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Mario Batali

Jun 29, 2016 38m 29s 20 insights
World-renowned chef Mario Batali has 28 restaurants, 10 cookbooks, a daytime cooking show, a food emporium in New York City, and now plans for a food theme park. He also -- somehow -- finds time to keep a daily meditation routine. Batali says he started practicing mantra-based Transcendental Meditation (TM) six years ago after Jerry Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, suggested he look into it. Batali said he now practices twice a day for 20 minutes, and that it's helped calm his temper.
Actionable Insights

1. Cultivate Mindful Responses

Intentionally pause for at least 60 seconds before reacting to something that offends or enrages you. Use this time to breathe and consider the best possible response, rather than shooting quickly or defensively, to minimize damage to relationships.

2. Practice Daily Meditation

Engage in meditation twice a day for 20 minutes each time to quiet your mind and find a profound sense of calm. This practice can change how you process overloaded days and reduce anger, providing a firmer base for thoughtful reactions.

3. Compartmentalize Your Workload

To manage a demanding schedule, allocate specific, limited time to each project daily or weekly. Consciously “put it away, close the folder,” and commit to returning to it later, which prevents overwhelm and ensures consistent progress on multiple goals.

4. Persist with Meditation Practice

If you find meditation challenging, don’t give up; “try it again and keep going back at it.” Commit to practicing consistently for a full week to experience its relaxing effects and ability to help you make better decisions.

5. Re-evaluate Time Post-Experience

After a significant life event or near-death experience, take the opportunity to reflect and “waste a little bit less time.” Focus on editing out projects or activities that are unlikely to come to fruition, thereby increasing productivity.

6. Measure Success by Mentorship

Define your professional success by the achievements of those you’ve mentored, such as pupils opening their own businesses or advancing in their careers. Encourage staff by highlighting how dedication and a strong work ethic can lead to partnership opportunities.

7. Prioritize Tasks Strategically

When managing multiple projects, prioritize them by evaluating their importance based on potential financial return, personal joy, or social responsibility. Allocate your time accordingly to ensure focus on high-value activities.

8. Adopt a Calm View of Death

Cultivate a perspective that views death not with fear, but as a natural “entry into another ecstatic position” where one’s energy re-enters the universal flow. This mental model can help reduce anxiety about mortality.

9. Embrace Plant-Based Eating

Incrementally increase your consumption of plant-based foods, recognizing that vegetables are excellent and a plant-based diet can contribute to extending life, improving mobility, and reducing inflammation.

10. Choose Ethical Meat Sources

To address concerns about animal cruelty, avoid factory-farmed meat and instead choose sources that treat animals better, raising them naturally without antibiotics or growth hormones, which also results in superior flavor.

11. Avoid Processed Carbohydrates

Consciously eliminate processed carbohydrates, particularly refined breads and starchy products that have been stripped of fiber. These foods offer little satiety and can lead to quick hunger despite high calorie counts.

12. Integrate Morning Meditation

Begin your day with meditation, ideally after waking up (around 5:00-5:30 AM) and before others in your household are awake. This provides a quiet hour to establish a calm mindset before daily activities begin.

13. Use a Simple Meditation Mantra

For meditation, choose a simple mantra (even a word like “water glass”) to repeat in your mind. The goal is to focus and gently return to the mantra when your mind wanders, helping you find a calm, mindful silence.

14. Dress Children in Bright Colors

When taking young children to public places, dress them in bright, high-visibility colors like yellow or orange. This makes them easier to spot from a distance, reducing anxiety and ensuring their safety.

15. Source High-Quality Ingredients

Prioritize buying fresh ingredients from local green markets early in the morning. This ensures you get the best produce, capturing “geospecific” and ephemeral flavors that make your food more distinct and delicious.

16. Embrace Imperfection in Creative Work

In creative or live production settings, consider allowing for mistakes and avoiding over-editing. This approach can make the output feel more relaxed, authentic, and even funnier, as seen in live television.

17. Delegate to Efficient Individuals

When a task needs to be completed quickly, consider assigning it to the busiest and most efficient person on your team. Such individuals are often capable of immediate and effective responses to urgent requests.

18. Adapt to Business Fluctuations

For business success, continuously monitor market “ebbs and flows” and adjust resources accordingly. Avoid having excess inventory or staff during slow periods to maintain profitability and efficiency.

19. Practice Dietary Moderation

Maintain a balanced diet by practicing moderation, allowing for occasional indulgent foods without overconsumption. For example, enjoy a cheeseburger now and then, but avoid eating them five days in a row.

20. Consider “Sleep Banking”

As a personal strategy, consider “sleep banking” by sleeping extra for a few months to build a reserve. This might allow you to function well on less sleep (e.g., five hours) during busy periods, though this is a personal belief.