{"id":8200,"date":"2021-02-09T11:16:12","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T10:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/budrich.eu\/?p=8200"},"modified":"2022-08-18T09:27:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T07:27:33","slug":"lessons-balance-academia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/budrich.de\/en\/news\/lessons-balance-academia\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Lessons to achieving a more balanced life in academia"},"content":{"rendered":"

When H.G. Wells penned War of the Worlds<\/i><\/a> and George Orwell wrote 1984<\/i><\/a>,<\/i> they both imagined dystopian future societies that appeared far-fetched by the standards of the time. Science fiction has a way of creatively navigating a gap between reality and the imaginary future. Sometimes scientists manage to close that gap. The year 2020, however, was just the opposite. Even with the most vivid imagination, only a few foresaw the grim reality that arrived before the fiction.<\/p>\n

As does the protagonist of the apocalyptic novel, the world carried on in a redefined reality. Including those in higher education who already struggled with work-life balance. Traditionally, it has been assumed that never the twain shall meet<\/a> \u2013 yet, during lock-down, work came home, and home became work, creating a swirl of new expectations and tensions. What used to be two worlds apart, balanced on a knife\u2019s edge, now live under the same roof.<\/p>\n

What have we learned about how to balance the competing demands of work and family life when working from home?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    \u00a0 Make time for healthy habits<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Reducing stress to increase performance in all aspects of life \u2013 including one\u2019s job \u2013 is the ultimate goal of work-life balance. A fixed exercise routine goes a long way to attain this goal. The academic who also acts as home executive processes a formidable amount of information on a daily basis, and the solitude of a good run or cycle has the further benefit of allowing time to do the one thing nobody ever diarises: \u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      \u00a0 Learn to delegate<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Jeffrey L. Buller, Florida Atlantic University’s Director of Leadership and Professional Development, recommends that delegation be seen<\/a> as a growth opportunity, rather than as shirking of responsibility. Empowering and coaching junior colleagues to take over certain tasks makes you a better leader; creates opportunities for them, and may save you some of the long hours away from other priorities.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n

        \u00a0 Set and negotiate realistic expectations<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Learn to say \u201cno\u201d early on in your career. The best way to navigate the pull of too many expectations is to be very clear about your own career and family priorities and to measure, filter and negotiate the consideration of new responsibilities within the parameters of these goals<\/a>. Make it clear to other faculty members that you are serious about playing your part, but that there are limits.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. \n

          \u00a0 Look for the signs of burnout<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Recognise the early signs of burnout to monitor mental health. Some common indications<\/a> are:<\/p>\n