Rebuilding a Habit, Revisiting a School

This blog was built originally for a couple of reasons:

To communicate about the development of the Community School, where it’s at in the process of becoming and what we hope to see it grow to be.

– To create an online forum for people involved in and curious about the project to share, collaborate and support each other.

– To motivate us to stay focused on the project, because it is very easy for something so big and ambitious to get set aside in favor of smaller, more manageable projects.

I will own right here and now that I have not done my part to give this space what it needs to achieve any of its purpose. This is just one symptom of a larger problem I’m been fighting in terms of how to keep moving forward toward my goals, but it’s one I feel more keenly than, say, whether the laundry gets folded. Some of the problem rests with habits. I’ve been reminded recently that, if this project (or any other) is to succeed, it must be approached by making the time to do a little bit every day to push things along. In fact, I’ve been doing the exact opposite--not just here, but with a lot of things. That I have not been sleeping well and that I find it increasingly stressful to go through my day both attest to the fact that this is not in the best interests of either a project or one’s state of mind to neglect something you know you owe attention to. This includes the laundry.

The Community School was just one of several undertakings that were hanging, expectant and unfulfilled, in my world as I started the New Year. I knew they were there. I knew why I was feeling disoriented and unfocused, but I chose not to do anything about it. A body at procrastination rest, after all, tends to stay there. My level of tolerance for that feeling has a limit, though, and I passed it the other day. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. It was time to get back on the wagon, recover some discipline and start again.

I recently reviewed where the Community School stands and, from that, I was able to made some personal goals that will help it along. The one I’d like to share today is this:

Goal for 2010

To create and review each month a clear and definable list of goals for the Community School project, a timeline for accomplishing every item on the list, and documenting each month the measurable progress on each item. The list currently includes the following:

– Learn about how to build a viable infrastructure for our school and the community it will serve.
– Create vision documents for the project as a whole (focused on the Community part first).
– Create the legal entities to support further work, including a property search.
– Establish guidelines for choosing co-founders and new members, including the principles of financial involvement in the project.
– Take training in the consensus decision-making model.

This is not the only goal I have for this project, but it’s a biggie. Plus, it’s one I can share with you that doesn’t get bogged down in details no one is interested to read about. I share this goal with you so that I will be better held accountable for its completion. With that in mind, I’d be grateful if you’d ask about them, encourage me to think about them, act on them and share with you what’s happening. It is hard to undertake any challenge in a vacuum; we all need feedback, support and encouragement for the things we do. Your contributions here will always be important part of helping make things happen, and I will be most thankful for any you make.

I’m committing to making time to keep this blog updated regularly. This is not an easy commitment to make if historical precedent is anything to go by, but it’s important and so, like the laundry, I will make time for it--a little every day.

Speaking of which, I’ve just been informed that the socks have unionized, and are seeking better wages. I’m going to go see what their demands are. Thanks for taking the time to read here!