One of the first things you learn in a professional kitchen, after being told to scream “behind!” when you walk behind someone and how to clock in for your shift, is to always keep your station clean and organized.
This is part of your foundation as a cook. And if you are not teaching this as a chef chances are your kitchen is in complete disarray.
If you are “the messy type” or “can’t get organized” you are going to have a very hard time as a line cook. Tickets are going to get lost, mis-en-place is going to get misplaced and your chef is going to yell at you constantly.
Why is having everything on your station meticulously in order so important?
For one thing, it creates discipline. Which will not only help you be successful on the line, but also in your career and personal life. Discipline produces better focus and productivity.
Second, is that it allows you to be faster. Shit, where’s my chopped parsley? Where’s that leftover sauce I made yesterday? Where’s my damn spoon!? Ain’t nobody got time for that. When your station is organized, you know exactly where everything is all the time and can you can grab it with your eyes closed, because you put it in the same spot every damn day.
The mess on your station reflects the mess in your head. And when your head is messy, you can’t keep orders straight or prioritize and complete a prep list without an enormous amount of support from others. And that is going to get annoying after a while. So do you and everyone else you work with a favor and keep your shit dialed in, wiped down and stocked.
This is just part of the basics.
The more control you have over your environment the less stress and anxiety you will feel. Clean=Calm.
Like many habits you pick up working in a kitchen, good or bad, they often follow you home. Many chefs, including me, are pretty OCD. I could think of a lot worse things to be.