What Do You Want More of This Academic Year?
Scrabble tiles on a note pad with a pencil.
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Traditional goal-setting measures what you want to produce, leading straight to exhaustion. True sustainable success requires shifting your metrics to what you want to experience and feel during the academic cycle.
I noticed a slight shift in the air a couple of times last week as I was out with the dogs. One morning, the air just smelled ever so slightly like fall. The other time was after the sun had gone down, and the air had just a slight bite to it. Nothing major, but just enough to remind me that summer has been chugging along. Now let’s not get this all twisted; I am not crying out that “summer’s almost over”. No, no, we don’t speed up time around unnecessarily. Plus, it’s going to feel like it’s 115F (46C) here today 🥵. Summer is definitely not done with us yet.
But this shift did remind me that maybe it’s time to start thinking seriously about the next academic year.
I’ve also been putting the finishing touches on my promotion package. As I’ve collected all the needed evidence to prove that I have, in fact, been doing my job for the past 6 years, I’ve had occasion to count all the lines that I’ve added to my CV since getting tenured and promoted. There are a lot.
There was a time when all those lines would have meant a lot to me. That bulk was a REAL indicator of being a good academic. Lots of pubs, lots of presentations, lots of money brought in. Of course, those things still matter (because I need the paycheck), but as I’ve continued my professional journey, those lines have become the by-product of my work, not the goal.
Moving Beyond the CV: I distinctly remember the feeling I had when my first manuscript was published. I was so proud (NB please don’t go find that paper, it’s not good 😬). But I’ve chased that feeling ever since. I became good at producing work that got me that feeling. But eventually it faded.
Over time, I realized that the impact of publishing was different than the one I was making when I was in the field talking with the users of my research. In the field, I see how things work (or don’t) in real time and hear directly from my partners about their experiences, making my research more applicable and implementable. These experiences made me feel like my work matters. This is the feeling I chase now.
Designing for Academic Margin: To protect this feeling, I’ve had to divest myself of several roles. If I want to keep that feeling of being useful, I can’t do everything.
Now every opportunity that comes across my desk is considered through two lenses:
1. Do I have the capacity to add it to my plate?
2. Am I willing to give up a current project to make it happen?
This litmus test has helped me tremendously and forced me to realize that just because I can do something doesn’t mean that I should.
The Annual Intention Audit: But I didn’t start here. I started with an audit. This doesn’t have to be complicated. On a piece of paper (or Word doc), create a table with headers for teaching, research, service, life, and others as needed. I also like to add my % effort to these columns; this way, I’m realistic about my time and keep my job. In each column, list your current or anticipated responsibilities for the next year (i.e., classes to be taught, research projects, committees, caretaking, exercising, household chores, clubs, etc.). Then, next to each item on your list, write how it makes you feel (i.e., energized, drained, neutral, or some combination).
What does your list tell you? What feeling do you want more of? The goal, of course, is not to get rid of everything that drains you, but to see where you can adjust your time to align with the work that matters most to you. Keep in mind these adjustments will take time. I am 2 years into the latest redesign of my academic career and have only seen changes in my calendar this summer, but boy is it nice to have the space to feel useful.
Don’t get discouraged if you are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. This is a lot of work. I promise you it’s worth the effort. And if you need some help, check out the survey below, and I can help walk you through the process.
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