Boundaries and time off

Most people I know in academia work with their number one interest. What they want to spend their days on is to research and teach, write and read. If they received 10 million dollars in their bank account tomorrow, some would certainly do some things differently. But I think few of them would turn their back on academia and go lay down in a sun lounger. “It’s a way of life,” as Kristian Gerner, who retired ten years ago, usually says when appearing at a seminar or public lecture. 

In light of this, it’s no wonder that many academics find it difficult to set boundaries between work and life. They are attached to one another. Frequently socially as well. And your thoughts don’t necessarily change direction just because you close the door to your office. Sometimes, the best ideas materialize when you are going for a run or taking a shower. 

However, a consequence of all this is that many academics work most of the time. They check their email during the waking hours of the day. There are no clear boundaries between weekdays, evenings and weekends. Vacation becomes synonymous with undisturbed time writing and doing research. In the long run, this kind of lack of boundaries tends to be detrimental. 

As far as I am concerned, I have in recent weeks found it difficult to let go of my job. Ideas have been spinning around in my head but not always in particularly concrete terms. Gradually, I have also broken the boundaries I have chosen to live my life by. More and more evenings have been devoted to reading work stuff. I have also been unable to stop myself from checking my email on weekends. Sure, there are times when there is something important and semi-urgent in the inbox. But how does finding this out on a Saturday morning actually benefit me? I still can’t do anything about it as long as the children are awake. And knowing hardly makes me a better parent … 

There are obviously reasons why things now look like this. May is a frustrating month for anyone wanting to work eight hours a day for four or five days a week. In addition, there have also been some conferences and trips for me. Such things, at least for me, use up a lot of energy. I can manage to be social for three days in a row. But after that, I need some rest. And this is something my planning hasn’t really allowed me to do. 

What happens to me when things pile up is that I get worse at prioritizing what to do. Instead of dropping things, I get started on new ones. I attend an additional seminar. I agree to do something that someone else could have done. I spend less time planning my days and weeks. You certainly recognize this spiral. It’s easy to end up in but difficult to break. 

What I take with me to the next time May rolls around is that I really need to remember that this month doesn’t include as many working days as it seems. That is why it is important to set tough priorities and to have a plan with some air enabling time for recovery. This should not be done in May. This should be done earlier. At a time when your energy levels are higher. 

What I also take with me into the summer is a strong motivation to detox from work. This is a technique I have used in recent years, with some success. It is based on me during the first three to four weeks of my vacation not being allowed to read anything job-related or checking my job email. During summers when I go all in, I tend to combine this with a digital detox. This means a few weeks without the internet. During a couple of summers, I have also, in a fit of hubris, tried to quit drinking coffee. That didn’t really work out. 

But how do you know that a detox has been successful? My own benchmark is that I start to get bored. This is a feeling that at least I don’t associate with adult life. There have been times when I have been tired, worn out, stressed and sad – but I have very rarely been bored. After a few weeks of strict detox, however, this feeling tends to manifest itself. Not in large doses, but still. This is a sign that my recovery has begun in earnest.

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