ZONE 0, 00, 000 (0-ZONES)
INTRODUCTION
This is the fascinating design for me which I started on the day I had my first tutorial in 2010 on the diploma pathway. QUESTION: How to design permaculture into my life? How to put into practice the diploma as a learning tool to grow as a person?
I am understanding more about how I make decisions about work-life, choosing where to live, relationships and of course life happens to us rather than being totally designed and planned. It feels that getting some methods into these decisions - even if writing lists of options is crucial to leading my life rather than reacting to it.
I have found it hard to budget my time, my money and my energy but I'm getting there. I love the path so far that permaculture has helped shape and feel really honoured to have been inspired and had influences that can lead to an ethical and enjoyable life. I will discuss various design methods/ tools I have used to try to sort out my "Inner Life - ZONE 00/ ZONE 000. I hope that some of these ideas will help others and that an evaluation of them will assist my future behaviours. Thanks to those that have informed me on my path and diploma path so far.
This is the fascinating design for me which I started on the day I had my first tutorial in 2010 on the diploma pathway. QUESTION: How to design permaculture into my life? How to put into practice the diploma as a learning tool to grow as a person?
I am understanding more about how I make decisions about work-life, choosing where to live, relationships and of course life happens to us rather than being totally designed and planned. It feels that getting some methods into these decisions - even if writing lists of options is crucial to leading my life rather than reacting to it.
I have found it hard to budget my time, my money and my energy but I'm getting there. I love the path so far that permaculture has helped shape and feel really honoured to have been inspired and had influences that can lead to an ethical and enjoyable life. I will discuss various design methods/ tools I have used to try to sort out my "Inner Life - ZONE 00/ ZONE 000. I hope that some of these ideas will help others and that an evaluation of them will assist my future behaviours. Thanks to those that have informed me on my path and diploma path so far.
UPDATE 2017 DESIGN METHOD: SADIM
FINDING AND PLUGING HOLES IN YOUR 0-ZONES.
I have tried to come up with a new way of thinking about ourselves.
I will use SADIM: SURVEY ANALYSE DESIGN IMPLEMENT AND MAINTAIN.
There are sub pages:
3.1 MORE SURVEY TOOLS: MY LIFE -
3.4 WELLBEING TOOLS
I will use SADIM: SURVEY ANALYSE DESIGN IMPLEMENT AND MAINTAIN.
There are sub pages:
3.1 MORE SURVEY TOOLS: MY LIFE -
3.4 WELLBEING TOOLS
SURVEY 0-ZONES
In Permaculture there are zones. The closer to the middle the closer to home, the lower the number. So to my initial thoughts Zone 0, Zone 00 & Zone 000 are all saying "the home itself, the individual in the home and the mind within the person". Normally permaculture seems to deal with the land about a home, but the 'people care' ethic of permaculture is attracting lots of interest. This design is partly my attempt to look after myself.
So my first design starts with myself. I do not want to be an armchair permaculturalist just reading the magazine and thinking how quaint it all is. Life is busy and I often feel stretched...... even without kids. I wanted to review what I do, my thoughts, feelings, actions, lifestyles, choices, habit, patterns and emotions as part of the survey.
Does my permacultural life include these?
So my first design starts with myself. I do not want to be an armchair permaculturalist just reading the magazine and thinking how quaint it all is. Life is busy and I often feel stretched...... even without kids. I wanted to review what I do, my thoughts, feelings, actions, lifestyles, choices, habit, patterns and emotions as part of the survey.
Does my permacultural life include these?
- What does a Zone 0/00/000 base map look like? here's my attempt.
ZoNe 0 - THe Big 0 - MAterial life
ZONE 0:
My material quality of life - 0 (possession audit, where do I want to live, car or no car? & finances)
My material quality of life - 0 (possession audit, where do I want to live, car or no car? & finances)
- Possessions - I really didn't want to do this - seemed an immense task and too OCD to do. Perhaps this means a great deal to learn from doing it.... I think moving house and building my room with storage solutions suffices for this as I have de cluttered several times.
- Shelter - I have made many decisions about where to live in during this diploma process and it is often fraught with complications. I have learnt to at least try to write down what I want, what each place can offer and then make a decision -Moving into a community led to many side benefits of community and land, moving out of the community and in with a partner gave me a sense of progression in my life.
- Car or No Car - I felt that I on balance after doing a PMI audit that I could cope without a car but it would be hard. Living in Central Norwich a car was a pain without anywhere near where I lived to park. Driving but still invaluable for going to places and for work and especially transporting things and giving me a sense of freedom. I decided to keep using the £300 car till it died. It did and I revelled in getting £90 scrap for it but as I am now living rurally now I got another car for £400. Invaluable I feel but I am aware of it's affect on my life and I think I could create an exercise to vision being carless. In practice the main thing is how a car stops be from exercising and how flexibility of options with a car leads to uncertainty and indecisiveness. I do share my car with others though. Updating this in 2017/8 the car was scrapped again and I am borrowing my parents car in the interim. I realised I needed a car to run a business involving plants and tools.
- My finances (financial audits, help to vision what work I want). I had always just been frugal but with dire finances I sat down and had to set limits to spending, account for all spending and reviewed monthly. I found this incredibly helpful when money was short and stopped me spending willy nilly. I had to save up for things I wanted and it forced me to ask for more work and set targets. I have to say that I didn't like it and with more regular income I have reverted to careful living without such strict rules. I did over return to this a few times when I realised I had money troubles coming up so THIS DID WORK and is worth revisiting especially the zoning of the week and end of month reviews.
ZONE 00 - The double 0 - The Phsyical BOdy
ZONE 00:
- My bodily health - 00 (diet, exercise, habits, kissability, ongoing health issues)
- DIET: smoothie station in my room for breakfast. Old Hall food is great and I can take smaller portions and no pudding. Otherwise my general health is good and my belly (indicator of weight levels) relates to how much exercise i get.
- EXERCISES: My belly! yoga is amazing but the lesson I love is £12 a go and I just feel thats too much. My current partner is encouraging me to exercise. I enjoy swimming and make it to the local pool as much as I can. It can be a barometer of how well I am - how often I get to the pool.
- HABITS: Am I self aware enough to understand my habits? I can change but it is hard, especially when I don't feel the need to e.g. coffee. I wish to explore the psychological edge that this creates more but I am good at being relaxed about things - not very fundamentalist, thank goodness. I have had it mentioned to me that I might be sabotaging my aspirations with this "relaxed attitude"....one to be aware of.
- KISSABILITY: Well dental hygiene first thing which has improved but teeth an issue so pork and chocolate avoided. Update: I have discovered little tooth pipe cleaners..... I have taken a "Love me as I am" attitude but realise that cutting my own hair can lead to general unkept mange look so try to go occasionally to hair dressers and repair clothes and generally try to not put anyone off too much. Something must have worked and I have partner - we both are merging towards each other - he buys less 'stuff' and I am being smarter in appearance.
- ONGOING HEALTH ISSUES: Nearly 4 years from diagnosis of HIV I am totally cool with it. I had no Platelets at one point which was scary. Now I just take two pills in the evening and I am 'undetectable' - medication suppresses the virus so you can't pass it on. This was a big wake up call for me and on reflection I think I am better for having had to cope with myself over the illness and with the recovery of my confidence, work life and relationshipping.
In Summary: I know about food and exercise. What stops me? What supports me? I feel there is a mental block and writing up this diploma is a fantastic metaphor for such a block.....7 years on and counting.
This is very relevant to my work as a medical herbalist as I see responses by the body to life situations. I also am interested in helping others get healthy so I need to go through a process of self awareness and taking positive steps to a healthier me.
ZOne 000 - The triple 0 - The MIND
ZONE 000:
- purpose and mission - 000 (what do I want from life?
See the many tools for self discovery I used in 3. 1 MY LIFE
- My emotional life - 000 (Happy? Wellbeing scales)
See 3.2 Measuring Triple 000 for some measurement tools and resources
- Spirituality?
SURVEY - OTHER TOOLS -
SURVEY - WELLBEING TOOLS
ANALYSIS
Taking together all of the survey data on myself it needs some analysis to read what is going on. There are three areas of life to engage with and for each I have found tools to help me. There are many lifestyle coaches and methods and the 0zones provides a framework for good living.
Analysis on me:
- I know that our lives throw up things so I valued getting more involved in life - taking responsibility. With advocacy and campaigning in the HIV world I satisfying this and as time has gone on, it is less important to me as I feel I have given enough to that cause. Future Purpose is directed to social enterprise and Herbaculture CIC.
- Living at Old Hall Community has had a huge influence on my personal and social life and being part of wider community. It has been amazing making decisions as a group and eating together. Although hard I have made the decision to move in with my partner into a 'normal' home but the process of deciding is with me having thought about it previously - giving some form of choice and empowerment. I am getting better at making decisions.
- I want to look at how to stay emotionally well and develop awareness of my mental wellness. With relationship we have ourselves looked at hard by others and learn new skills and become aware of old habits.
- I think I can move forward because I have taken stock of myself with this methodology.
The task is how to use this 'soul searching' to create something useful.
I could produce a checklist to plug holes in my 0zones.
I could produce a checklist to plug holes in my 0zones.
DESIGN
0-ZONE PLUGGING:
ZONE 0: MATERIAL
- Shelter
- Possessions
- Finance
ZONE 00: PHYSICAL
- Diet
- Exercise
- Habits
- Kissability
- Health
ZONE 000: PERSONAL
- Purpose
- Emotional
- Spiritual
How can I make the above SMART
SPECIFIC: Is there something in each category that stands out as a gap that needs plugging?
MEASURABLE: Can you know when it it is plugged?
ACHIEVABLE: Is it possible. realistic?
RADICAL: Does plugging the gap give you a sense of making a big difference?
TIMELY: Can I make it time bound to one day or one year?
(N.B. R is normally Realistic and using Radical this time is a Dan ism.....)
EVERYDAY PLUGGING:
Run through the list above for each of the 0zones. Give yourself a note by each one of a specific action you can realistically do today to plug a gap with would make you pleased. There may be some that are not relevant today. Create a checklist and then prioritise the actions. Set aside a time later to check they have been done and reflect on future plugging.
SPECIFIC: Is there something in each category that stands out as a gap that needs plugging?
MEASURABLE: Can you know when it it is plugged?
ACHIEVABLE: Is it possible. realistic?
RADICAL: Does plugging the gap give you a sense of making a big difference?
TIMELY: Can I make it time bound to one day or one year?
(N.B. R is normally Realistic and using Radical this time is a Dan ism.....)
EVERYDAY PLUGGING:
Run through the list above for each of the 0zones. Give yourself a note by each one of a specific action you can realistically do today to plug a gap with would make you pleased. There may be some that are not relevant today. Create a checklist and then prioritise the actions. Set aside a time later to check they have been done and reflect on future plugging.
IMPLEMENT
To implement this is can be done on ones own or in a workshop environment.
I wish to know how well I can measure the benefits of doing this 0zone plugging so I will start by completing a wellbeing scale (in 3.2 sub page)
19/12/2017
EWScale= 35/70 (started the day feeling low and hard to get motivated)
Then I will attempt to map the state of my 0zones and draw up a one day 0zone Plugging chart with numbers to prioritise the order to do the plugging.
ZONE 0:
6) Going to Old Hall and packing stationary and office into car to move to New house. - tick
5) Check Bank accounts online - tick
ZONE 00:
4) Eat prepared salad for lunch tick
3) head to pool to swim -tick
do not watch netflix today or keep as a reward later - still watched a bit of TV
2.5) Plug in electric toothbrush - couldn't find but shaved instead will look at old hall.
5) phone clinic for latest blood test results. - answer phone , tried three times.
ZONE 000:
1) Give gratitude to partner - tick
2) Enjoy looking at the river. - tick
I wish to know how well I can measure the benefits of doing this 0zone plugging so I will start by completing a wellbeing scale (in 3.2 sub page)
19/12/2017
EWScale= 35/70 (started the day feeling low and hard to get motivated)
Then I will attempt to map the state of my 0zones and draw up a one day 0zone Plugging chart with numbers to prioritise the order to do the plugging.
ZONE 0:
6) Going to Old Hall and packing stationary and office into car to move to New house. - tick
5) Check Bank accounts online - tick
ZONE 00:
4) Eat prepared salad for lunch tick
3) head to pool to swim -tick
do not watch netflix today or keep as a reward later - still watched a bit of TV
2.5) Plug in electric toothbrush - couldn't find but shaved instead will look at old hall.
5) phone clinic for latest blood test results. - answer phone , tried three times.
ZONE 000:
1) Give gratitude to partner - tick
2) Enjoy looking at the river. - tick
2/1/2018
EWScale = 51/70 (just moved in with Tom, feeling good)
ZONE 0:
2) Unpack boxes of tinctures tick
1) leave house tidy tick
3) sweep patio after flood tick
take seed trays and woodburner to allotment
4) check bank accounts tick
5) pay money into bank
4) consider online post office currency tick
ZONE 00:
5) shopping bearing in mind healthy diet tick
5) swimming no
5) haircut? no did it myself badly
5) trip to pharmacy tick
ZONE 000:
1) Unltd application tick
6) allotment designs for diploma no
6) meditation time to reflect tick
7) think of gesture to Tom tick
EWScale = 51/70 (just moved in with Tom, feeling good)
ZONE 0:
2) Unpack boxes of tinctures tick
1) leave house tidy tick
3) sweep patio after flood tick
take seed trays and woodburner to allotment
4) check bank accounts tick
5) pay money into bank
4) consider online post office currency tick
ZONE 00:
5) shopping bearing in mind healthy diet tick
5) swimming no
5) haircut? no did it myself badly
5) trip to pharmacy tick
ZONE 000:
1) Unltd application tick
6) allotment designs for diploma no
6) meditation time to reflect tick
7) think of gesture to Tom tick
2) 15/1/18
EWscale = 43/70 (getting a bit stressed with things to do before hols, personal life good but hard work, been allotment designing full on, need to connect with friends)
ZONE 0:
4) check money situation
4) sort files heaped in corner
5) phone switch sort - when one stops working and I need to switch sims.
1)& 5) permaculture diploma continue write up.
ZONE 00:
2) swim
4) niggle check up.
4) travel insurance check
ZONE 000:
3) reflections on what i need emotionally?
EWscale = 43/70 (getting a bit stressed with things to do before hols, personal life good but hard work, been allotment designing full on, need to connect with friends)
ZONE 0:
4) check money situation
4) sort files heaped in corner
5) phone switch sort - when one stops working and I need to switch sims.
1)& 5) permaculture diploma continue write up.
ZONE 00:
2) swim
4) niggle check up.
4) travel insurance check
ZONE 000:
3) reflections on what i need emotionally?
26/1/18
EWscale= 54/70 (getting closer to finishing this diploma, submitting CIC forms and heading to Australia. Been in touch with family more)
EWscale= 54/70 (getting closer to finishing this diploma, submitting CIC forms and heading to Australia. Been in touch with family more)
MAINTAIN
Make it snazzy to make it easy to share it with others and use myself.
There are new terms here. 0zone plugging and 0-zoning....
Keep track of the EW wellbeing scale results. With evaluations on how it seems to work for me.
This will help me form a plan of how to use EW scales as they are recognised by the 'establishment'. I want to know how much my figures are stable and what influences the way I would answer.
In the last 4...... in just over a month.
35, 51, 43, 54 = Average of 45.75 Seems not too way off......I often eeeerrred on whether it was a 3 or a 4?
In rating the performance of a course (Update: Design 8) I have yet to explore how these scores can be bias free? Maybe get an external person to take or send online survey monkey forms?
There are new terms here. 0zone plugging and 0-zoning....
Keep track of the EW wellbeing scale results. With evaluations on how it seems to work for me.
This will help me form a plan of how to use EW scales as they are recognised by the 'establishment'. I want to know how much my figures are stable and what influences the way I would answer.
In the last 4...... in just over a month.
35, 51, 43, 54 = Average of 45.75 Seems not too way off......I often eeeerrred on whether it was a 3 or a 4?
In rating the performance of a course (Update: Design 8) I have yet to explore how these scores can be bias free? Maybe get an external person to take or send online survey monkey forms?
EVALUATION OF 0-ZONES:
I realise from doing this 0-Zoning, to coin a phrase, that I have created a base map and then have been working to that plan. So just as with land designs it helps us take stock and show clients what we want to achieve so could a base-map for Zones 0, 00 and 000.
The diagnosis has got me to a place of self reflection and a way to do something about it.
SO YES IT HAS WORKED:
WHERE 0-ZONING MAY STRUGGLE AS A DESIGN TOOL:
IS IS USEFUL TO OTHERS?
I think that the ideas and resources in 3.1 and 3.2 can be of use to individuals and also can lead to giving research significance to these questions. Ultimately in how to prove whether a community gardening project has health benefits and quantify cost effectiveness.
1) Develop zones 0,00,000 as a concept for people to use.
2) look at Aranya's A4 life sheet to consider how to keep track of how you are and to become aware of yourself. The idea is that with awareness comes the ability to meaningfully change.
3) I wanted to explore ZONE 000 and come up with and use the wellbeing scales or something similar to see if they can be used as a research/ evaluation tool for projects?
I realise from doing this 0-Zoning, to coin a phrase, that I have created a base map and then have been working to that plan. So just as with land designs it helps us take stock and show clients what we want to achieve so could a base-map for Zones 0, 00 and 000.
The diagnosis has got me to a place of self reflection and a way to do something about it.
SO YES IT HAS WORKED:
- It has systematically taken me from the material world to my mental life. It is a useful concept and there is huge potential in it.
- It has helped me to identify a pattern in my behaviour "avoiding conflict and difficult tasks"
- The venn visioning means I know that whatever I do in life needs to be about health, the land and education.
WHERE 0-ZONING MAY STRUGGLE AS A DESIGN TOOL:
- It is a vague and very personal concept but we are talking about humans and their inner lives. It may struggle to get recognition from the land based permaculture folk.
- It is more a collection of tools. There are obviously many many more tools out there which could be collected into this 0, 00, 000 classification.
- The final tool is a bit simplistic but it does need to be individual.
IS IS USEFUL TO OTHERS?
I think that the ideas and resources in 3.1 and 3.2 can be of use to individuals and also can lead to giving research significance to these questions. Ultimately in how to prove whether a community gardening project has health benefits and quantify cost effectiveness.
1) Develop zones 0,00,000 as a concept for people to use.
2) look at Aranya's A4 life sheet to consider how to keep track of how you are and to become aware of yourself. The idea is that with awareness comes the ability to meaningfully change.
3) I wanted to explore ZONE 000 and come up with and use the wellbeing scales or something similar to see if they can be used as a research/ evaluation tool for projects?
Reflections
I really like SADIM for being really simple. It worked well for the non land based nature of this design. Survey is broad enough to fit all the practical tools I used. The survey seems the biggest part of this design. The design stage is how to make something out of the gathered and analysed information. This was a simple technique based on my own version of SMART. I proved a good way to keep abreast of areas in my life.
I really like SADIM for being really simple. It worked well for the non land based nature of this design. Survey is broad enough to fit all the practical tools I used. The survey seems the biggest part of this design. The design stage is how to make something out of the gathered and analysed information. This was a simple technique based on my own version of SMART. I proved a good way to keep abreast of areas in my life.
ETHICS AND PRINCIPLES EVALUATION USING HOLMGREN's 12
PERMACULTURE ETHICS IN DESIGN 3:
0-ZONES Earth Care: THE IMPACT WE HAVE ON OUR PLANET WITH OUR MATERIAL WORLD People Care: PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE IS THE FOCUS OF THIS DEISGN, HEALTH AND WELLBING Fair Share: THIS IS HARDER TO SAY BUT ITS ABOUT FAIRNESS TO ONES SELF. This is a design that focuses on people really. Perhaps an area underserved by permaculture. It is very interesting to explore ethics in relations to mental health and how we treat ourselves as a metaphor for how we treat others and the planet. |
PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES IN DESIGN 1: PEOPLE'S COMMUNITY GARDEN
Stronger Principles:
Weaker Principles:
Stronger Principles:
- Observe and Interact: I remember spending many days between xmas and New Year on my own thinking and working through many of these tools.
- Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback: The finance tool using spreadsheets which was in part out of necessity led me to greater awareness of my 0-Zones.
- Slow and Small solutions: The pathway for the diploma and the mental journey has been slow and small (perhaps dead and then frantic) but it has allowed time to reflect.
- Use and Value Diversity: I certainly had many tools to choose from.
Weaker Principles:
- Use and Value Renewable Resources: Other than me being renewed I found this the most difficult principle to claim here.
- Obtain a yield: Im not sure I got a fully rounded 'thing' to pass onto others.
REFLECTIONS ON USING THESE PRINCIPLES AFTER 3 DESIGNS:
I think I am more interested in looking at all 12 principles and using them to design a methodology. They are of course useful for checking glaring omissions and ideas for change but how would it look it not start a project unless they had all been considered. (NB FUTURE DESIGN.....)
There are also other permaculture principles that I want to explore. e.g. Molison's.
There are always some principles that stand out as being more relevant but with careful words I'm sure all could be claimed for every project.
Using the From Patterns to Details Principle.....Patterns that emerge in my design work?
I think I am more interested in looking at all 12 principles and using them to design a methodology. They are of course useful for checking glaring omissions and ideas for change but how would it look it not start a project unless they had all been considered. (NB FUTURE DESIGN.....)
There are also other permaculture principles that I want to explore. e.g. Molison's.
There are always some principles that stand out as being more relevant but with careful words I'm sure all could be claimed for every project.
Using the From Patterns to Details Principle.....Patterns that emerge in my design work?
- obtaining a yield can be hard
- Im catching and storing energy with an online diploma
- slow and small solutions is not always my way of doing things
- I like to creatively use and respond to change. I love the permaculture diploma pathway idea of taking things around to create a visual example of a map - rope candles apples etc.