Pots boiling over

Just spent three days in various cities observing my student teachers at work. This is a great grounding experience for me every time I watch them work, but it also underlines the sheer difficulty of watching 4 pots boiling over on the stove and trying to serve up a gourmet meal. There is so much stimulus and all stimulus screaming for attention with seemingly equal importance. How did I do that period after period for 33 years?