summer break — Blog — Toddler on the Tenure Track

My Summer 2020 Plans

Last year I wrote a post all about summertime in academia, when there are unspoken (and spoken!) expectations that you'll be working even though you're "off." I feel really resistant to unpaid summer work and at the same time I don't know that I could feasibly remain on track for the next year without it. Like most things in life, there's no easy answer. In last year's post I shared what my summers, up to that point, had looked like, as well as the strategies I was planning to use to set boundaries around work.

Planning and Productivity, Academic LifeJillJuly 9, 2020summer break, summer, planningComment

Productivity Tips I'm Currently Trying Out (Summer 2019)

Way back in April 2019 (which feels like ages ago), I wrote a post about the things that were working (and not working) for my brain. I thought I’d do an update to that post about what worked for my brain during the summer months, aka the current productivity tips I’m trying out. Summer has such a different feel to it, that it really seems like there’s an adjustment period once it’s in full swing (which is July for me). Which might be why, during August, I felt the need to adjust some things in my/our daily routine. This summer, my days were spent working on a few papers and a systematic review, course prep, 4th year tenure review prep, and building a relationship with a new collaborator. In non-tenure track related life I was working on the blog, plan(it)*, helping out someone in the personal finance realm with her online community, spending time with Mike and Ellie, and also trying to take it easy (ha!). I hadn’t really planned on the summer being filled to the brim... I just kept adding things on and here I am (I’m noticing a pattern 😒). Despite being packed, it was fun! Here’s what’s worked, along with where I’ve struggled.

Planning and ProductivityJillSeptember 20, 2019summer break, summer, meditation, planning for the day, planning, scheduling, tipsComment

Summertime and the livin's... easy?

Summer! That magical time of year when people who work in the field of education get to take a nice, relaxing ~3 month vacation… ha! In reality, yes, summer is a slower pace, but in my experience there is still a significant amount of work that goes on (and it’s often unpaid). I hear others talk about how wonderful summer is, because they finally get to work on all the things (usually research) that got pushed to the side during the school year. I guess I get that to some extent, but a huge part of me really balks at that mentality. If universities are paying us for 9-months of work, shouldn’t we, theoretically, be able to get everything done in those 9-months, or at least be in a position to pause for 3 months?