A Micro Society is a intentional community of ~1,000 people designed to dramatically reduce living costs while maintaining high quality of life through collective efficiency. The community provides extensive support systems while preserving individual choice in how to live, work and contribute. This creates a framework where people can live more simply but better - with less personal maintenance burden and more time for what matters to them. The model balances individual autonomy with community support through several key [[principles - micro society|principles]]: [[the micro society contract]] - [[consensus process - governance - village living|concensus process]]: Making decisions that affect everyone, getting things done as a community, and resolving conflicts - [[resource - village living|resource]]: things that enable systems and tasks - [[systems - village living|system]]: a collection of resources and tasks that produces specific outputs to guarantee a community need - [[task system - village living|task]]: Single, well-defined activity that maintains or operates a system - [[skill - village living|skill]]: multiple levels of learned abilities that require training and demonstrated competence - [[capabilities - village living|capabilities]]: Natural or physical ability that enables task completion e.g. - [[standard operating procedures (sops) - village living|SOP]]: Step-by-step documentation for completing a task [[foundational community formation process - village living|where to start]] - Collective efficiency (shared resources + expert processes) - Democratic resource allocation: you have a say in every decision that affects you - Skills-based task matching: explore how you want to contribute to your community - Transparent contribution tracking: allows for human centric efficient systems - pursue excellence Focus on reducing community burden while maintaining high quality of life #### Core Elements - reduction in [[domestic labor estimates|domestic labor]] from 35 hrs/week to 8 hrs/week - Guaranteed basic needs (food, housing, water, electricity, internet, waste management) decided democratically - Modest private spaces complemented by exceptional shared amenities (professional kitchens, workshops, recreation facilities) - Regenerative food systems integrated into community layout - members live where their food grows - ~10 hours/week of community service provides access to all basic needs - Flexible task system matching individual interests/abilities with community needs - Full freedom to work, worship, and participate in external society #### The Task System - Work organized around specific tasks rather than rigid roles - Members can develop expertise in areas of interest - Focus on matching tasks to individual preferences and capabilities - System optimizes for both human flourishing and community needs - Clear pathways for learning new skills #### Economic Model - 60-90% cost reduction in basic needs through collective efficiency - Roughly half of members expected to work externally - Individual autonomy over personal income/property - Strategic engagement with external economy while maintaining internal resilience - High standard of living achieved with minimal financial/labor burden - [[external internal labor model - village living]]