theres nothing worse than rushing to chop or sautee something while something else needs to be done. try to do all your prep work before so you'll be good to go when it's go time.
this has been my life the past few months between work and travelling- shop local and seasonally for good deals, have a 3/4 hour prep day of chopping, cooking, freezing in batches or sheets for the week. Actually life changing and i s2g i've spent less, have eaten way better and improved my relationship with food & cooking by 10000x.