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?