Yes, Chef

A few weeks ago, I spent four days co-locating with a colleague. Just two of us.

We spent 40 hours planning for it. Yes, you read that right - we spent more time preparing than we actually spent together. For what was effectively a two-person meeting.

Sounds insane? The prep time was worth every minute.

Because mise en place - everything in its place - isn't just for chefs. It's for anyone doing complex, creative work.

Mise en place means having Plan B and C ready for when (not if) things go sideways. It means knowing which work needs to happen async versus live.

Understanding how long something takes to prep, to process, to refine, to deliver.

Most of us doing knowledge work are horrible at this. We don't think about which ingredients we need today versus tomorrow versus later this week.

We don't use tools like Loom to ensure the prep work is done right.

We don’t record voice notes for colleagues starting their shift 8 hours ahead of us in another timezone.

We use a document when a board is better. Or visa versa.

We interrupt other people’s cooking when we really don’t need to. Then wonder why their station is overloaded.

When you nail the prep, you can focus purely on execution - whether that's in your own deep work time or especially during live collaboration. The pre-reads are clear and purposeful. The scope fits the time allocated. You know whether you need a kitchen porter to help, or if the exec chef needs to review before it goes out.

I think about mise en place constantly now. It's one of those things that once you see, you can't unsee.

Because in modern work, chef skills are everything.

What in your work could benefit from better mise en place?