I came across the term mise en place (pronounced meez ahn plas) today in a weekly newsletter from Be More With Less by Courtney Carver. The article written by Danielle Cheesman sums up what I have known and been mindful about the past few weeks, months, but especially today. “A clearer space makes a clearer mind.”
Mise en place (pronounced meez ahn plas) is a French cooking term that literally translates to ‘put in place’. The purpose of mise en place is to allow the chef to cook in the most efficient way without having to stop. Chefs commit to a life of preparation, where you always have to think ahead. Cooking can’t happen without prep coming first.
For many, mise en place is a way of life … it’s a way of concentrating your mind to only focus on the aspects that you need to be working on at that moment, to kind of rid yourself of distractions.
Everything in its place. So – I decided I must mise en place my life.
I organized my home office so I can be more focused in producing relatable storytelling videos, blogs and podcasts that will bring financial security and allow me to be the CEO of my business and life so that I can do what I want when I want. This is my why.
Every space including the floor had something that I either needed to put away or give away. I started by taking out anything in the office that belongs somewhere else. Taking some time to scan the surfaces, drawers, and cabinets for things that are supposed to be in the kitchen, garage, or living room.
My husband is a sailor and a sailboat is the epitome of mise-en-place: nothing extra just what you need in a state of readiness. Using this analogy, I easily identified the essentials I need like my laptop, passion planner and a couple pens.
Then I moved to the kitchen and cleaned out the refrigerator, organized the pantry, threw away expired cans of food, open snack bags and expired condiments. The lack of organization has cost me a lot of money, wasted groceries, and caused unwanted stress.
I even used “Mise en Place” to make our dinner preparation easier tonight.
There’s still a lot to do but I’m feeling better already. I love going into the kitchen and opening up the cabinets, seeing and knowing what I have and feeling good about the healthy options available to me.
My office is a work in process and every day I will work to make sure everything is in its place for a fresh start and a closure to each work day.
However you want to mise en place your life, create and maintain the system so you can always be focused on the most important things at each moment.
Keep calm and mise en place.
