Allow Brandon Cook - Cal Newport

      I recently listened to Tim Ferriss interview the prolific fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson (you can see my take on Sanderson’s incredible underground writing space here). Tim journeyed to Utah to speak with Sanderson at the headquarters of his 70-person publishing and merchandising company, Dragonsteel Books.

      An early exchange in their conversation stood out to me:

      Ferriss: “It appears that the design of Dragonsteel, perhaps its underlying intent, is to allow you to create stories on some level here at HQ.”

      Sanderson: “Absolutely, everything in our company is centered around the idea of ‘letting Brandon cook.’ We aim to remove anything from Brandon’s plate that isn’t essential for him to focus on.”

      As someone who frequently writes about knowledge work in today's digital landscape, I find this concept of "cooking" intriguing, which I define as a workflow that enables individuals with high-value skills to dedicate most of their time to applying those skills without interruptions.

      It makes sense that Dragonsteel prioritizes Sanderson’s capacity to think and write. His production of approximately 300,000 words a year serves as the foundation of his company's revenue. If Sanderson's ability to generate those words were significantly hampered, it might simplify some of his employees' tasks, but it would be akin to reducing the steel supply to an automotive plant; ultimately, it would lead to a drop in car production and a sharp decline in sales.

      What puzzles me is why this cooking model is so rare in broader knowledge work. To clarify, this approach isn’t suitable for every role. For instance, as a full professor at Georgetown in the computer science department, I’m currently serving as the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). This position doesn't center around a singular high-value skill, so it wouldn't make sense for the department to focus on “letting Cal cook” in this role.

      However, many positions exist where, similar to Sanderson, enabling individuals to concentrate on a single high-value activity could significantly enhance performance. I think of roles such as programmers, researchers, engineers, and various creative industry positions. Yet, we seldom see setups like Sanderson's replicated.

      A significant factor contributing to this is technology. Digital communication has reduced the friction needed to command others' time and attention for personal gain. It takes virtually no effort to send a quick message with a question, request someone to join a call, or delegate a newly thought-of task.

      In such an environment, where there are no strict barriers, most individuals are inevitably pulled into a detrimental equilibrium characterized by constant distractions and overwhelming obligations. (I’ve written two books on this effect if you want to explore it further.) If Sanderson hadn’t intentionally structured his entire company around facilitating his writing, he would likely find himself spending significant time responding to emails.

      I envision a world where numerous organizations include, at the very least, a few positions resembling Sanderson's—employees with highly valuable skills who are allowed to focus on applying them uninterrupted. This might only affect a small percentage of workers, but it would still be significant. It would challenge the prevalent notion of pseudo-productivity—that busyness equates to usefulness and that more activity is preferable to less. It would help us recognize that certain tasks hold greater value than others and that momentary convenience is often overstated in office environments. It would encourage more organizations to investigate radical and innovative ways of executing their tasks.

      I don't expect an immediate resolution, but it would be great to see some progress before my term as DUS concludes. By then, I’ll definitely be ready to cook.

      #####

      In other news…

      If you're interested in this topic, check out Episode 339 of my podcast, where I delve deeper into it and share practical ideas on how to formalize and propagate the cooking model.

      My good friends Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness, over at The Growth Equation, recently published an excellent essay on their newsletter titled: “A Letter to My Younger Self: On Regret, Resilience, and Dealing with the Messiness of Life.” [ read online | subscribe ]

      (Note: Steve has also released a fantastic new book that I highly recommend: Win the Inside Game.)

      Have you had a chance to check out my new book, Slow Productivity? You should! To persuade you, it was recently recognized as one of the top five most popular non-fiction books of 2024 in the Seattle library system and the number one most popular self-help audiobook of 2024 in the LA library system. (Wait, do I live on the wrong coast?)

Other articles