Balance: Work and Family

I'm out of the business. I don't miss it, mostly because I could never attain the balance. Now I can. And it is good.

 

Even switching from writing, to a writing-editing hybird, to editing entirely, it's hard to find a balance. Really engage with those close to you on your time away from work, and make it a point to plan breaks, whether it's a half day or many, with emergency-only contact with the office.

 

It's not much better in news. Your schedule tends to be all over the place.

 

I think why people say news is better is that news writers never work more than 40 hours without overtime. I've told a few of my colleagues that I worked 60 and got paid for 40 and they were shocked. It's a different world.

 

I am getting sick looking at the 55-60 hours post. Why are you working so much? Either you like it, or you are not working efficiently enough. The occasional nutso week happens, but it shouldn't be regular.

I think all sports writers have to learn to check their ego. Especially, if you are not on a major beat. Reality is that extra 7-8 hours isn't creating value for the paper, you or the subject. YOU are not a must read and a final authority.

I know I am harsh, maybe more so than I mean to be, but, what are you actually creating of value in the extra time?

Pride?

We are pros, we work and write for money. If there is no economic value to my work, then my time would best be spent doing what I want to do -- and that's not slaving over the prep section.

Do a professional job, give it a professional amount of time and be a good craftsman. Take pride in your work. Be passionate. But, learn how to economize your time and not dump empty hours into something.

To slave with no economic benefit is not being professional, it's being an artist.

 

This, word for word.

Sportswriting is a fulfilling profession. But it's not 1/1,000th as fulfilling as the spouse/parent job. Don't let your boss tell you otherwise.

 

There absolutely is a way to cut hours. Don't work them.

I'm assuming (correct me if I'm wrong), that you are not getting paid for those 15-20 hours extra. Why are you working them then? Professional pride? Who gives a shit? The paper doesn't. If they did, they'd reward you, monetarily. Compliments, if they give them, while nice, don't contribute to your retirement fund. And if they're pressuring you, put a tape recorder in your pocket and tape them threatening you. There are labor laws in this country for a reason.

If you've learned anything on multiple threads on SJ, it's that the only person that will take care of you is yourself. The paper doesn't care. There's tons of stories of people working 20 years, all sorts of unpaid OT, and getting a cardboard box for a reward. Nor do the readers. They only care if Johnny's name is in the paper. They'd rather bitch about why you rather spend some time with your family rather than watch their little brat's JV game, because he works hard too.

I've worked the one-man shop in my 20s. I would have a few 50-60 hour weeks (usually during HS playoff time). I didn't know the law then, so I didn't get paid for my drive time, but otherwise, I made sure that I got paid that overtime. I'd tell my bosses about it in advance. They'd grumble, and I'd say, "Do you want it covered, or don't you?" They'd assent, and I'd have some extra money in my paycheck.

I've done the math thing on here before. Make $10 an hour. Get $15/hour for time-and-a-half. Work 50 hours a week, you'd be making $150 extra. Multiply that by 50 weeks, that's $7,500. Do that for ten years, you'd have $75,000. But not if you decide you want to do it "for the readers and your bosses".

You are working for yourself. Not for the paper, or for your readers. Yourself. If you truly feel that you need to spend this time, get paid for it. OTherwise, you'll be sitting one day all alone, with no job, no family, and no bank account.

 

If you're working 70 hours a week and only getting paid 40, that's illegal. As Baron said, labor laws exist in this country for a reason. If your employers are asking you to do that with a wink and a nod, it's still illegal.

If you're not getting overtime, you better be getting a shitload of comp time.

But that doesn't mean you should put in 70 hours when 40-45 would suffice. Budget your time. Not every event needs a body. Not every story requires an in-person interview that includes lunch for 3 hours.

If you're one-man banding it, cap your hours at 50. Doing more is hazardous to your long-term health. So you have 8 pages to fill? Maybe you and your managing editor need to talk about streamlining the sports section to better reflect the staff. Laying out 6 pages of wire copy and agate for two pages of locally produced material doesn't seem productive in my mind.

If you're not one-man banding it, what the hell are you doing working 50+, especially if you're on the desk? That's five ten-hour shifts, allowing for some screwups or late games that push your deadline. The internet goes down for a half hour, so you have to wait to post the material to the web before booking home. Whatever.

The only people who could conceivably be working 50+ are beat writers, and only then in certain situations. Long road trips for baseball writers. Coaching changes for major college programs and professional franchises. The World Cup. The Olympics. And even then, those are isolated incidents that allow for comp time and down time. It's why baseball writers go into hibernation for much of the winter, poking their heads out for winter meetings and a few isolated issues (free agent signings, staff changes, etc.)

And it's why football writers disappear for stretches of a time in late February/early March and again in pockets during the summer. Even Peter King, who seems to work non-stop (whether that work is any good is another argument), takes time off.

 

Best thing to happen to me was 10-3, then late-night editing. More time with family. I have weekends. Perfect world would be to keep this position with a seasonal beat (as in, say, basketball) that keeps me doing the writing and beat reporting I'm hard-wired to do. It's a void right now. But the hours are definitely better.

 

I've posted here already, but I keep thinking about it. I know it sounds elitist, but I don't know how else to say it: Do not - and I mean do NOT - give up a shot at a family for covering prep sports at a one-man shop. Seriously. How much do you get paid, by the way? I bet no more than $25K a year, right? Insane. And how old are you? Under 30, right?

Do NOT make this sacrifice. It's not a calling. It's not a duty. It's a job. At best, a career. I never like to shit on jobs, because I think that everyone's job is important to them and to somebody in some way, but let's be blunt here: You're not working in the pediatric neurosurgery unit. You're not the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan. You're covering prep sports for a small-town newspaper. The tradeoff is just absolutely, positively not worth it.

 

I've worked at small papers -- one or two-man shops -- going on seven years now.

While the job shouldn't take all the blame, it's been a major reason why I haven't been able to form many lasting relationships, be it friendships or anything romantic. The hours/responsibilities of a small shop grind on you, and right or wrong, my off days are often spent recharging my batteries rather than bettering myself or my situation. I'm just too worn down to do anything else.

As has been said, just do the best you can with a 40 hour/week time frame, and then GTFO. Why go the extra mile for a company that won't do the same for you?

It just isn't worth it.

That said, I can't imagine doing this with a family, especially if you have young children. Finding a balance -- if there is such a thing -- is fucking difficult enough when you're single.

 

There are jobs out there that allow you to use your communication skills, and live a real life. The one thing never to forget is that being able to put sentences together to make cogent and readable communications is a skill that is not as widely held as you might believe.