Communication & Higher Education: Time management - and the persistent topic of "balance" in faculty lfie

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Time management - and the persistent topic of "balance" in faculty lfie

Over the years, the issues of balancing the multiple demands of faculty life is a recurring theme. Today, I read "The Importance of Time Management" by Nate Kreuter on the Inside Higher Ed site (access the essay directly at http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2012/05/30/essay-importance-time-management-academic-careers). I found myself nodding my head during the entire read. Of course, this meant that I simply had to share this essay with Communication and Higher Education readers.

There were many insightful comments, but my favorite comments included,

"If you’re lucky, when you begin an academic appointment your expected contributions within each category will be clearly articulated in writing, possibly in your contract, in your department’s tenure requirements, or in college and university policies."
"Ideally, tenure-track faculty members are shielded by their departments from oppressively large service responsibilities."
"Departments that require too much service from faculty members too early in a career are setting those individuals up for failure."

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My ultimate favorite thought from Kreuter was the reminder that "time management should also include more than teaching, scholarship, and service. Effective time management also means reserving time for recover, and time for fun, time for family, and time for friends."

Remember to read more great essays like this one at Inside Higher Ed.

See former posts about balancing faculty life (NOTE: these are only a FEW of the mentions we've had on this issue):