ARE YOU LIKE IAN ? Barely motivated, missing the fact that you still can't go to coffee shops and therefore don't have passive working environments to keep yourself going? Do you have a condition like asthma or immunodeficiency that makes you particularly at risk when you leave the house, and therefore you try not to as much as possible? Have you recently hit a productivity wall, and getting things done some days feels like pulling teeth? Do you have a big project deadline looming over your shoulders? Do you just want a bit of community while you work on whatever you need to (maybe its cleaning, maybe its getting conts, maybe it's work stuff, whatever your thing is is good)?

IF YOU SAID YES TO ANY OF THOSE THINGS, DO WE HAVE A GROUP FOR YOU!

How is it different from the Classic Study Group you helped organize at the start of the world ending, you may ask? Simple. While the Study Group chat is focused on laying down our goals for the period and having some sort of accountability, it does not have "face-to-face" time. This group will focus on such "face-to-face" time, where members of it can actually work together in real time to accomplish their goals. 

Does this actually work to motivate people, or will they just get distracted by community, you may ask? A little less simple, and it honestly depends on the person. Some people genuinely have to be alone to get things done. If you're one of those people, this probably isn't for you. If you're a person who goes to coffee shops or libraries or other public areas where others are working around you and you need that sort of energy to feel motivated, this group is for you.

How does it work, you may ask? Members of the group will agree on a time in which is best to work together for an hour to an hour and a half. Shorter sessions can morph into longer sessions as necessary, but forcing people to block out more than an hour once a week can be tricky. Right now, the idea is Wednesday night at 7EST. That can change according to availability of the participants. At the agreed upon time, all members will log on to Skype or another similar platform that can allow for video and audio conferences. Members do not need to turn on their camera unless they desire to, and platforms such as Skype or Discord have better ability to mask identity if you do not want to reveal your real name. Attendance will be optional, and you do not have to attend each session. 

In general, the sessions will follow a format similar to this:

10 minutes: Everyone who wants to share about struggles they've faced in the last week can. If there are any topics members want specific advice on, they can use this time to seek the advice. During the last minute or two, users will each give an actionable goal of what to accomplish during the session. 

40 minutes: Everyone is working along side each other. It doesn't have to be a silent period, and users are encouraged to share things that come up as they work. However, this time is meant to work, so chit-chat should be mostly avoided unless its discussion on work. 

10 minutes: Session debrief, where we talk about if we completed our goals, suggestions we want to implement, etc. During the last minute or two of this time, users will explore their goals for the time between now and the next meeting. 

That will be adjusted as necessary to meet the specific needs of the group once it has formed, but similar formats generally work, and that's what I've seen in previous groups I've been in. 

DO YOU WANT THIS FORMAT, BUT NOT TO JOIN A GROUP WITH MORE THAN ONE OTHER PERSON? There's an option for you, too! I can hold office hours/study sessions at almost any point in time if you PM me on Skype or Discord. You can either shoot me a line and we can work together whenever is convenient for you, or we can schedule something out if you know in advance you'll need some accountability. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a workshop group, and the purpose of the group is not to critique each others ideas. It is about supporting each other through our various types of work. If you're a writer and want to do a writing workshop type thing, I can also set up times for that stuff as well.


ARE YOU INTERESTED?  You can either post here or dm me either on skype/discord/here with your info, and I'll add you to the group chat where we will discuss logistics if people are actually interested. 

PLEASE help me i'm drowning in work and every day that i dont work with other people who are also working i feel less and less motivated. cleav said i can do this but wasn't sure how many people if anyone would be interested pls prove her/us wrong.