Wow, some outstanding tips and they have helped me identify some of my issues.
1) No routine. The dishwasher gets run at various times - sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night. But why? Because we don't run the dishwasher unless it is full. But our dish usage is not at a constant rate. So sometimes we go from a 75% full dirty dishwasher to 125% full after a meal, meaning sink overflow. If I can identify the best time to run it, even if partially full, then I'll eliminate most of my problems.
@magnet18, your idea of essentially storing all dishes in the dishwasher and running it twice a day hit me like a lightning bolt...that would never have occurred to me. I've read of people having two dishwashers and doing pretty much the same, but there's no way I was going to do that.
2) Excessive supply of stuff. We have a "buffer" supply of plates and containers, and we regularly use this buffer, so it feels like we can't get rid of them. BUT, if we solve issue #1 and smooth out the flow, then we could dramatically reduce the needed "buffer". Not only that, but right now I am storing my buffer in my prime storage locations, making them too cluttered. If they are truly buffer supply then they can go to a secondary storage location (hard to reach high cabinets, which are currently filled with crap we really don't ever use, hence the reason it is up there). So, the unused crap is going to go, the buffer stock will be relocated, and then the primary usages stuff will be in a less cluttered area. Actually,
@freya your comment the silicon lids was awesome - we have those! That means we can use our mixing bowls as "buffer" leftover containers at Xmas and Thanksgiving, etc. The application of the "box it up and save it in case you need it" tactic will be useful here. That was our go-to technique for the rest of the house, but we only did it a bit in the kitchen.
3) Worrying too much about "right sizing" containers. My wife loves to match up the quantity of left overs with the perfect size container. Seriously, I have seen her reallocate leftovers from one container to another just to match the size properly. This contributes to a need for an excessive supply of stuff. We could probably get rid of a few of our smaller containers.
@Ann I'm afraid we can't do the nesting plastic ones - we find the idea of heating up food in plastic containers pretty gross, and we don't like the quasi-disposable nature of plastic containers. We are all glass, but the problem is they don't nest.
@freya I agree about the smaller Corning plates - we do have the stoneware stuff and I agree it is too bulky. But, my wife hates the corning stuff, lol. So, no luck on that one.
4) Excessive usage. Wife and I talked about this last night - right now if someone needs a glass they get a clean one, use it once, and then put it in the dishwasher (if it's empty, otherwise it goes into the sink). I'm probably the worst offender for this. So, instead, if we have dedicated glasses, we eliminate that problem instantly.
It feels like with minimalism there is a "tipping point" - sure you can get rid of 50% of your stuff without altering your lifestyle at all because it was just crap you never used. But then you hit a bit of a roadblock, where if you try to get rid of anything else you create friction with your current habits, workflow, lifestyle, etc. This is where we are stuck at. I have this nagging suspicion, though, that if we made some lifestyle adjustments (and they might not even be that hard), then we could get from 50% to 80% reduction of stuff instantly. It just requires a new way of doing things. I'm not even sure that makes sense, but I have this feeling that I'm missing an opportunity to do things in a fundamentally different way than what is "normal", and that there would be tremendous benefit in doing so.