David Sedaris’ Four Burner Theory

I first heard about the Four Burners Theory in the David Sedaris’story, “Laugh, Kookabura” in the New Yorker. I think about it weekly and love to share it with friends when they’re having a hard time.

The idea is that life can be seen as a stove with four burners: health, family, friends and work. He writes, “The gist, she said, was that in order to be successful, you have to cut off one of your burners. And in order to be really successful, you have to cut off two.”

Here’s a link to the pdf of the story, and if you’re like me, you’ll be able to imagine David Sedaris’ exact voice as he reads it to you.