Read somewhere that most line cooks get way more honest feedback from coworkers than from any chef or manager. Makes sense because the person next to you on the line sees every plate. Getting told your food looks like a crime scene stings but it's the kind of thing that actually makes you fix it. The saucing under the protein trick is real, I've seen it change how a whole dish reads. My old sous used to say if the plate needs a napkin under it by the time it hits the pass, you put on too much. People remember the blunt stuff way longer than the nice stuff.

The part about drinking less but enjoying it more really hits home for me. I went through the same thing a couple years back when I ditched the drip machine and went all in on pour over. Turns out when each cup takes a few minutes of paying attention, you stop chugging them mindlessly and actually sit with the one you made. Your numbers tell the story better than any post about coffee ever could, the drip cups fell off and the pour overs climbed because you were getting something out of it. My guess is most people would find the same thing if they actually wrote it down. The count is the easy part, but seeing what changed is the real payoff.