Internet Marketing and Social Media Consultants

The New York Times‘ Matt Richtel ran an interesting piece in Sunday’s paper about the perils of blogging.

The rigors of blogging, especially in the technology circuit, are taking their toll on some of the most hard working bloggers out there. A couple have died, another barely survived a massive heart attack, and others, like TechCrunchs’ Michael Arrington, are gaining weight and losing sleep over the 24-hour drain that is techblogging.

“At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen,” said Arrington. “This is not sustainable.”

With technology news spanning the globe and often breaking during the wee hours of the morning, the pressure to be first to the story is immense. There is no nine to five with a wind down period for a lot of bloggers, and this constant urge to be on the cutting edge is helping lead some to physical and mental health problems.

Of course, bloggers like Arrington would do it if it wasn’t thrilling. Lawyers straight out of school in New York are familiar with 90 hour weeks. There is nothing particularly unique about bloggers wearing themselves out. It’s just another high-stakes game where you’ve got to outperform a very hungry opposition to survive.

Perhaps a difference in blogging is the solitary nature of it. Sure, you’re on the phone quite a bit, texting and emailing, and a little downtime will inevitably be met with questions of where the heck you are, but you are often essentially by yourself, in your own home, with nobody watching over you. You can stay up all night, fill up on Red Bull, and eat nothing but Chinese takeout while not getting any exercise. The social element of some high-stress jobs tends to keep people from going off the deep end, because someone is there to look at you and say, “you need to get some fresh air and decent meal.” While a good deal of top bloggers travel a lot and have people working alongside them, many don’t, and so there’s nobody there to let you know that maybe you’ve gone too far.

But, hey: this is America. Getting ahead takes hard work, and every profession requires people find a balance. Blogging is no different.

Technorati Tags: blogging, stress