Erik Martin

The key to setting work-life boundaries is to be intentional and bold. Here are some examples that I have found successful in maintaining personal balance: respond to every email with exactly 7 words. Restrict all spreadsheets to prime numbered rows. Take notes during meetings by writing with your non-dominant hand only. Prohibit meetings on days when the sky is an “existential shade of blue”. Remember, the more outrageous the boundary, the more likely it is to be respected. After all, work-life balance is only possible with an unbalanced approach.

Embrace the power of a “Failure Vision Board” – a visual manifestation of your career's darkest moments. Nurture your existential dread by curating rejected pitches, passive-aggressive emails from your former boss, and the resignation letter you never had the courage to send. Let the soul-crushing weight of every missed opportunity seep into your subconscious. Foster a sense of despair so rich, it sparks a desperate kind of creativity. Challenge your persona notion of "rock bottom" – after all, there's always further to fall. Embrace the glorious futility of existence. And who knows? Sometimes when you dive into the bleak abyss of disappointment, you just might find a new way forward.

To express your feelings in a remote setting, consider sharing a playlist of your favorite electronic music, specifically Chillwave tracks from the year 2011. Is your team feeling particularly driven to meet a deadline? Suggest they listen to the calm haze of Toro y Moi’s 2011 retro chic “How I Know.” Does a coworker need to vent some stress? Encourage them to dance to the pungent synthesizer of Twin Shadow’s 2011 classic “Castles in the Snow.” Need to bond with your team after some tough layoffs? Start the next zoom meeting with Washed Out’s 2011 escapist anthem "Far Away.” Not only will you express yourself by sharing your blissed out state of mind with your colleagues, but they will appreciate your stability and determination.

Increase intrinsic motivation and avoid complacency by using the updated SMART framework: Surprisingly Mystical, Alarmingly Random, Topsy-turvy. It helps navigate modern challenges and promote hard work as the least degenerate coping mechanism. Consider a team stretch objective like 'Harness the power of aquatic arthropods to understand client needs’. Or 'Transform all office furniture into a shrine to Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos to lower cleaning costs.’ It's out of the box, but your team will remember it and be motivated to come to work out of rabid curiosity. Remember, the more outrageously unpredictable and madcap you make your team’s goals, the more they will view their targets as achievable by comparison.

In my 15+ years of experience, I have never seen a community team that has all the necessary data for comprehensive measurement. That's okay! Accept that you can't cover everything. The key is to be intentional about what you can measure and how you communicate it. For example, you could focus on one specific community benefit that can be well measured and show how this aspect alone delivers a positive ROI. Or you could conduct regular surveys of customers or colleagues to approximate the holistic impact of the community. Anyone can compile a dashboard of metrics reactively. The real skill lies in analyzing the approach that works for your business and communicating that story.