Dont Throw the Baby on the Tenure Track: Balancing Work and Life

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Dont Throw the Baby on the Tenure Track
Balancing Work and Life

• Melanie C. Page
• Associate Professor

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Importance

• What is the single most important thing in your
  life?
• What did you spend the most time on last week?
• Do those two things match?
• If yes, you are doing a great job! If no, stay
  with me

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What do we mean by balance?

• Work with a partner to define
• All parts of life are equal?
• All parts of life are in harmony?
• Sometimes balance means out of balance!

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Key 1 to Balance

• Learn to say NO to others
• No thank you
• Thanks for thinking of me, but I cannot do it at
  this time
• Suggest someone else
• Say NO to yourself
• Sit on your hands in meetings
• Does saying yes lead to tenure, promotion?
• What is the cost?

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Key 2 Take time for yourself

• Exercise
• classes
• walk around the block
• park away from building
• tapes at home
• actually will make you feel more energetic
• Meditate
• simple mantra Gauranga (Go-Ra-Un-Ga)
• Great way to start and end day - esp if having
  trouble sleeping!

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• Yoga
• Combines meditation and exercise
• Hobbies
• If they involve exercise, so much the better!
• Read for fun
• Scrapbook (gets rid of piles of pictures)
• Play with kids
• Get a massage
• Go on a date
• With other adults!
• Get enough sleep

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• You must value yourself enough for one or more of
  these things to occur.
• If you do not, you will look like me right now!
• Look at people at conferences who are about 10-15
  years your senior do you want to look like
  them?
• If no do what I say
• If yes meet with them and ask how they balance
  life

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So how about that work part?

• Be selective in collaborative projects
• Check out team members
• Do they publish
• Do they have a track record of funding
• Will this count for tenure and promotion
• Be selective in your own projects
• Ask yourself the same questions and be honest

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Writing

• Schedule your writing time
• You schedule teaching time
• Protect and value this time
• Use this time every single week
• Start small say 2 hours a week and work up
• Close your door if at school
• Time can be used for reading and planning
• Expect rejection it is part of the game
• Resubmit quickly to another journal

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Students

• Meetings
• They are more flexible than you
• Double them with meals
• A lack of planning on their part does not equal a
  crisis on your part
• Interview potential grad students in person
• Be selective in grad student admission

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Teaching

• Work with your chair to limit pre-tenure course
  preps
• Two new preps at once is hard
• Tweak small things
• Use materials from others near and far
• Being pleasant and energetic goes a long way
• Go to seminars and conferences very energizing
  and ITLE feeds you a lot

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Service

• Limit, limit, limit!!!
• Pre-tenure
• Avoid University committees throw the paper
  away
• Avoid search committees
• Before saying yes get an accurate est of time
  involved from previous member (not from the
  person asking you!)
• Do 1-2 things with students
• Alpha
• Camp Cowboy
• Faculty Associate
• Club Advisor

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Sabbatical

• Go, go, go
• After 6 years of service you are eligible
• Work with your chair on geographic limitations if
  you have them
• Do not let past history determine your future

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What to do with those babies?

• New family leave tenure clock policy
• Take advantage of extension no awards given for
  people who go crazy while having children and
  getting tenure
• Limit your children to 1-2 activities
• More children fewer activities
• They prefer time with you!
• New baby
• Ask for a course reduction (even for summer
  babies)
• Spend the 300 on an electric pump!

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How about those partners?

• Enlist their help
• Read drafts
• Drive kids
• Housework/cooking
• Give back to them
• Single parent
• Neighbors
• School mates
• Other parents

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Vacations

• Take them
• Hmm, again take them
• Great BBs in OK
• Stay home and turn off the phone
• Partner with others
• Close by states are cheap
• Add a few days to a conference

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Laptops

• If you or dept has money buy one
• Check one out from the library
• Work from someplace fun
• Hold office hours someplace different
• Work outside

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Mmmm

• Healthy eating is essential
• Fast food in moderation is ok
• Do not eat at your desk
• Eat with friends
• Go to seminars with free food!
• Start a lunch bunch
• Start a writing group
• Have small get togethers
• Join UFO bridget.miller_at_okstate.edu

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Know your limits

• Stress is horrible for you
• Play to your strengths
• I am great at budgets, bad at titles (thanks
  Amanda!)
• Get an SNB semester calendar
• What can you realistically do
• Volunteering
• Choose 0-1 things
• Only you expect perfection

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An example bad day

• 830 take kids to school
• Email, class prep
• 1030-1145 class
• 12-1225 lead grantseeking club
• 1230-145 class
• 145 meet speaker
• 2 go back to office and get media cart
• Still have not eaten lunch
• 330-5 speaker
• 5-6 reception
• 6-630 meet with TA
• 700 student at house

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If you do not listen to me

• Shingles across side of face
• Pneumonia
• Sick at end of every semester
• Burnout
• Premature aging
• Weight gain
• Relationship problems
• Partner
• Children

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Your turn

• Write down one thing you are going to change
• Today or tomorrow
• For your long-term future
• What is the most important lesson you learned
  today?

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At the end

• Rarely do people say, boy I wish I had spent more
  time at work
• Live a life of few regrets
• Value yourself and your marriage, partnerships,
  friendships
• Let others share the load at home and school
• A messy house is ok
• Good colleagues are worth their weight in gold

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• Thanks!!