Making Choices: Finding Your Balance
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HideIllustration copyright Carol Ormand, 2005. Courtesy of Carol Ormand.
If you want to find a balance between having a life and being successful in your career, you will need to figure out your priorities (at work and in the rest of your life) and then establish the habits that will allow you to balance them. Because you are a unique individual, your ideal "balance" may be different from that of your friends and colleagues.
Jump down to Case Studies: Academic Geoscientists * Paul Hoskin's Worksheet * Task (Time) Management * Balancing Your Career with Your Family Life * MentorNet: an Online Mentoring Network * Tips from Early Career Workshop Alums
Case Studies: Academic Geoscientists
This collection of essays by, and interviews of, geoscientists in academia illustrates several different approaches to the process of finding (or regaining) balance in one's life.
Paul Hoskin's Worksheet
In 2007, Paul Hoskin co-led a session on "balancing your life" for the workshop on Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences. In preparation for the workshop, he wrote this worksheet to help participants clarify their priorities.
Task (Time) Management
Finding a balance between your career and your home life, or within either of those broad categories, is largely a matter of managing your time and prioritizing the tasks you "need" to do. Many books and articles have been written on time/task management; here are a few of our favorites.
Balancing Your Career with Your Family Life
Finding enough time for both work and family can be one of the most challenging aspects of balancing your life. Learn about university policies, read what others have done, and find strategies that will work for you.MentorNet
- MentorNet homepage: "MentorNet is the award-winning nonprofit e-mentoring network that addresses the retention and success of those in engineering, science and mathematics, particularly but not exclusively women and other underrepresented groups." Graduate students and untenured faculty members are eligible for one-on-one email-based mentoring by tenured faculty.
- The MentorNet E-Forum: Join this web-based discussion group to discuss topics such as work/life balance, time management, or others of your own choosing.
Tips from Early Career Workshop Alums
- Be true to yourself, your values and passions
- Post your ideal schedule where you can see it
- Audit your actual time budget to see what changes you want to make
- Give yourself permission to not be perfect; don't beat up on yourself
- Find ways to deal with stress: work out, make time for yourself, reward yourself
- Don't compare yourself to others; stay away from posturing
- Be realistic about your expectations with balancing work and family life
- If you have a family:
- Find time to talk with your spouse/partner
- Set a date night with your spouse/partner; treat this time as sacred
- Plan family events
- Manage your tasks/time at work:
- Shut your door
- Turn off your computer, your email, your phone
- Do your grading at home or elsewhere
- Notice when you reach the point of diminishing returns; take a break when you do
