How it’s Supposed to be Done: Lessons from the Refrigerator

I recently saw a video on TikTok that blew my mind wide open. Someone named KC Davis, TikTok username @domesticblisters, posted a video of reorganizing her refrigerator to make it “ADHD Friendly.”

She wanted to be able to see the most important items immediately. So, she took all of the condiments off of the refrigerator door and put them in the bottom drawer (“where produce goes to die”). She took the produce out of the bottom drawer and put it on the SHELVES ON THE DOOR, along with eggs and other items, so she can see the most important items right away. Her snacks and drinks are front and center on her shelves. If she needs a condiment, she goes into the bottom drawer and finds it. Why were her condiments the most prominently displayed item in her refrigerator, sitting on the refrigerator door? No reason whatsoever. That’s just the way that she, and most of us, assumed it had to be done.

This woman is a genius. Her new refrigerator setup makes so much more sense, and it’s more user friendly. It made me wonder: How many things am I doing in a certain way just because I think that’s how it’s supposed to be done – even if I could rearrange things so they work better for me?

• Are there things about my daily routine that could be different? I mean, “breakfast for dinner” is a good start, but it’s hardly revolutionary…
• Are there things about my work life that could be different? Are the ways that I organize my work, communicate with clients, or approach grant writing written in stone?
• What about my nonprofit clients? Do they need to raise funds, serve their clients, work with their boards, hire staff, etc. in the same way that they’ve been doing it all along?

The global pandemic, and seismic shifts in the way we live, study, play, and work, have forced most of us to reconsider business as usual. Nonprofits have asked key questions about how they’ve always done things, and they’ve found ways to work differently. For example, some nonprofits are anxious to go back to their fundraising galas; if they never do another virtual gala again, it will be too soon. Other nonprofits have realized that hosting a virtual gala, or a hybrid in-person/virtual event, helps them reach new audiences and include people who live too far away to attend in person, while netting the same (or more) revenue. They are not necessarily abandoning the virtual event model. They will adapt it so it works well for their organization.

Sometimes, we are so entrenched in our way of doing things that we don’t even realize that it is not working for us. I never would have thought that condiments on the refrigerator door was not the best way to do things, but now I can’t wait to reorganize my fridge. Here’s what I can’t figure out (at least not yet): How do we step back from business as usual long enough to realize that there might be a different, better way, better than how we think it’s supposed to be done?