Lesson 3: Domain capacity limits + pausing rules

This is the simplest lever that prevents burnout.

A) Why capacity limits matter

Without limits, the village becomes:

• “whoever asks loudest gets help”
• “helpers become invisible infrastructure”
• “burnout becomes normal”
• “the village loses its best people”

Capacity limits protect the humans who make the village real.

B) Domain capacity settings (simple, enforceable)

Every domain must have:

• Steward assigned (or domain is paused)
• Weekly Capacity Limit
• Request size limits
• Emotional load rules

Suggested starter limits (for ~100 people)

• SharedMeals: 6–10 hours/week total matches
• MobilityAndErrands: 4–8 hours/week
• LightMaintenance: 4–6 hours/week
• ToolsAndResources: 2–4 hours/week
• SkillShares: 2–6 hours/week
• ChildcareSupport: 2–4 hours/week (only with clear boundaries)
• CareAndListening: 2–4 hours/week (only with strong consent and steward oversight)

These are intentionally conservative. Increase only after stability.

C) Pausing rules (normalize this)

A domain should be paused when:

• no steward is assigned
• capacity limit is reached
• steward is overloaded
• completion rate drops below an acceptable threshold
• conflict or safety risks are rising
• too many requests are “High emotional load” without care staffing

Pausing is a safety feature. A paused domain means the system is functioning, not failing.

D) What happens when a domain is paused

Steward actions:

• update domain Status = Paused
• post a short notice (in Mighty) explaining:

Requests in that domain:

• either closed cleanly with rewrite support
• or moved to “NextWeek” with a clear time window

E) The “two-week review” rule

Every pause must include a review date. Pauses without review dates become drift.

Rollout success at Day 90 (the real win)

You’ve succeeded if:

• stewards aren’t burnt out
• domains are actively paused and unpaused as a normal behavior
• requests are mostly clear
• closure is habitual
• villagers trust the system enough to use it weekly
• the feed remains a companion hub, not an operations swamp

If you want, I can now generate:

• the Section 5 quiz (Yes/No gates + link placeholders)
• the exact “Paused Domain Notice” post copy
• the “State of Exchange” monthly update template that stays non-shaming and still delivers real clarity