I remember the first time I worked at a restaurant, it felt very wrong to start the dishwasher even though there were still dirty dishes not in the dishwasher.

But once I learned that lesson, it really helped me to become more lazy at home. Dishwasher missing a bunch of silverware? IDGAF. A half load of laundry? Start her up.

In my experience, things actually get cleaner if the machines aren't totally full, as well.