Community Managers and Sick Days
I’m sick. It’s certainly not the worse illness I’ve ever had, not by a long shot, but it includes a pretty annoying sore throat, which is probably one of my least favorite symptoms of being sick.
Anyway, if I wanted to, I could certainly force myself – mind over matter – to accomplish a lot today. But I am not going to do that because there really isn’t any reason to do so. Pretty much everything that I can accomplish today can wait a day or even a few days, until I’m feeling better.
I might poke around some projects as I am motivated to do so, but otherwise I am going to take it easy, get some rest, take some medicine, eat foods that make me feel better and drink plenty of liquids.
You should take care of yourself because taking care of yourself allows you to take care of your community.
This is why I believe in setting proper expectations, which include an understanding that you won’t always be there and that things can survive without you for a while. I’ve heard people say that they work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or that you need to be at your community every day. That is neither something to be proud of nor to aspire to. Not only is it unhealthy, but it creates a standard that you are pre-determined to fail at because you are not a robot.
If you get sick, try to listen to your body and slow it down a bit. In the long run, it’s better for all parties involved.
