Ritual
Load-shed ritual
In Makhanda, every unexpected Stage 4 hits like a curveball, but a simple weekly load-shed ritual keeps teams focused.
When to start the load-shed ritual
Kick off this ritual as soon as the Eskom schedule updates (usually Thursdays for the week ahead) or after your team is caught off guard twice in one week. The real sign you need it? If you’ve had to reschedule a delivery run to Middelburg because the oven or till was dead, or if clients complain about missed WhatsApps thanks to dead routers, it’s time. Teams using the Ritual Pack know the drill: regular disruptions demand a rhythm, not a scramble.
The step-by-step weekly sequence
Block out 40 minutes every Monday, first thing after the kettle’s boiled but before you lose your first hour to Eskom. Everyone knows what to do because the steps are taped to the fridge. The Load-shed Ritual runs best if you follow these:
- Gather the team for a 5-minute quick check-in. The Ops lead sets the timer.
- Open the local load-shedding schedule and mark red blocks on a printed week planner (10 minutes). Office admin or owner does this.
- Pull out the Ritual Pack’s scenario cards and walk the team through decision points for power-off windows: what moves, what stalls (10 minutes).
- Assign shifts for essential tasks during power-on periods (8 minutes). For a bakery, that’s baking and POS; for a print shop, printers and email responses.
- Review battery and inverter status. The person on last shift Friday checks charge levels and backup supplies (5 minutes).
- Check the Chaos Reset list for any urgent tasks that rely on electricity. Flag anything at risk.
- Confirm courier cut-offs and adjust collections if needed (use WhatsApp or email). Whoever handles suppliers, usually the same person tracking waybills, does this (2 minutes).
- End with each person stating one thing they will time-shift this week.
Roles for a small team
In a Makhanda co-op with four to seven staff, the owner or general manager leads the ritual. Office admin does the calendar, production lead checks equipment, and someone from sales or customer support handles supplier calls and courier reroutes. If you’re two people, divide it: first person checks the schedules and batteries, second covers suppliers. If you’ve got more than ten, break into buddy pairs. Don’t forget: the person who opens the building next day must double-check backup power. Happens alot that the inverter is left uncharged after month-end push.
Typical traps and how to avoid them
Teams skip this ritual when the week’s load-shedding looks mild, only to get burned by last-minute schedule changes. Another trap is relying on old WhatsApp groups that miss updates from the municipality. In Middelburg, a tile fitter like Lindi’s Tiles missed a R2,500 VAT job because the card machine died at 4pm. To dodge these, use the pre-ritual checklist, confirm your plan against the latest Twitter or City Power alert, and always have one paper copy of the week’s plan near the main work area.
How to close out and repeat
End with a two-minute stand-down: update the main planner and assign who’ll check backup supplies on Friday afternoon. If you had zero surprises, consider running the ritual fortnightly, but check the cadence suggestions first. If you lost a day or missed a supplier, repeat weekly until things stay steady. For more tips, see weekly rituals that survive load-shedding and other rituals.
