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Post by papermoon on May 14, 2014 19:13:28 GMT -5
This trick works for me whenever I can't seem to get myself going.
"Mise en place" is a French cooking term meaning "to put in place"... that is, to have ready all the ingredients and cooking pans, utensils, etc. that you will need to prepare a particular recipe. Usually an assistant or a sous chef does all this prep work, then the master chef steps in and deftly prepares the dish.
We mere mortals can do the same, being both sous chef and master chef in one... by first prepping all our ingredients and tools so we can cook start to finish without needing to stop and chop or to rummage through a cluttered cabinet looking for the #$*%&!! measuring spoons while the sauce boils over.
I like to take the concept of mise en place a bit further... to prepping all my tools for a specific cleaning task, or decluttering, or paperwork. I've found that when I do the set-up as a separate first step, it's so much easier to then step in and do the cleaning or decluttering or working on the paper piles.
For example, when I'm planning to sort papers, I set my timer, plug in my shredder, arrange the recycling bag and trash bin nearby, clear a work area on the table, line up my small tools (pens, post-its, paperclips, stapler), then pour a big glass of water with lemon, put on a CD and... Voila! I'm ready to go.
Does anybody else here use the idea of "mise en place" to clean and declutter?
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Post by charis on May 14, 2014 19:33:53 GMT -5
Since I procrastinate cleaning the bathrooms, I not only get out cleaning supplies, I also sprinkle scouring powder in the sinks and tubs, and spray disinfectant in the toilets and put the lids up. This renders the bathrooms unusable until I have cleaned them, so I am committed.
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Post by dtesposito on May 14, 2014 20:14:13 GMT -5
Papermoon, I do this sometimes, but not because I'm organized and planning ahead! I do this when I can't bring myself to do a job unless I write out all the little baby steps that it can be broken down into--very tiny steps. Then I just make myself do one step. Most of the time, once I start (and once I've written the steps out so that the task doesn't seem mysterious as well as big) I can do more steps than just one. But because I have to think it out in detail to write the steps, I include all the preparation too.
When I do prepare anything that involves following a recipe, I have learned to get everything out ahead of time. I've had too many times when I start mixing things together and find I don't have something I need, so I've wasted stuff.
By the way, since you mentioned the chef who steps in to prepare the dish, it drives me crazy when they do that on a cooking show, and then say "see how easy it is to make this dish, I don't know why people don't make this more often!" Yeah, I could make it often too if someone prepared everything for me ahead of time, and cleaned everything up afterwards.
Diane
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Post by def6 on May 14, 2014 23:27:48 GMT -5
Yes Paper, I love this method!
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Post by OnTheMend on May 15, 2014 2:21:44 GMT -5
papermoon - I do this too almost always, didn't think there is a name for it I don't always get all the supplies, but I do get the most important ones (like when cooking, I read the whole recipe through, take out the ingredients but not all the tools - my kitchen is well organized and I find everything I need in seconds - and start cooking/baking). charis I do that too Works great everytime!
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Post by Jannie on May 15, 2014 7:18:43 GMT -5
I'm thinking I should prepare for cleaning by getting my cleaning supplies together- duster, dry cloths, paper towels, spray cleaners, mop, etc then put them in a bucket and carry it to the room I'm cleaning today. Of course, that assumes I've already de-cluttered.
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Post by puppybox on May 15, 2014 8:21:32 GMT -5
My goal is to have my entire apartment be mise en place for my life.
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Post by wind on May 15, 2014 8:30:17 GMT -5
I pretty shamelessly count things like "fill sink with mop water" as a todo/tada task in the WIT threads. I think it helps in both ways mentioned - 1) breaking down the baby steps to make the "goal" less overwhelming, and 2) I'm committed.
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Post by papermoon on Jul 28, 2014 20:46:00 GMT -5
This month I've challenged myself to develop some new daily habits. Since they're not well-established habits yet, I've been experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety getting them done each day... and my ADD sure doesn't help. But I'm finding that mise en place helps quite a lot to ease the anxiety. For example, when it's time for my nightly teeth care, I tear off a length of floss, put toothpaste on my brush, and pour a splash of mouthwash in my glass. Then it's easier for me to do each of those actions (floss, brush, gargle) in one smooth flow without getting distracted or forgetting what's next. Whatever works.
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Post by def6 on Jul 29, 2014 8:02:58 GMT -5
Thank you Papermoon! I'll practice Mise en place today. I've always loved cooking shows that have the ingredients in those little ramekins ready to go...(so much so that I bought some)and for me Mise en place is very similar to doing a 5 minute challenge on a larger task that you have to break down. Brilliant!
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Post by Unswamping on Jul 29, 2014 11:55:23 GMT -5
papermoon what a great idea! Ive done mise en place for a couple of years when i bake bread (im not a chef, i read about it in a bread baking book). I never thought to extend this to other areas of my life.
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