Work Life Balance

Work is stressful sometimes, particularly when there are deadlines and we are asked to do more than can fit into a regular day. I am especially stressed when meetings or courses are scheduled in the evenings, which is the time that I need to wind-down and be with my family. One of the biggest sources of stress for me is finding funding to support my students. I have to apply to grants to different agencies and foundations. In this competitive market, it is not a guarantee that I will win and so I must keep applying. I also have a very high workload, which is typical for faculty and there are no standards for what is “enough work”, and so we’re all constantly pushing ourselves to do more. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. Most academics will attest to all this. The situation becomes untenable when we include family and personal life responsibilities to this mix. It's all good and well if you are only responsible for yourself and your work. But what if you also had to take care of your children, parents, health, and life partner? How do you make time for yourself, your family, and remain true to your students and research?

I have a few coping mechanisms that are useful for me:

1. I make time to exercise every day. My physical health is tied to my mental health, and being physically active helps me to work through stress.

2. I sleep 8 hours every night by (mostly) avoiding caffeine and alcohol. If I am tired, I am less efficient and a little slow in my thought processes.I do not work more than a few hours on the weekend unless I have deadlines. I value downtime enormously because I think it makes me think more creatively about my work.

3. I stay on top of my calendar and make sure to take care of all the tasks that I can easily cross off immediately. I am ruthlessly efficient about my calendar.I do not agree to do anything “extra” unless I am sure that I can complete it to my best ability. And in the same vein, I do not do anything that does not bring me intellectual or personal satisfaction.

4. I have a tribe of friends (who are also full-time working professional women) with whom I chat/spend time. They help me to stay grounded and provide me with support and encouragement. We communicate daily through WhatsApp and monthly with a meet-up activity.

5. I have hobbies that I cultivate. I love to draw, mostly pen and ink illustration. I do this when I’m especially stressed (doodling on the edges of my notes, in the margins of papers I’m reading, in my sketchbook) and it’s meditative for me. I also read voraciously and that offers an escape from thinking about work. I read every morning on my train to work and every evening before going to sleep.

So is there a balance in my life? I think so. There are 168 hours in a week and I sleep ~56 hours and exercise ~8-10 hours. On a typical week, I work about 45-50 hours, and spend the remaining 50-ish hours with my family or friends/community. This is a relatively acceptable balance for me on a weekly basis. Of course, when I travel or have deadlines, these numbers shift and I adjust how much time I have for work or family/friends, but I never compromise on the 56 hours of sleep or the 8-10 hours of exercise.