t be left out to spoil. The only pitfall is sometimes I accidentally engage autopilot and put away things I haven’t used yet and then I have to get them back out…. only on bad brain fog days though.
The other useful thing to do in waiting periods is minor exercise. Just warm-ups and light stretching, but if you’re like me and get bad body aches from sitting weird and not stretching enough, getting in the habit of doing those warm-ups and stretches while water boils or the microwave goes, is super helpful for pain reduction. You could also do a few sets of hand weights or bodyweight exercises in the longer gaps, if that’s your thing.
You could also train yourself to pay attention to your posture and breathing during these gaps. Basically, if you can turn it into the trigger for a healthy habit, like “I just put the kettle on = time to do The Thing”, it’s a good way to sort of trick yourself into self care that you usually forget to do.
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