presence
Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment – Deepak Chopra

This week in most of your kitchens is probably when you head full swing into the Christmas rush. Which is why this post is super relevant, because being present can totally lift your game in the kitchen. There are many ways to be practice it: experts suggest doing only one thing at a time, focussing on your breath, etc.

Now most of this advice might not be of any use to a chef: in our heads we always have to be one step ahead of the game, whether it’s during mise-en-place or service.

But this is my suggestion to you: be fully engaged with what you’re doing. If you’re mind is busy focussing on other events and people, things you need to do, how you’ll spend the weekend, etc., you have less headspace for the task at hand. It’s quite easy to switch off mentally during tasks because sometimes they no longer challenge you, or you’ve done them every night this season. But being fully present with what you’re doing brings all these benefits:

  • The quality of your work improves – after all, where focus goes, energy flows. Your job is to bring the best out of the ingredients you have to hand, is it not? You’re not making errors when you’re present
  • Ironically, you’re more alert to what’s going on in the kitchen when there’s no dialogue running in your mind
  • You use up much less mental energy during the day, which means you still have some headspace for yourself
  • And most importantly, as the quote beneath the photo suggests, you end up with more time! Which chef doesn’t want that?

Try it out this week – be fully present with the action you’re taking. Leave all the judgements, irrelevant planning, etc. out of your head while you’re doing it. Give yourself to your work, wholly.

Being present

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