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In any professional kitchen you'll find the three main values of Mis En Place in action: Preparation, Process & Presence.
And they work beyond the kitchen too in life and work. But what I find in many productivity circles is that there is a heavy focus on preparation and process, but very little on presence.
We've lost our ability to be present
No matter how prepared we are or how good our process is, we still seem to miss being present in the moment. We are distracted by the next place we have to be, or the dinging of notifications, or the fact that we probably added too many things to our list and it's now out of control.
A good chef remains calm amidst seeming chaos
And yet you rarely see a good chef distracted or worrying despite everything that is going on in the heat of the kitchen. They rely on their preparation and process to allow for full presence.
And if some crisis does come up are they running around the kitchen panicking? No. They have space (read presence) to deal with the unexpected without hitting the panic button.
Imagine walking into your day with full confidence. Knowing you've prepared everything, your processes are set, you've got everything you need... and now you can simply settle in and get the work done. Sounds like a glorious day.
Process and planning are never the end game, but they should lead to the most delicious result... PRESENCE.
