Metaphor...
Meta- (from Greek: μετά = "after", "beyond", "with", "adjacent", "self"), is a prefix used in English (and other Greek-owing languages) to indicate a concept which is an abstraction from another concept, used to complete or add to the latter.
meta for maybe the idea isn't to focus on the dirty dishes and the fact that they are durty, but rather to think about the cleaning process more...
don't just aim to "get the dishes done" and "put away"
try to figure out the best way to get them clean...
good lukc in vega$$$$$! win some moo-lah for meeeeee
thanks for the input, i'll definitely try to concentrate on that aspect more, as should you...
just to be fair to all the kind souls who have been keeping up with this thread and have been extremely helpful, klonk is my boyfriend. i told him i was using this forum to get some advice, and he kept asking me to show him what i was typing, so i sent him the link to the thread.