We had our first house meeting on Thursday. It was a small one – just with the nine of us – but we recognized that we have a responsibility to set the pace for the newcomers that are set to descend upon the house over the weekend. They will pick up on whatever the general “mood” is here, which means we have to start putting the structure into our days now.
One such example – its been easy managing meals with our small group (who’s cooking, what time, the dishes!), but the only way to effectively manage 25 people is to put structure into the day. Could you imagine the chaos of over 25 individual people having input into what time they all want to eat dinner? Its working out these kinds of details that mean we can focus on what’s really important – our tasks and work that will benefit the members of CouchSurfing.
The general structure for our days here at the Collective:
- Lunch: 12 noon
- 1 – 5pm: mandatory working hours for everyone (participants then have the flexibility to choose how to fulfill the remainder of their commitment of 35 hours work per week)
- Dinner: 7pm
I think Laura, House Manager, has one of the most difficult jobs. She is responsible for so many of the minor details, including making the final decisions when group consensus can’t be reached! She will keep us all on track with the things we agree on in terms of house management – the scheduled meal times, the chores list, the designated meeting times.
It is all about getting the house running smoothly so our precious time here isn’t wasted.