For many years I believed that I couldn’t cook. For good reason. It seemed like every recipe I tried failed. Dishes, pots, pans, and casseroles would slip out of my hands and crash or break. I cut and burned myself numerous times. I broke glasses and dishes when washing them. I forgot to take meals out of the oven, filling the house with smoke and stench. I even burned things in the microwave.
And then, I learned about single-tasking. My significant was the most excellent example of how powerful it is to focus on one task at a time. He never broke things. His jobs in and out of the kitchen always finished perfectly. No stress, no drama. YES, that was annoying. Finally, a few years ago, I exclaimed, “How do you always do things right???!!!”
“Try doing just one thing at a time, Beth. It makes a difference”, he replied, lovingly. So I did. I tried focusing on one task at a time. When I was writing an article, I avoided doing research, checking email, looking for photos, answering the phone, or peeking at social media. Doing one thing at a time made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I was used to having several thoughts in my mind at once. When the multi-tasking gremlins would tempt me, I would say aloud, “Right now I am doing ____.”
It took a lot of practice for me to stop multi-tasking, but as I got better at eliminating the chaos in my thoughts, the drama and chaos in my life also subsided. I’ve become far more efficient. I complete more tasks, make fewer mistakes, no longer work at night or on the weekends and I even sleep better.
Best of all, when I cook now, things go smoothly and taste delicious. I think about what I’m cooking, enjoy peeling vegetables, trust myself to revise recipes and feel joyful during the process. I haven’t broken dishes, burned anything or cut myself for a long time. Here’s what else I haven’t done while cooking:
- No listening to webinars
- No cleaning the fridge
- No folding laundry
- No checking email
- No making phone calls
Now I just cook. And, I’m enjoying it.