Playbooks
Café trial day tips for Ireland: how to pass and feel ready
Café trial day tips for Ireland: what a trial shift actually tests, the core builds to prepare, and how to show you will be quick to train and a good fit.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Terrified of your coffee shop shift? How to calm the nerves
If you can't sleep before a coffee shop shift, the fear is normal and it fades. Here is what helps: preparation, perspective, and a calmer first shift.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Essays
How to not be terrified of your coffee shop shift
Terrified of your coffee shop shift? The fear is usually unpractised builds, not you. Here is how to turn dread into calm by practising the menu off the clock.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
How to pass a café interview and barista trial in India
How to pass a café interview and barista trial in India: what they actually test, how to prepare the core builds, and how to show you will be quick to train.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Essays
Left early from a panic attack on your first barista shift?
Left work early after a panic attack on your first barista shift? You are not alone and not unfit for it. Here is what to practise so the next shift feels safe.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Barista trial shift in Australia: how not to mess up
A barista trial shift in Australia tests attitude and basics, not perfection. Here is what they actually watch for and how to walk in calm and ready.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
The best way to study drinks for your first barista shift
The best way to study drinks for your first shift is active recall on the numbers, not rereading the menu. Here is the exact order to learn them in.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
First barista shift was horrible and slow? It gets better
If your first barista shift was horrible and you felt so slow, that is normal. Here is why it happens and exactly what to practice before the next one.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Best app to learn to be a barista: what it can teach
An app can teach the knowledge side of being a barista fast, but not the hands-on craft. Here is an honest path from zero to your first confident shift.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Best cafe training app for new baristas: what to drill
A cafe training app cannot replace your first shifts, but it can own the part you can learn in advance. Here is what to drill and what to leave for the bar.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
Best POS simulator app and cafe cashier prep for baristas
A generic POS simulator only teaches so much, since every cafe's till differs. Here is what to actually practice before your first shift as a cafe cashier.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
First day as a barista: what to expect and prepare
Nervous about your first barista shift? Here is what your first day actually looks like, what they will teach you, and how to prepare so it feels calm.
Lawrence Arya··3 min
Playbooks
How to get faster as a new barista on the espresso bar
Feeling too slow on the espresso bar? Speed is recall plus calm, not rushing. Here is how new baristas get faster and stop freezing before the next rush.
Lawrence Arya··6 min
Essays
How to stop panicking during the coffee rush
Rush panic is normal and fixable. Here is why your mind blanks when the line builds, and calm, practical ways for new baristas to get through it.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Playbooks
What to study before your first barista shift
A calm, week-by-week study plan for new café workers, so the first rush feels familiar instead of frightening.
Lawrence Arya··6 min