During a heated debate with my friends about whether milk is poured over cereal or vice versa, the mere thought of starting with milk in the bowl first brought me physical discomfort. This prompted me to try other everyday tasks and habits backward to see how it felt. Some were tolerable, while others were outright uncomfortable. I would not even wish it upon my greatest enemy to have to suffer through those. So without further ado, here’s my power ranking of the experience of doing things backward, ranked from most tolerable to utterly unacceptable.

Rinse with mouthwash, then floss and then brush teeth

This one was somewhat tolerable. I did my dental routine backward and didn’t entirely hate it like I thought I would. Flossing before I brushed actually made my teeth feel cleaner afterward. But I’m pretty sure this order made the mouthwash redundant. 

Put on socks before pants

I knew someone in high school that stood by this method of getting dressed. It genuinely felt so unnatural putting on my socks first and then sliding my jeans over socks. Although it was definitely weird and unnatural, to say the least, it wasn’t really uncomfortable. I can understand why some people might do this. 

Wash hair with conditioner, followed by shampoo

This was the first one that left me with long-lasting discomfort and regret. After completing my backward hair routine, my blunder was immediately apparent. Even at first glance, my hair was extremely dry and dull. If you thought this was bad, it was even worse to touch. I almost flinched while running my fingers through my hair. It was coarse and begging for me to re-wash it. This one’s a huge “no” from me, and I would not recommend it.  

Pour creamer before coffee

Although I was still able to make something that resembled and tasted like coffee, going against my tried and tested morning coffee routine is what made me so appalled. After over a year in quarantine, I have my at-home barista skills down. So pouring creamer first just felt wrong and going against everything I know. I’m definitely not going to ever do this again, unlike the Clog’s very own head editor who employs this method on the regular. 

Pour milk before cereal

I’ve never before poured milk before cereal. But for the sake of the Clog and my experimentation, I finally tried it. And I have to admit, it was just as horrendous as I thought it would be. The milk to cereal ratio and texture was completely off. This experience was by far the worst of my backward journey. If you’re a “milk before cereal” person, let’s agree to disagree. 

So there you have it! The reversed dental hygiene routine and socks before pants did not really make much of a difference. On the other hand, trying the flipped routines for my hair, coffee and cereal only convinced me that certain things have a particular order that they absolutely must follow, or chaos ensues.