ambitious project I ever took on. While the responsibilities are
equally divided among the four of us living here, the sheer magnitude
of effort involved can drive anyone mad - and I'm no exception. My
official responsibility involves keeping track of the finances, but
over time, my duties naturally expanded to constructing meeting
agendas, managing mostly everything web related (other than face
book), sending reminders, and keeping track of all sorts of details.
In other words, this translates to lots, and lots of micromanaging.
In the first month of our operation, I was especially notorious for
keeping up to task on a daily basis. I consistently updated my
finance spreadsheets, updated the online event tracking system,
maintained the event calendar, sent consistent email reminders, and
made sure tasks were more or less carried out as efficiently as
possible. Moreover, I developed a habit of frantically running around
like a maniac during our events, trying to tend to as many guests as
possible. All in all, this constant overdrive mode was not only
extremely energy draining, but prevented me from fully enjoying the
events. It took me a while to acknowledge the lunacy of my obsession
with the inconsequential aspects of hosting, and over time, I
gradually became more lax with my self-imposed demands.
How does this conscious effort to lighten up reflect on my output
nowadays? Well, I still compose meeting agendas for our meetings, but
I might do so right before, or even during! I still send email
reminders to follow up on everyone's responsibilities, but often only
once a week. I still update the finance spreadsheets, but only a few
times a month - often enough that I don't forget the important
details. I still take on a lot of the grunt work in preparation, and
during our events, but with a much more care-free attitude. I no
longer try to view this as a job, but more so that of a volunteer
effort. Has any of this decreased the effectiveness of our house
operation, or the quality of our events? Absolutely not. On the
contrary, we keep getting better at this. The care I put into my work
is still crystal clear - the only difference is, I do so with the
understanding, that if I exercise laziness, the house will survive,
and the guests will still take care of themselves and enjoy the
events. I encourage all Moishe House dwellers to see the big picture,
enjoy this unique experience, and not sweat the details.
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