This has been making the rounds lately: an excellent piece on surviving the pressures of academia, especially those R1 positions that everyone dreams about getting. Dr. Nagpal’s account of how she survived, and even managed to flourish, against a grueling set of challenges and demands, is worth reading for graduate students, post-docs, and new faculty alike: The-Awesomest-7-Year-Postdoc or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Tenure-track-faculty-life. It’s advice without actually being advice–she says specifically that you eventually you just have to stop listening to people who give advice. I entirely agree, though I would qualify that by saying that you should always be alert for any useful practices or habits that your friends or colleagues may be practicing. Dr. Nagpal’s practice of limiting travel is especially worth reading. As a younger graduate student, I was completely loopy about travel, and went to more conferences than I should have. Carefully planning your year’s academic travel is an excellent practice.
Working set hours is also good advice, though it’s not prescriptive: it’s up to you to figure out what those set hours are. Over the last few years, my most productive days have been those in which I read/wrote/graded from 8 to noon, took a break for lunch and other random tasks of a business, errand, or household nature, worked again from around 2 to 6, broke again for dinner or practices, and did a final session from around 8 to 11. So, 11 hours a day, ideally, though that wasn’t every day, and doesn’t take into account time spent with my significant other. After having been through a buzz-saw of work this past year, I would have to add that good food, good sleep, and good exercise are essential, and, like Dr. Nagpal says, if that means you get slightly less done in a day, so be it. You’ll be more efficient with the time that you do use. And besides, everyone can fine a million reasons why their piece of your time is important. But the truth is, it usually isn’t… The Daily Beast‘s recent interview with Anthony Grafton, on how he writes, reveals concerns broadly similar, in some salient points, to Dr. Nagpal’s–different as their individual circumstances may be. But that’s the key, I think: difference. Everyone is different, has different pressures and constraints. So, advice needs to be given and taken with a grain of salt (except the sleep part–that’s not negotiable!).
Finding your own way is essential. For myself, I have not, and probably never will, treat my work as a 9-5 job–but then again, I think most folks, even those who are careful to stay sane by managing their time, don’t treat it that way either, at least strictly speaking. If it’s what you love doing, that extra time past hour 8 isn’t really a burden. You just have to be careful to not let it take you completely, and remember to prioritize your relationships. While I doubt I’ll ever be able to make weekends “work free,” as Dr. Nagpal suggests, my wife and I have agreed that every week, probably on weekends, we’re going to do something fun–like hike, picnic, go to museums, see a play or movie, that sort of thing. Nothing ambitious, but something that forces us to get out of work mode and remember what’s really important in life. And we go running together in early in the morning as often as we can, besides. And cook together. And talk to each other, a lot. So, it’s all about searching for your own way.
Ultimately, look for that non-advice advice that might be worth listening to, and give it a try if you feel like it. If not, don’t! It’s your life, and there’s no magic formula for handling the pressures of academia. Good luck!
Quod Sumus...Hoc Eritis 