Officers' Quarters: The importance of finding 'me time'
by Scott Andrews 
Mar 5th 2012 at 1:00PM
Something most nonofficers don't realize is the amount of time that officers spend dealing with guild business when we're otherwise off the clock. Nights with no official events can seem like a great time to log in and enjoy a relaxing solo play session. You plan to work on an alt, level a profession, or earn some achievements.
Then a member whispers you about a loot issue, someone else needs a few alts invited, a third member wants to talk strategy for the next raid, and so on. Suddenly your night is gone and you haven't managed to finish anything you actually set out to do -- especially relax. This week, one guild leader wants to know how to carve out some time for herself.
Hi Scott,
I assumed leadership of our social/casual guild early in the winter, and with the help of two senior officers have resurrected that which was once essentially dead. We have enjoyed the process of breathing life into our little community, and welcomed new guildies with open arms. As the weeks passed interactions between the members increased, guild chat started being used, dungeon runs and retro-raids started happening again, and each week more players entered the fold.
Then with the addition of the spouse and friends of one of our guildmates, we embarked on a raiding career. We are now 5/8 DS 10N, and run regularly two or three nights a week. As is so often the case, we now have more DPS that are interested in raiding than spots available, so we have stepped up recruiting to find enough raid-ready people so that we can start a second raid group.
I sometimes find this process exciting and rewarding, but more and more I am feeling overwhelmed. In addition to raiding and leading the guild, I am also an extremely serious alto-holic. I love questing. I have all the professions covered (some more than once), and on top of seeking out and collecting all the professional recipes, I also collect mounts and pets.
I don't mind putting my responsibilities to the guild and the raid team before my own playtime, but I am finding it harder and harder, with the growth of the guild, to carve out any time for myself.
Hi, Burning. Your situation is fairly common for a guild leader, particularly when your guild has a social component. The larger your roster grows, the more people will ask you for advice, favors, support, and "just a minute" of your time.Lately I have made a stand and told the guild I need time to work on my own characters. When I log onto a toon other than my main I announce in guild chat that I am not available except in case of emergencies, I mark myself /DND and flip to the combat log so I don't even see the chat panel. Some guildies just don't get it though.
I have three active officers who all have responsibilities, and one honorary officer. All Officers have the ability to invite new members to the guild, and all participate actively in recruiting. I know how important proper delegation is, and everything that can be delegated at this point, is.
I want to stay involved with what the guild is doing. I don't want to be seen as exclusionary or aloof. I want to support new and/or lower level members, and help to make them feel at home, but I am starting to reach my wits end.
Am I being foolish thinking that I can lead a guild while playing the game in my own way? Are there other things I could do to resolve this situation? Must I resort to rolling off-server to indulge my interests? Help me O Great Sage. Throw me a lifeline.
Burning the Candle at Both Ends
On the plus side, consider it a compliment that so many in the guild look to you for help and for answers. Clearly they consider you a friendly and reliable officer.
Guarding your time
Announcing some boundaries can sometimes help, but as you've discovered, it's not always effective. A player who logs in after your announcement won't understand why you're set to DND. Or else they'll simply tell themselves that tag applies to everyone else but not them. (After all, you're their guild leader, right?)
Every player who whispers you thinks they're the only one who's doing so. "Tell hell" wasn't coined as a theoretical situation; for officers, it's a very real place.
One method I tried was to set aside a specific period during each week when other officers and I would make ourselves available to help anyone with anything they needed. It didn't really catch on, however. I think players were a bit embarrassed to come forward during these specific windows.
A better solution that I discovered was this: When I logged in during prime time intending to do some solo play, I asked right away if anyone needed anything from me. That way, I was able to get most of the requests and conversations out of the way early in my play session. After I'd handled all the immediate business, I was able to enjoy some solo time with fewer interruptions.
Managing expectations
Not all requests are vital, and not everything has to be handled by you. Don't give in to every frivolous urge your guild members may have. If you say no once in a while and establish that you aren't always on the clock as a guild leader, people will have more respect for your time in the long run. As guild leader, I always put my foot down when it was late at night and people wanted to discuss guild business. A Saturday at 2 a.m. is not the time for that!
There are often some good reasons to say no -- to encourage some self-reliance, for example, in a player who turns too frequently to others for help with soloable tasks. Also, some drama is better off being handled between the players themselves. If you step in every time, then your members will expect officer assistance with every minor squabble.
Selecting which issues you will address and which you won't is an important skill for any leader. Sports coaches couldn't do their job very well, after all, if the players brought every little problem to them. That's what agents are for.
Escaping to alts
Of course, if it gets to be too much, you can always play an unguilded alt -- that is, if you haven't shared your Real ID with your guildmates. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the game without the responsibility from time to time.
If you find yourself doing that too much, however, you may be experiencing some serious officer burnout. In that case, you've overextended yourself. You may need to take a break or even step down from your position.
The fact that you're still mostly enjoying your role tells me that you're not close to that point yet. I think that carving out more time for yourself between raids will go a long way to ensuring you never get there.
/salute
Officers' Quarters keeps your guild leadership on track to cope with sticky situations such as members turned poachers or the return of an ex-guild leader and looking forward to what guilds need in Mists of Pandaria. Send your own guild-related questions and suggestions to scott@wowinsider.com.
Filed under: Officers' Quarters (Guild Leadership)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Parrin Mar 5th 2012 1:25PM
Every MMO needs a "Whisper Forwarding" option among the guild leaders. I don't know of any that have it, though.
DarkSpade Mar 5th 2012 1:18PM
"A player who logs in after your announcement won't understand why you're set to DND. Or else they'll simply tell themselves that tag applies to everyone else but not them. (After all, you're their guild leader, right?)"
Don't just use /dnd
Use /dnd Enjoying some time to myself. My chat window is off.
When anyone whispers you they won't just get the "do not disturb". They'll also get your message explaining why you're DND.
Marcosius Mar 5th 2012 3:06PM
Holy hell I'm tripping rainbows - you could do that?!
terph Mar 5th 2012 4:19PM
Yup. Works with /afk as well.
Nynn Mar 5th 2012 1:24PM
The advice I can give that works for me is learning the word no. I am a gl and often when I plan to work on something like leveling an alt I get requests for pvp or old dungeons or something. I pick times to do those things and other times I say sorry I really would like to try and get to level xx on this toon today. I still help with bank removals and alt invites but those can generally be taken care of quickly. I find telling people your goals helps. Some will still grumble and I still feel guilty but I know it is needed. I can say that I play my secret toon way less now than I did before I just started telling
Rai Mar 5th 2012 1:24PM
I'm in a similar position as head of a social guild with a raiding team, and making a band of officers who I trust to fulfil some of my duties is something I simply cannot regret. World of Warcraft is a game after all and it's important to find some time to play yourself.
If you enjoy PvP, here's a tip. Roll a member of the opposite faction, join Tol Barad and take out any extra frustration on members of your guild. It's somewhat satisfying.
Zachariahs Mar 5th 2012 1:34PM
Maybe something you could do is give each officer a specific title.for example our officers do the following:
One is in charge of leading a raid/strategy
Another is in charge of low level toons/alt recruiting
I'm in charge of raid recruiting/raid management(I.e. ppl not showing up to raid on time/at all, loot drama, etc.)
And our guild lead is in charge of the website and raid handouts like cauldron ans feasts.
Zachariahs Mar 5th 2012 1:38PM
Oh, and our guild lead is in charge of our mumble stuff as well, and there is another officer with the exact same responsibilities as me because drama and the like isn't always easy to deal with.
mr.e81 Mar 5th 2012 1:40PM
Everyone needs to take a sabbatical from WoW from time to time. I went so far as to making a new alt that is a duplicate class as my main.
BTW: No one should give out their Real ID to anyone that they do not see outside of WoW. You never know when one of your "trusted officers" will go psycho and create toons with your real name and stalk you passed a year after you kicked them. She is has also created accounts on many social networks with my last name and her first name so save yourself the trouble and keep your ID to yourself and real life friends and family.
loli.gigis Mar 5th 2012 2:51PM
wow... or just don't put your real name on your Real ID. I use my nickname and last initial. I did that when I set up my account because I wasn't sure exactly what other people could see and didn't want any crazy drama. I am super cautious about my online presence and tend to us on my nickname when signing up to sites.
cromahr Mar 5th 2012 1:54PM
I was in pretty much the same situation, organizing raids while being an altoholic, working on Loremaster, then eventually running the LFR on different chars while not having too much time available anyway.
It eventually felt like leading the raid, getting that together, was a chore like something at my rl job, and I felt everything was heading towards a massive WOW-burnout quickly...
I expressed this, and also offered the "job" to someone else. There were several raiders who were very good about organizing, helped with tacts, etc, and they did ask about upcoming raids every week. At first, no one wanted to actually take over, but then, someone did.
I understand that its a good feeling to get stuff together, to actually start raid groups etc, achieving goals, but if it gets to the point where you feel pressured, where you can't enjoy the game anymore, it's time to cut back on responsibilities... its supposed to be fun.
And, as harsh as it sounds, I really have not much tolerance for anyone unwilling to accept it when someone says he or she has to cut back because there is a burnout on the way, because it gets too much.
Jason Mar 5th 2012 2:01PM
I run a raiding guild on Chromaggus with the good fortune of having 4 DS10 groups at 8/8+ and 2 alt runs at 5/8 and 7/8, and a third starting this Monday. That's 7 groups!
To make this manageable, I always refused to roster a group until 1 or 2 leads stepped up. We give them everything they need to run a raid - all feasts and flasks, as well as promotion to Raid Leader. At the moment I have 1 co-GM (should I die, she has all the same permissions as me, and the same philosophy about how guilds ought to run), 3 Officers, and 5 Raid Leaders.
I find the best thing for me to get "alone time"was to (1) play another game aside from WoW, and (2) roll an alt off-server, where only RealID can reach me. I'm still available via Facebook and RealID, while matters of small import are handled by my legion of Os & RLs, to whom I am grateful for not only helping run a guild that provides so much to so many, but allowing me a life outside it where I can trust things are being handled well in my absence.
Mad props to !
Jason Mar 5th 2012 2:05PM
Mad props to Elitism for Everyone!
loli.gigis Mar 5th 2012 2:28PM
Perhaps you should discuss this with your officers and each of you schedule your 'off time' (rather then open hours). That way after a few weeks everyone in the guild will know Officer A takes his 'off time' on Sunday from 8pm-10pm server time. That way everyone gets some time to do the things that they want without being disturbed. You could even do:
/dnd I am not available Sundays from 8pm-10pm server, please contact another officer or wait until I am back.
You should also set up what qualifies as an Emergency. Lore disagreement? Not an emergency. Someone is hacked and needs to be demoted to prevent bank thefts? That's an emergency. Also making sure another officer is on during your 'off time' is important. Or at least someone who is trusted and helpful to members with simple questions.
Namssob Mar 5th 2012 4:43PM
Here is something we did for our Officers that has worked quite nicely....
Create a "hidden" Officer rank....name it the same as a regular Member rank, but give it Officer chat privileges, and a little extra bank access. Your officers can put alt toons in this rank that allow them to play the game without members bothering them, but still enjoy SOME of the chat and bank access they enjoy. Be careful not to give this rank too many privileges or it will blow their cover.
Yes, it is possibly to name two ranks the same name. ;-)
JattTheRogue Mar 5th 2012 7:34PM
"As guild leader, I always put my foot down when it was late at night and people wanted to discuss guild business. A Saturday at 2 a.m. is not the time for that!"
Why would it make a difference what time it is if the guild leader is online? I understand if they've put up DND or whatever, but why should guild members not discuss guild matters just because it's 2 a.m.? I work evenings from 3 p.m. to midnight, which means my play time is in the 12:30 to 3 or 4 a.m. range. If I wanted to discuss guild business, 2 a.m. would be a pretty good time if our guild leader was on. I don't think there should be one specific time that people should not discuss guild business just because it is that time, unless it's a time the guild leader put aside to play for themselves or whatever, or course.