• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Women's Legacy Project
  • Home
  • About
  • How To Curate
  • Our Collective Legacy
  • Writing Online Memoir
  • Blog
Women's Legacy Project > Blog > KNOW > How To > Organize > Accountability Co-working Helps Tackle the Overwhelm

Accountability Co-working Helps Tackle the Overwhelm

Written by: womenslegacy
Published: January 20, 2022 -- Last Modified: January 26, 2022
6 Comments

I’ve been trying to work up a logistical approach for at home or gig economy work to increase my attention and focus on important tasks – such as finishing up the products that I know will help all of us as we do third stage of life organizing. It work for all types of tasks.

Why? 

  • I am very distractible.  Once engaged in a task I am hyper-focused and will not want to disengage, even if it is not of major importance or anywhere near the top of my list.
  • In my home the distraction factor is ten times higher than when I’m in a task specific location.  
  • Covid constraints have played havoc with my daily life and health.  
  • Being physically distant in the interpersonal interaction in which I still engage lacks the sensory input that helps me keep my depression at bay.  A Zoom meeting for dozens just doesn’t have the personal feedback that, to me, means real connection.
  • I miss the interaction of a smart and creative women-focused local group which met to discuss, share, and communication methods of social and communication tools I had built over the course of about 10 years through meetup.com.  

I tried quite a few methods that just did not gel for me, when I remembered a spin-off group some classmates used, when I was taking a course during the first 9 months of the Covid lock-down, in it they would schedule a several hour daily work sessions with regular check-ins to help each other, share their successes, and refocus for the next work period.  It seemed to work well for them, especially for the groups that had some connection between them or their work that created a camaraderie between them.  

I decided to set up a Zoom group for my old meetup group.  We still had a private Facebook group for the regulars of that meetup group.

I set up meetings at different times and days the first week, and identified two times and days that worked for me that also attracted at least two other people.  

It is beginning to feel right. We have met several times.

Accountability Coworking,

a sub-type of virtual coworking

Structure

We advertise one four-hour-session per week. The times alternate on a two week cycle. The day stays the same.

We meet up on Zoom for up to 15 minutes at the top of the first hour. Then we meet at the top of each following hour for check-ins and help if necessary. The rest of the time we are working on the tasks, projects we mentioned at the top of the hour.

I have the meeting link set up in Zoom to be a recurring nonspecific time meeting.  The link remains operable across days and  times when done this way.  Then, I publicize the meeting day and time and re-share the link privately in our group as an event with a discussion post reminder.  I find this works very well.  I do it this way because I do not want any part of anything related to my work to be Facebook dependent. I have everyone’s email so I could drop the FB part and just email folks.  

The Purpose

The purpose:

  • is to meet with sharp, bright women so as to provide encouragement and support to each other as we work in parallel
  • is to be there to answer each other’s questions, or bounce ideas off each other.  
  • is to provide a “report structure” outside oneself for the independent researcher or solopreneur when needed for that extra nudge that is sometimes needed to stay on task. Staying on task can be difficult.
  • We all need to see friendly faces we can rely upon occasionally.
  • It is not at all difficult to make excuses to myself about productivity and putting things off.  When others are involved it is becomes far more difficult to procrastinate. 

Essentially, what I need is accountability to self, and I can achieve this through accountability to others. Whatever works. Right?

I’m sharing this article so even those of us who have not been formally diagnosed with ADHD can try out virtual co-working to see if it works for us. Why Virtual Co-Working Works So Well for High Achievers With ADHD .

So what works for you?

Categories: How To Curate, Organize, Organize, Work/LifeTags: accountability coworking, acountability, ADHD, coworking, gig- work, procrastination, solopreneur, virtual coworking

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org
Previous Post: « Children as Collateral Damage of the War on Women
Next Post: Winter’s End, Groundhogs, Magic Numbers for a Water Tiger Year »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Becca

    January 20, 2022 at 1:18 pm

    I am in the accountability group that Nancy spearheaded- It is SO MUCH EASIER to go thru my paperwork knowing that there is a beginning and end time and that I know others are also working on things they have put off. I am looking forward to getting to the bottom of the piles so that weekly sessions will manage life better… and then ON TO MORE CREATIVE PROJECTS once I have cleaned out!! I am guessing that once I get to the bottom of the piles, It will take me no more than 1-2 hours per week to “maintain” and then I will have 2-3 hours to spend on doing an online drawing class or some creative writing. A great concept and a wonderful group of women for lmutual support. Thanks Nancy !

    Reply
  2. womenslegacy

    January 20, 2022 at 3:00 pm

    Thank you Becca for being a willing and enthusiastic participant! Everything is easier with friends.
    womenslegacy recently posted…Accountability Co-working Helps Tackle the OverwhelmMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Shari

    January 26, 2022 at 9:44 am

    This is a wonderful idea. I am in a couple of groups, but none that meet this regularly. Thanks for sharing your experience.

    Reply
    • womenslegacy

      January 26, 2022 at 10:01 am

      It works. Started out for writing work, then moved on to other tasks that we use as excuses for procrastination.

      Reply
  4. Lauren

    January 27, 2022 at 7:40 am

    This is a great idea. Personally, I have just gone back to my life. Already had Covid and am no longer afraid. The mental damage it was doing far exceeded my fears. On I go…However, I realize and respect others feel they need to still isolate.

    Reply
    • womenslegacy

      January 27, 2022 at 8:44 am

      I haven’t had covid. I’m thrice vaxed. I am 64 and pre-diabetic, so covid could kill me. I haven’t had covid. So I still have to be careful. I do go out but masked. Thank you for understanding.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Recent Posts

  • Ending, and Beginning
  • For Our Daughters
  • Stand and Write
  • Context and Little Things
  • A Month is Just a Month… as Time Goes By
  • Processing Two Very Different Deaths
  • A Dehydrated and Delusional Friend Found Wandering in 100° Heat
  • About Women’s Legacy & Hill Research
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Archives

Powered by
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
View my Flipboard Magazine.

© 2023, Nancy Hill, Women's Legacy Project of Hill Research Services, LLC

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT