Work Clean

The life-changing power of mise-en-place to organize your life, work, and mind

By: Dan Charnas

Narrated by: Dan Charnas

Chefs across the globe have honed an incredible system for working with efficiency called mise-en-place. In this audiobook, Dan Charnas reveals how to use those principles in any kind of work, outside the kitchen.

Work Clean spells out the 10 major principles of mise-en-place or putting in place for chefs: 1) Preparation is Prime; 2) Arranging spaces; 3) Cleaning as you go; 4) Making the first moves; 5) Finishing actions; 6) Slowing down to speed up; 7) Call and callback; 8) Open ears and eyes; 9) Inspect and edit; 10) Total utilization. One by one, Charnas shows how applying each of these principles at the office and at home creates a simple system for organizing your life, work, and mind.

Critic reviews

“Finally, a book that shows the rest of the world that a chef’s meticulous need for order isn't about obsession—it’s a way to set them up for success.”—Chef Marcus Samuelsson

“A distinctive and fascinating read! Work Clean shares the skills used by chefs to help you manage your time and resources to effectively get the most out of life.”—Chef Alfred Portale

“The concept of mise-en-place can seem stoic or robotic even, but Dan Charnas has revealed otherwise in Work Clean. It is a means to completing successfully what is right in front of us - whether in or out of the kitchen—through consideration and action.”—Chef Sam Henderson

“Systems and organization have always been a key to my success in the food service industry. Work Clean uses excellent examples to explain the necessity of structure as the foundation for not only restaurants but everyday life as well.”—Chef Marc Djozlija

“Dan Charnas writes informatively about the sometimes unglamorous, yet undeniably crucial role of organization in our kitchens and our lives, with clever wit and eloquence. Work Clean should be required reading for all aspiring chefs.”—Chef Rob Halpern

“In Work Clean, Dan Charnas outlines a valuable parallel between the systems used to organize a busy kitchen and the ways we organize our everyday lives. As a chef, I know all too well the importance of preparation, planning, and working clean. Charnas describes how applying these principles of mise-en-place to tasks outside of the kitchen can improve efficiency and quality of work, and ultimately, quality of life.”—Chef Eric Ripert

Thought Provoking!!!

It helped give 'me' a systematic approach to just everything in life; even the most mundane tasks.

RalphyNovotney
The BrokeBlackGuru

Great lessons for everyday life.

I am a disorganized creative. This book is exactly what I need. I found myself cleaning my work station and immediately feeling calmer and more in control. I plan to listen to it again but this time with a notebook next to me to take notes. I never realized that there were so many lessons to be learned from a kitchen. I plan to pass this onto my son (who works in audio and video engineering but loves to cook) and also to my activities director at work (who is excellent at his job but is also as disorganized as I am.)

Impact for Life

I chose this title with the expectation that I would improve my planning skills. I didn’t anticipate I would learn life skills. Dan’s presentation of the governing practices of Mis en Place maximizes the power of choice.

Intriguing, compelling and entertaining. I highly recommend Work Clean to anyone seeking to improve the outcome of their efforts in their work-life, home-life, and personal-life.

One of the best books on organizing I’ve ever read

It may be my favorite book on organizing. It is an intuitive and well researched system. Great stories and narration.

A must read for everyone.

Anyone can gain insights from this book. Everyone is busy and needs a way to organize their daily processes to successfully complete tasks without unnecessary stress. This book will give you that and more.