A fellow site writer for the About.com company forwarded to me this article from our parent company, the New York Times. It was of such import that I feel compelled to share it with all my BIAB readers.
In the article, the growing problem of bloggers’ unhealthy working conditions and lives is explored, especially in the context of two recent high-profile deaths:
Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.
Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.
While blawggers are obviously approaching their blog tasks quite differently from those tech-oriented and political bloggers, we’re all still susceptible to the same stresses. No, we’re not blogging at 2 in the morning or (hopefully) falling asleep in front of the screen. But we have this whole other professional life to boot as lawyers, and for many of us, as business owners, too.
My readers mean too much to me. Please make sure you’re:
- Blogging productively. Use software and common sense to organize your posts and adhere to a schedule that will help you save time and keep repetitive tasks to a minimum.
- Getting sufficient rest. Not at your desk, mind you — in a real bed, with a pillow and everything, for at least 6 to 8 hours a night.
- Eating well. Forget diets and supplements (except a good multivitamin) — just aim for a balanced diet as full of low-on-the-food-chain foodstuffs as possible.
- Exercising regularly. Take a daily walk at lunch or before bed or when you get up in the morning — whatever works best for you.
When stress starts eating away at your psyche and your well-being, go into what I call “emergency maintenance mode” and practice extreme self care. All non-essential projects and tasks are put on hold or delegated. No new tasks are accepted. Daily meditation and a general attitude of forgiveness towards oneself for all the myriad things you’re not doing are requisite. Gentle, easy mind-body practices like yoga and tai chi are especially good, but only if you’re not going to beat yourself up over how you’re doing it, or how frequently.
Bottom line:: Don’t become another sad statistic. Be proactive and recognize the danger that lurks inside — our own perfectionism and need to excel.
