I am asking this to web entrepreneurs among you.

How many hours of work you put in daily for your success. If you have a job, include that too.

I, for example get up at 5AM. After my morning tea and twenty minutes on treadmill, I open my laptop and start work on web business by 6 AM.

I work for two hours and then it is time to get ready to hospital, send my son to schol etc.

I leave for hospital by 9 AM.

I come back by 4 Pm, have evening tea and  spend rest of time till 7 PM in clinic.

Next two hours I spend with my family, play with children.

I work for another one hour before I sleep.

I think on any given day I work for 12-13 hours.

What about you?

One of my physician relative works in a private clinic run and managed by a single doctor. Recently, she absented herself at the workplace for health reasons.

As it turned out to be, she was not paid for the days she did not work.

Consider this!

Her work in the clinic generates 8-10 times of her pay and in away she is underpaid. She is okay with that but this deduction was a kind of setback for her.

“Its like working on a daily wage”, She protested  as she narrated the incidence.

But she is continuing the job.

When you are in ajob, you continue that for some or other reason as it makes you feel insecure if you leave it.

You make adjustments to suit your job, which normally you would not.

Like going to work with your body burning in fever.

Yes! I have done that because my boss refused to permit a leave to me when I was in my residency.

Recently I came across a survey by Halls that 43% of Americans work when they are sick and should be resting.

Because they fear they would loose their job or pay raise.

Sick! Isn’t that?

Online business can be taxing. Most of the people work part time, alone and in a sea of scepticism from the people they have in their circle. Starting and growing an online business involves work, demands time, sincerity and generally is not at the pace you anticipated.

There would be times when you get disappointed, depressed and full of negative thoughts.

I cannot do it.

I want to quit.

It is unrewarding and demanding.

I am not able to afford it.

I would keep doing this in a wrong way.

In such situations all you want to do is quit.

Quitting is a very easy option. All you need to is stop working.

Quitting seems beautiful. No more sleep deficits, no more head scratching for new ideas, no more writing articles. No more sitting on the computer.

Suddenly, the quitting becomes most reasonable option.

Why struggle. After all you had been managing pretty well with your job income. Why then?

But in one corner of your mind, you have a voice that says to you exactly the opposite.

Its too soon. I need to work more. it would produce results.

But that voice gets feebler and feebler when you consider quitting.

What to do?

If you want to succeed, you cannot quit. Moment you quit, you fail permanently.

In such situations, you need to diffuse this momentary negativity and encourage your other voice.

Remember! It is a temporay feeling and once you get over it, you would be perfectly normal after it goes.

Stop all business activity in such situations. Shut your computer. Put your notes back and do something that would divert your focus. You can watch TV,talk to your friend or family, go for a walk, play a physical game and so on.

Come back when you are back to your normal self.

DO not succumb to transient emotions. Your business needs you.

I happened to read Tim Berry’s post at Small Business Trends where he mentioned a recent news published in New York Times titled In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop.

The story mentions that two bloggers have died following heart attacks and other one just survived a massive one.

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.

The article also discusses stress and disorders caused by blogging.

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.

Even the bloggers have been compared to home labrores

A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.

Blogger community has mixed reaction on this story. Some have shown the concern and others have laughed away when told blogging might kill them.

Well! No one is immune to death and two bloggers have died does not imply that blogging is serious offence to health.

But it is a good time that we take a stock of the situations.

Being trained in medical science, I understand the importance of co-incidence and absence of it.

While we can laugh at the news being projected as blogging as cause of death, we should not overlook the fact that stress in blogging demands concern.

Tech Crunch is highly successful blog which people marvel at. Look how the news quoted its co-editor

“I haven’t died yet,” said Michael Arrington, the founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, a popular technology blog. The site has brought in millions in advertising revenue, but there has been a hefty cost. Mr. Arrington says he has gained 30 pounds in the last three years, developed a severe sleeping disorder and turned his home into an office for him and four employees. “At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen.”

Blogging may not be cause of death per se but it is definitely a source of stress.

Next question that we must ask ourselves is

Is blogging more stressful than the routine jobs people take ?

Blogging was supposed be a pleasurable activity. Recently it has become a business. But that does not mean that it should bring more stress and side effects than if you were not doing it.

Consider this!

Most of the people who are blogging are in the lower rung. They probably have a job and blog in their spare time. Blogging for them should not be stress.

Then there are full time bloggers. Those whose life and career depends on blogging. They must blog everyday to stay ahead of the competition, to surpass the competition etc etc.

The home is their office and they are never off their work. There are taargets to be completed, budgets to be adjusted and so on…. Continuous pressure builds stress. Compliment it with lack of exercise and sedentary life style.

Yes! There could be an increased risk.

But the risk is not because of the nature of work. People who do 9-5 jobs are also at risk if they have same habits.

The risk is because of life style.

The risk is because of stress involved.

Here is my sincere advise to all of you wherever you are in the ladder

Blog but do not die as a consequence.

Hold on!

Its not a race. Moment you make it a race, you are at increased risk.

Money is important but not at cost of life.

You must offset you stress. Take frequent breaks. Indulge in fun. Work out.

Its your life. No one can care it for you if you do not.