My brain operates with about 30 to 40 tabs open at a single time. One of the most valuable things that I have learned to do in order to be able to sleep at night, is to put together a prep list for myself for the next day similar to how I do in the kitchen.
At the end of the night, while I’m having my last smoke of the day and my mind is racing about all the shit that I have to do for the next day, I start writing it down. Same way as when I’m closing down the kitchen and I’m writing everything down as I notice it so that the next day I can come in and get straight to work.
The other big trick to this is to start off with your anchor points the next day. Start with the biggest since it’s going to take the most time and energy and then work your way back to the simpler things.
Let’s say I have to do stock the next day or deal with customer service. That’s going the first thing that I’m going to get going since it’s going to take the longest and be the most time-consuming and even during that, I might edit photos or jot down ideas while I’m on hold. The last thing on the list is going to be chopping parsley since I really don’t need that until service and can do it on the fly if need be.
The goal is to get as much done as possible in minimum amount of time. If I have to run errands, I actually make a list and plan ahead since 5 minutes of preparation can easily save me an hour or two, plus the headaches and stress.
It sounds simple because it is when I get up in the morning, I’m not in a panic thinking that I’m forgetting something because I know exactly what I have to do for the rest of the day. It also gives me a sense of accomplishment as I go through the day and work off various tasks. I’m accountable since I know what I’ve got to get done, I know that I have to make phone calls that I don’t want to make and I got to do a lot of shit during the day that I really don’t want to do.
Ah, but when I get it done, I can actually focus and enjoy working on things like this and my specials. I’m able to actually relax and enjoy what little free time I have because I’m handling my shit efficiently.
It also means I’m able to handle the unexpected when it hits since I already have a solid understanding of what’s going on and what I need to do to adapt to the situation.
While this might not work for everyone, it’s worth a shot for a week or two since most of you are doing the same thing in your Kitchen already. What do you have to lose?
Like the site? Support us on Patreon