Weeknote Sessions — a new space for Catalyst initiative leads
Weeknote writing sessions for Catalyst initiative leads. Write your weeknotes in a quiet, timeboxed space. Publish them on Catalyst Medium. Read others’ weeknotes to understand their joys and challenges. Then understand each other and our work better.
Summary
This post is for Catalyst initiative leads. That’s people leading or helping run services like Digital Candle, Catalyst Comms, Service Recipes etc… 👱🏾♂️👨🏻👩🏽🧓🏿👩🦱
Here’s the event sign-up.
And these guides and templates will help you with your weeknotes. They are reused from another programme.
I’m doing that thing I said I would… setting up weekly group weeknote sessions
At the last retro we talked about creating more empathy and collaboration👨🏻🤝👨🏾
We talked about wanting to understand each other’s work better and spotting ways to collaborate. We talked about doing this without relying on our monthly circle meetups. These meetups don’t allow us to share granular experiences or show each other enough of what matters to us in our work.
That’s how I remember it anyway. If anyone remembers differently please let me know and I will edit this.
I said ‘how about working more openly?’ 🤷🏼♀️
I did. A couple of times.
But working more openly is not so easy to begin. I find it difficult too.
So I said I’d be up for helping us be more open. I said I’d run 30 minute group weeknote writing sessions for initiative leads. As an experiment to help us write our own weeknotes.
I’m calling them Catalyst Weeknote Sessions. Catchy, huh? 😝
Six reasons to write weeknotes and do it together 👨🏻❤️💋👨🏾
I suggested Weeknote Sessions because:
- timeboxing works for most people as a way to get something done
- writing is easier to do when there is a shared commitment
- weeknotes are easy. You write about what matters to you, in whatever way you like (and you can use templates)
- weeknotes are quick — most of us can plan and write 150–300 words in 30 mins. You don’t even have to plan — streams of consciousness make perfectly good weeknotes.
- weeknotes create value for all the actors in the Catalyst network — writers get to reflect, other leads get to learn, wider folk feel closer to Catalyst — big wins all round
- its nice to come together on Zoom and do something that isn’t talking and listening — but is still connecting. Biscuits and tea are also nice.
A reminder of what weeknotes are ✏️💻
If you’re an initiative lead you’re probably not a newbie to weeknotes. However, I bet like me you appreciate a reminder from time to time of how weeknotes are not like the other things we write.
Notes not blogs
Weeknotes are notes, not blogs. They are shorter and can cover multiple topics that may not join together like they would in a blog.
Write about what you care about
The things you write about in a weeknote will always have one thing in common — they matter to you in some way.
Write about what has meaning to you.
Shine less
No polish is required. You’re probably worrying too much about how something sounds or comes across. Its ok to spit out how you’re feeling
Make them scannable
Be kind to each other, use sub-headings and break up your paragraphs like a bar of chunky chocolate.
Be reflective (or not)
Weeknotes can be reflective. They can share your process and thoughts and be inconclusive.
Or they can just describe what happened.
Or mix-up both.
Share what you don’t know
In a blog you share what you know. In a weeknote you can be much more open about what you don’t know. Share what you don’t know but would like to learn about or work out… l
Let go of needing to show you have the answers or are on the case. It helps everyone when you do.
Include life-stuff that matters to you
Weeknotes are your notes. Its ok to include details from other things in your life — the dog being sick, the great gig, how it felt to feel the rain/sun on your face. No rules. Just show why it matters to you.
How Catalyst Weeknote Sessions will run ⏰
Here’s how I see them running…
- Thursday 1.30–2pm. 30 mins, on Zoom.
- 3 mins or so for hellos, camera on
- Mics and cameras off after 3 mins
- Invitation to turn off other notifications, shut down other programmes for the duration (to minimise your own distractions)
- Write direct onto Medium (or other platform). Google docs create friction in your process.
How to get started 🚀
Sign up for Medium.
Email me your Medium username.
I’ll add you as a writer to the Catalyst Medium publication.
Read how to add a post to a publication so you know how to do it.
Scan some guides and templates to reuse, from another programme.
Reading each others weeknotes 📖
I’ll promote your weeknotes on Slack, so everyone knows whats been written. Or you can do this too.
Sign up for calendar invites to Catalyst Weeknote Sessions 🗓️
I think we should initially run these until the end of June, then see how they have worked and what we have learnt.
Sign up for one or many.
Image by Harry McGregor, used under license.
