This past weekend, the New York Times ran a semi-sensational article about the stressful - possibly life-threatening - nature of blogging. The headline read: “In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop“.
The article highlights the pressure to relentlessly post day after day, poor health habits from sitting before a computer screen, and bad separation between home and work - tricky since blogging is usually done at home. Without limits, there is the temptation to forgo sleep to blog.
Technology blogger Michael Arrington of TechCrunch had a representative quote:
“I haven’t died yet,” said Michael Arrington, the founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, a popular technology blog. The site has brought in millions in advertising revenue, but there has been a hefty cost. Mr. Arrington says he has gained 30 pounds in the last three years, developed a severe sleeping disorder and turned his home into an office for him and four employees. “At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen.”
Something to think about. But here’s my take:
I missed the article because I was out of town, enjoying day hikes out of the city. We stayed at a bed and breakfast where there was no television, no cell phone coverage - and I didn’t bring my computer.
It was wonderful. And not having to blog was the icing on the cake.
So I have been thinking, personally, about the amount of time I spend blogging and how to manage stress. I’m currently grateful that I treat my blog as a hobby, not a business. That alone reduces a lot of the pressure.
What I need to work on is resisting the urge to post constantly. It’s okay to take a few days off here and there. It may be better to take a vacation during the short term in order to maintain blogging for the long term.
Do you have any tips on managing blogging stress? What did you think about the New York Times article?
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This was such a good post! Many people forget that there’s a real life out there outside of the ‘net. It’s easy to get online and then forget the time. It’s happened to me, and my family members, on many an occassion.
I think if one get’s frequently lost when it comes to the time spent online, a nice alarm clock can help. Set it to go off after a certain amount of time and know when it goes off, you are done for the day.
Also, one thing I’ve done this past week is to buy a “MioSport” watch. It’s an bulky watch that sits on my arm and is a constant reminder that I must be active to stay healthy. It’s one of those watches that lets you check your resting heart rate and your BPM. It also counts calories when you work out. And since I, too, have gained weight since becoming a ‘netrepreneur as well as a weak back from too much time sitting, it’s a visual reminder for me to get up and get moving.
Another thing that happens is that you develop a lot of “online buddies” and they can sometimes take away from “real life buddies” so understanding that we need in-person contact is also vital to our health and well-being, for without it, one can totally get depressed.