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I didn't say that; I just said you can maintain these projects with different attitudes. "I feel a huge responsibility to please every user who reports a probl
by arp242 3y ago
I didn't say that; I just said you can maintain these projects with different attitudes.
"I feel a huge responsibility to please every user who reports a problem, shortcoming, or asks for a feature, which I need to address ASAP" is one attitude.
"I work on it whenever I feel like it, and if you don't like that then I don't care" is another.
Those are on the extreme end and for most people it's somewhere in-between.
It's very common for people doing volunteer work to lean too much towards the first. They have trouble saying "no" and bite off more they can chew, even without direct pressure. Learning when to say "no" and setting boundaries for yourself is absolutely a vital skill for any kind of volunteer work – without it sooner or later you will burn out.
When I was a scout leader burnout due to this was a major cause of attrition. We made it very clear and very explicit there was no pressure for anyone to do anything they didn't want to, and that there was no shame in not wanting to do something just because you didn't feel like it. But it still happened, because people still feel this pressure, even when it doesn't actually exist.