Become a Multitasking Master Today! How to Generate '4 Results from a Single Action'
Hello everyone, it's Yoshi, the Flipper President!
Where do you think is the best training ground to become a faster swimmer?
High-altitude training?
A training center with the latest equipment?
No, no. Actually, for me, the 'ultimate training ground' was, surprisingly...
a family restaurant!
“Wait, a family restaurant? Isn't that just a place to eat? What do you mean...?!”
For those of you who thought that, please wait a moment.
Today, in true Breakthrough Thursday fashion, I'm going to talk about the 'secret to mastering efficiency' that I learned from my part-time job at a family restaurant during my college years, from a slightly different perspective.
In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that this later became the foundation for me as an athlete, a coach, and a business owner!
A part-time job is a 'hidden growth opportunity' that many people experience but fail to realize the true value of. Why don't you read this article to the end and discover it with me today?
The moment the hellish workload began
I worked at a family restaurant with a fairly large sales volume. During peak times for both lunch and dinner, it was trulyhellishly busy.
Especially during the time slots around 11:30-13:30 and 18:30-21:00...
Imagine this: a full family restaurant, customers coming in one after another and waiting at the entrance, the sound of service bells ringing non-stop, lines at the register, voices from the kitchen shouting 'The food is ready!', and floor staff rushing back and forth through all of that...
A situation where you can't catch your breath for even a second.
What do you think is required in such a situation?
“Just moving as fast as possible?”
“Treating customers with a friendly attitude?”
Those are important, but this was what was truly essential.
The weapon called 'parallel thinking'
What I realized in the midst of the busyness was that 'how many tasks I could complete in a single trip to the dining area' determined everything.
For example, suppose you have finished cooking for 5 to 6 people all at once in the kitchen. But since you only have two hands, there is a limit to how many you can carry, right?
・Inefficient staff movements
Take 2 servings of food to the dining area
Serve the food
Return to the kitchen without doing anything else
Take more food out
・Efficient staff movements
Take 2 servings of food to the dining area
Serve the food
Take an order at a different table on the way back
Clear finished plates from the table next to it
Check the refill status of the drink bar
Return to the kitchen
One task versus four tasks in the same round trip.
Do you see the difference?
This makes the efficiency four times greater.
If you return after doing only one task during peak hours... it's hopeless. People will wonder what you're doing! Work won't progress at all, and you'll be causing trouble for those around you and the customers.
Conversely, when this works well, you can gain an incredible sense of accomplishment even while working under intense pressure.
What was needed was '360-degree situational awareness'
To achieve this efficiency, what was necessary was to always keep track of the situation around you.
What were you looking at?
The status of the dining area (which tables are about to finish eating)
The status of the kitchen (which dish will be finished next)
The movements of other floor staff (who is currently handling which task)
The status of each customer table (are they waiting to order, are their plates empty, etc.)
And, based on this information, I instantly determine the optimal sequence of actions by anticipating what comes next.
'Which task should be prioritized?'
'Which tasks can be done together?'
'What is likely to happen next?'
This essential thought process, not limited to just working at a family restaurant, was something I naturally acquired amidst the intense workload of the restaurant.
The pleasure of the moment you enter the 'zone'
I still vividly remember the feeling when everything clicked into place.
Anticipating the dining area status, cooking timing, and coordination with other staff... moving smoothly while predicting everything is incredibly fun!
It feels just like clearing a game one level at a time.
Also, since I was always walking quickly, being mindful of my posture, and moving around while carrying heavy things, it was actually a good workout. In fact, it served as good aerobic exercise and I used it as a substitute for dieting. (laughs)
That was a side note, but this 'zone experience' became a great asset in my later competitive life and in my coaching career.
'Family restaurant thinking' that blossomed in the coaching field
And now, when I am giving lessons or coaching in fin swimming, or teaching classes and guiding students at school, I realize that I am using my brain in exactly the same way as I did back then.
Simultaneous parallel thinking on the pool deck
While giving advice to student A
checking the form of student B out of the corner of my eye
structuring the next practice menu in my head
and fixing student C's equipment while moving around
"Oh, this is just like a family restaurant during peak hours!"
There was a moment when I realized that.
While grasping each student's swimming ability, challenges, and condition for the day, I would give advice to multiple students while moving along the poolside. I would handle equipment preparation, cleanup, and individual instruction simultaneously.
It is exactly the mindset of "how many pieces of instruction can I give in one movement?".
A byproduct called occupational hazard
Even now, when I go out to eat, I unconsciously think about things like this (laughs).
The busier it is...
"Oh, why are you going back with just that..."
"You should just do that at the same time..."
Conversely, "Wow, that person is incredibly efficient...!"
It is a complete occupational hazard (laughs).
However, this "efficiency mindset" can be applied in any situation.
Practical methods for "simultaneous parallel thinking" you can use right now
This way of thinking can be immediately applied to your daily life.
For example, think about housework.
Vacuuming while the washing machine is running, or finishing other chores while food is simmering. Running multiple errands in one trip is exactly the same way of thinking.
Of course, it can also be applied to work.
Talking to someone while moving to a meeting room to finish a quick confirmation. Creating a document with multiple uses in mind. When waiting time occurs, instead of staring blankly at your smartphone, turn it into time to advance other tasks.
If you are raising children, you might finish shopping while dropping off or picking up your child from lessons, or prepare dinner while watching your child do homework. You could also use the time spent watching your child at the park to make necessary phone calls.
In this way, just by changing your awareness a little, the amount you can do in the same amount of time increases dramatically.
The 3 core thoughts of efficiency
The core of efficiency derived from my experience at the family restaurant lies in three thought processes.
First, what is important is to grasp the overall situation.
Always be aware of what is happening now, what is likely to happen next, and what others are doing. This '360-degree perspective' is the foundation of efficient action.
The next important thing is the instantaneous judgment of priorities.
Determine urgency and importance, and think about combinations of things you can do simultaneously. Then, choose the shortest route. This speed of judgment creates the difference in efficiency.
And the most important thing is proactive action.
Predict what will be needed next and deal with problems before they occur. Always be conscious of efficient movement paths when acting. This 'ability to read one step ahead' also leads to the pleasure of being in the zone.
Ultimately, what is common to everything is the mindset of 'how to achieve maximum results with limited resources'. Because time and energy are finite, it is important to use them efficiently.
The first step to changing your future
The 'simultaneous parallel thinking = multitasking' I talked about today might actually be something you are already using unconsciously.
However, if you can use it consciously and strategically, your work efficiency and the fulfillment of your private life will change dramatically.
What you can start tomorrow is to first think about whether you can do multiple things with a single action. Have the consciousness to make effective use of travel time and waiting time. And act with an awareness of the overall flow.
Small changes in consciousness create big changes.
Finally
It is often thought of as 'just a part-time job at a family restaurant,' but it was packed with lessons that change your life.
The important thing is to find lessons in any experience. And to apply those lessons to other fields.
There must be treasure-like lessons sleeping within your past experiences as well.
What kind of part-time jobs or experiences have you gained unexpected lessons from? Also, in what situations did you think you would like to try using this 'multitasking'?
Please let me know in the comments section! Your experiences will surely be valuable lessons for other readers as well.
So, thank you for reading this far this time as well.
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See you next time!
Bye for now!
Finswimming Specialist
Finfish President Yoshihide Sekino
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