Weeknote 38/2020
This week has been a rollercoaster, especially towards the end. Among other things, it’s featured:
- Lockdown being announced in the North East of England (where I live)
- Success in a bid application We Are Open Co-op submitted to Catalyst to support charities doing discovery work
- Being shouted at for the first time in a while (they apologised, it’s cool)
- Conversations about productisation at Outlandish going well
- Progress on an updated version of the email-based course on openness
- Wrapping up a 6-month contract with the Greenpeace Planet 4 team in a retrospective meeting
- Taking delivery of a new tumble dryer
- Sunny weather making me feel better about everything
- Both of our children being off school (on different days) due to having a cold
- Playing more Star Wars: Battlefront II than usual to blow off some steam (with Sean and Adam)
- Shaving my hair off again, just because I felt like it
Sometimes I think back to life just over a decade ago when I was working full-time as a senior leader in schools, with a baby at home, and getting up at 4am to work on my thesis. I’m not sure I could do that now.
But then, I’ll probably think the same in another decade’s time about this pandemic. It’s certainly tough, but I’m also thankful that, fingers crossed, things haven’t yet affected our family and town as much as elsewhere.
Background anxiety and stress levels are high, and I feel like I’m on high alert all of the time. This must be having a long-term effect on our bodies —and I’m not just talking about the increased weight we’re putting on and the extra alcohol we’re consuming.
I’ve published three posts here this week:
I’ll probably add a couple more things to Thought Shrapnel before the newsletter goes out on Sunday morning, but here’s what I’ve added there so far this week:
- Pandemic microaggressions
- The most radical thing you can do is stay home
- Consensus, legitimate controversy, and deviance
- One nation under Zuck
- Things Come Apart
- More advice on perfectionism
- To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others
- ‘Recycling’ plastic is an oil industry scam
I couldn’t be happier with my decision to end support via Patreon and switch to a ‘bitesize updates’ model, pulled together in a weekly email. It’s more enjoyable for me to do things this way, and the mailing list is growing again for the first time in a while!
Next week, after being concerned that I wouldn’t have enough work, I’ve got so much stuff to get on with! I’ve got the upcoming Tech4Good event to finish planning with Erica, a new Greenpeace contract to get started on with Laura, a team to put together for the Catalyst work, Sociocracy work at Outlandish, and internal projects to keep ticking over.
Remaining unmanaged, whatever name you give to it always seems to be feast or famine, but the great thing about being part of a co-op is that you can balance out the work between you a bit. Get in touch if we can help!
Selfie taken while writing this post, at home, using the Retroboy app.
