The Life Changing Magic of Mise en Place

Devil is in the Details

Cleaning Up My Act

There are two types of people I have always Admired: chefs and the ultra-organized. At my best, I am both. At my worst, I am ordering in Pad See Ew and Pinot Noir from Postmates in a pile of my week-old laundry.

Our society echoes the sentiment. I think we all remember the pandemic binge-watching sessions and being transformed by Marie Kondo, an organizing expert and mystical tidying guru in her hit series. Her contagious energy for cleaning is hard to miss. "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo" features home makeovers led by the renowned tidying expert herself, helping clients declutter and embrace joy. The show's impact is undeniable, evident in the countless memes inspired by Kondo's determined efforts to free families from belongings that lack 'joy.' Like countless others, I too confronted my closet with determined fury, bidding farewell to tube tops that failed to make me feel exceptional.

The reigning Queen of Clean, Marie Kondo

Similarly, America warmly embraces the celebrity chef culture. For me, the loss of Anthony Bourdain hit hard; that night, I ditched a Bumble date to immerse myself in as many "No Reservations" episodes as I could while indulging in the finest takeout my budget could manage. In stark contrast to Marie Kondo's tranquility, chefs often exude a raw, complex energy – a persona reminiscent of a brooding Midwestern teenager, newly introduced to beatnik tales of Jack Kerouac and the tumultuous life of Hemingway. As years passed, I found that food and travel became my means of connecting with those around me, permanently altering how I perceive the world.

But at the core, both Kondo-ites and culinary black horses have some of the same driving concepts. For example, the concept of ‘mise en place’ comes to mind. This French phrase roughly translates to “everything in its place”. This organizing technique prepares a chef for a dinner service by making sure that the space and all elements of a recipe are easily ready to be assembled with minimal hassle. Essentially, the same ideas that Marie Kondo teaches the pack-rats of America are the tenants that keep a chef sane during the whirlwind of restaurant life.

For me, mise en place is akin to ‘sparking joy’, cousins of the same concept. The way that you control your environment is a direct correlation to achieving some semblance of personal agency in this chaotic, random world. A recent Gallup poll showed that 79% of Americans feel stressed at some point during their day. Could taking control of what you actionably can make a real difference in how you view and engage with your life?

These are qualities that seem to vanish by 6:30 am, despite a generous supply of coffee and an invigorating Spotify playlist. My remedy? Implementing certain tactics, like setting up my workspace the night before or prepping breakfast, helps eliminate a significant chunk of the daily stress that inevitably accompanies adulthood on this planet. I'm adopting the concept of assessing whether people or activities 'spark joy' in my life, allowing me to recalibrate my priorities in response.

A lot of this feels like things I should've known already. Now I get why my mom freaked out when things were a mess – handling kids is tough without added clutter (sorry, Mom!). Whether it's called mise en place, finding joy, or simply cleaning up, I'm making this my way of life.

Obviously, I am human. I am sure even Marie Kondo has days where she just throws her t-shirts into her drawer without doing that precise folding technique she uses and perfectly stacking them sideways (she has to right?), but just like with everything else in life, progress is already perfection.

In a world moving away from religion, rituals hold newfound significance. Mundane tasks can rise above monotony. Chores, if allowed, morph into opportunities for equilibrium, making life smoother. Whether you're an organized perfectionist or a nocturnal, hyper-focused chef, these rituals offer a chance to find balance.

The link between a clutter-free space and a clear mind is profound. A clean environment fosters mental clarity, providing you with the vigor required to tackle greater ambitions and pursue loftier aspirations. As your surroundings find order, so does your mental landscape, creating room for inspiration to flourish.

In this pursuit of balance, it's worth recognizing that sometimes, it's the simple, repetitive acts that offer the most profound sense of meaning. Amidst the chaos and complexities of modern life, establishing a rhythm through ritual can provide a reassuring anchor. Perhaps, amid your own version of chaos, finding a method to your madness is the very essence of purpose on certain days. Just as chefs orchestrate their mise en place, these daily rituals offer us the chance to arrange the components of our lives in harmony, transforming the ordinary into something, quite possibly, extrodianry.