Blaise Grimes-Viort

Anyone involved in online communities or social media, particularly those responsible for managing these platforms, often find themselves pulled in many directions. Some days, my job as an online community manager can feel like a 24/7 engagement. The Internet never sleeps, and unless you’re disciplined, neither will you. This inevitably leads to burnout and an inability to operate at your full potential, which in turn will harm your community.

The common consequences of burning the candle at both ends when working are:

Tiredness: Your thinking becomes jumbled and you start making mistakes in small physical tasks. That 3% becomes 30%. The routine diplomatic email sent to a regular troublemaker is replaced by one telling them where they can stuff their complaint. This can severely damage your reputation and standing in the community you manage.

Social breakdown: You grunt at your kids when they gather round your computer asking for a few seconds of your attention. You notice your girlfriend growing distant and your parents call twice as many times as they used to. Lack of nurturing your personal relationships will lead you to wake up one day and realise you are alone.

Rising expectations: While career development does require working longer hours, accepting more and more work without any tangible reward will lead to a never-increasing cycle, causing more stress.

While some overtime is required in all jobs, doing so too frequently at the expense of your wellbeing will lead to lower productivity, so learning to managing work flow is vital. How best manage your life to achieve a good work and life balance as a community manager? Here are 6 tips to consider:

1. Learn to delegate

It’s always hard to say no, especially to friends and family or your boss. However, whether it’s a colleague suggesting you help in an extra project or one of your friends asking for a hand in managing the basketball team you play in, it’s always OK to politely turn the opportunity down. Move away from the things you get involved in out of guilt or obligation, and more time will free itself up for the activities which you enjoy and make you feel positive.

2. Protect your private time

This is probably one of the hardest points it achieve as a web worker. You must absolutely learn how to log off and focus on you rather than work for a while. Become digitally unavailable for a while, disconnect from all of your social tools and re-establish the boundary between work and home. When you are with friends, don’t be the one constantly Twittering or texting. You might find yourself alone when you bother to look up. Engage with your surroundings and give people your full attention, and your time will feel more fulfilling.

3. Simplify your processes

Regularly revisit your work and non-work processes and tasks and simplify them, ditching unnecessary or redundant ones. Track what you do and how you do it for a week, and decide what is absolutely necessary, what isn’t, and what you enjoy. Focus on efficiency for obligatory tasks, delegate if necessary, and build and stay on top of a calendar and to-do list. This will all make you feel on top of things and ensure you have time for personal projects.

4. Get some exercise

Frustrations at work, the pressures of managing a household and maintaining friendships will all eat you up over time, regardless of how efficient and thick-skinned you are capable of being. Physical exercise is well know to lower stress levels and promote a positive frame of mind, meaning you will avoid those sleepless nights and migraines. Why not arrange a team sport session with your workmates or friends? This means you don’t have to find time for it and can fit in some socialising too.

5. Invest yourself in hobbies

By getting involved in hobbies unrelated to digital, whether in artistic or social fields, you will expand your sources of inspiration and allow yourself to switch off from the unrelenting information flow social media subjects you to. By setting aside time each day or every other day for a hobby you enjoy, you can unwind and remove yourself from work-related thoughts. If you can’t think of a hobby, try several out; take basic courses in artistic disciplines, ask a friend to show you the basics of playing an instrument, or revisit your meals and cook them from scratch. Making time for activities that you don’t associate with work will rejuvenate you.

6. Value offline life

As enjoyable as meeting new people online, and building or maintaining friendships via social networks is, it cannot replace the psychological effectiveness of face to face interactions. Whether it’s meeting up with friends or having dinner with your family, ensure you regularly make time to spend in person with those closest to you. Social networks place emphasis on building large superficially loose social groups, but in times of stress of personal difficulties, these often aren’t as effective in providing support as a close real-life relationship can be.

7. Educate yourself

Obviously, it’s important to keep on top of new developments in your field of work, whether it’s new community management tools or social media sites you need to be aware of and consider integrating into your efforts at building successful online communities. But make time for new intellectual pursuits, as these can add depth to your professional body or knowledge, and give you insight into tangents and convergence of concepts with your discipline.

Remember the 5 facets of well-being: Physical health, Mental health, Social environment, Intellectual stimulation and Passionate pursuits.

One further point I won’t add on the list is taking care of your spiritual health (which would fall under mental health), as this is often a different concept for each individual. However I find that a spiritual program of some kind, whether religion, self-help, coaching or meditation helps put daily frustrations in perspective. Personally I am currently immersing myself in Zen and Buddhist philosophy; you might find solace elsewhere, but I can’t recommend some form of deep reflection enough.

Do you struggle to maintain a healthy work and life balance as a Community Manager? Or have you got a great plan you could share?

[photo by SashaW]