Work-Life Balance

[Charlotte]

How does everyone deal with the endless amount of work, the fact that there is always something more you could do, and with online classes you have the potential to always be at work?

I'm so tired. I'm answering student emails from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I go to bed at night. The work never ends, the grading never ends, and even if it does then I have research to work on, prep for classes, endless things I should be doing that are career related, plus the usual household tasks and errands.

I'm also taking some additional graduate level classes to increase my knowledge in a related field and so of course there are readings and papers and assignments to complete for those classes as well. And now I have to start prepping to teach summer classes.

It feels like I'm working 24/7. My school requires me to answer all student emails within 24 hours and there are so many of them that it's really taking up a lot of time. Especially with the endless questions that are already answered if they would read the syllabus or assignment instructions!

How do you manage everything? Is there a trick to handling all this?

[arcturus]

OP, if I recall, you are in your first year at your current institution. My recollection of my first year is that it seemed an impossible task. Not enough time to do any of the things I was required to do. You are also doing all of this during a pandemic. The first year (all those preps!) is the most difficult. If you survive (which you will!), it will get better. Just hang in there. Do the most time critical activities first. Somethings will not get done, or not get done perfectly, and the world will not end.

[Anon1787]

To deal with excessive email from students asking basic questions, simply refer them back to the syllabus or the assignment instructions. Don't enable learned helplessness by making yourself into a 24/7 customer service representative.

[Puget]

You need to set boundaries around your on and off time.
Don't answer emails after a certain time, and don't answer them when you're working on something else-- 24 hours doesn't mean instantly. Block off time for research-- if you are TT someplace that requires at least some research this is critical. Teaching will expand to fill all available time if you let it, so you can't let it.

To deal with excessive email from students asking basic questions, simply refer them back to the syllabus or the assignment instructions. Don't enable learned helplessness by making yourself into a 24/7 customer service representative.

This-- "That information is in the directions for the assignment/syllabus. Please read those carefully and email me back if you still have specific questions not answered there." Save to a sticky on your desktop, copy-paste as needed. They will eventually learn to read for themselves. For more involved questions -- "I can help you best with that during office hours, please sign up for a slot/visit me then." Same deal, copy-paste.

Also though, if you are getting so many emails from students, reflect on whether things actually are confusing for them (even if you don't think they should be), and if you can change the way you are communicating in a way that helps both them and you.

[the_geneticist]

Prioritize and let some things go.

Can you hire someone to do some of the housework? Ask a spouse or roommate to do more?  Just say "to heck with it" and know that a dirty bathroom mirror isn't deadly?  Set your bills to electronic auto payments, group errands into one afternoon as much as possible, get groceries delivered, etc.  Your time is valuable and if you can pay someone else to do something, it's money well spent.

Set boundaries on your time.  Tell your students that you will answer emails sent between X:00am and Y:00pm.  Then do NOT check your email outside of those hours.  Also, if the question can be answered by reading the syllabus, direct them to the syllabus.  "Dear Student, Thank you for your email.  Please see the Syllabus.  Best, Dr. Charlotte". Copy and paste as needed.

Make lessons that are "good enough".  Don't try for perfect the first time through.  Ask colleagues for materials, look for published lessons and case studies.  You can even use questions right from the textbook or reading guide.

Make time to be kind to yourself.  You can take 15 minutes to go for a quick walk or read a silly book or indulge in a bubble bath.  You'll feel much better!

It will get better! 

[nonsensical]

In other threads on here, I've read that some folks set up their classes with message board where students can answer each others' questions. Perhaps you can require students to post questions there rather than e-mailing you? You could check in once a day and answer anything that hasn't been answered yet. Maybe also give a small amount of credit or extra credit to students for providing high-quality answers to others' questions?

I also schedule time for things. During my writing block, I am not answering e-mails. During teaching prep block, I am not thinking about or working on manuscripts. I set these expectations for students in advance; my syllabus tells them that they can expect an answer to e-mails within 72 hours and that I don't check e-mail on Sundays. The number of hours would need to be less at your institution based on what you've said, but it can still be helpful to set expectations that 24 hours is not the same as immediately.

My work-life balance also benefits from having specific times to do things that are not work. Like, I don't work on Sundays at all. Some time in the morning is for exercise. I rarely work after dinner. And so on.

[marshwiggle]

I also schedule time for things. During my writing block, I am not answering e-mails. During teaching prep block, I am not thinking about or working on manuscripts. I set these expectations for students in advance; my syllabus tells them that they can expect an answer to e-mails within 72 hours and that I don't check e-mail on Sundays. The number of hours would need to be less at your institution based on what you've said, but it can still be helpful to set expectations that 24 hours is not the same as immediately.

And even within that, you don't have to have email constantly monitored. Check it once every couple of hours (or whatever) so that it doesn't interrupt you at random times. Even checking twice a day (early morning and late afternoon) would allow you to respond within 24 hours.

[AvidReader]

I have a terrible work-life balance. Two things I think I have gotten right:

1. Like other posters, I have set times of day at which I check email: first thing in the morning, somewhere in mid-evening, and during office hours. My university also has the 24-hour rule. When I check, I answer anything easy first ("Thank you for your email. The deadline is still the one posted on the assignment sheet"). If a student has a more involved question, I save it to answer during office hours. If I need to think about something, or it is a touchy subject, I mark it unread and address it at the next designated email spot (don't do this multiple times for the same email). If I check in the evening and don't want the students to know that I am on, I might write an answer and save it as a draft or schedule the send for a reasonable time the next morning. If you are not on call, some students will look for the answers elsewhere.

2. My to-do list is a physical paper divided into quadrants: prep, grading, research/career (i.e. job applications), and housework/recreation. I mark each day's essentials in each quadrant, and then allow myself to move between them. Graded a certain number of papers? Take a break and wash the dishes. Complete a job application? Post directions for a new activity. You can have any sections you want, but I like to have a space that is just physical things that I can complete when my brain is tired.

AR.

[spork]

[. . .]

It feels like I'm working 24/7. My school requires me to answer all student emails within 24 hours and there are so many of them that it's really taking up a lot of time. Especially with the endless questions that are already answered if they would read the syllabus or assignment instructions!

[. . .]

If you are "required" to answer student emails within 24 hours, does your contract specify that you are "on call" outside the normal 8:30 to 5 M-F work week? I shut off my work email at about 6 pm on weekdays and don't open it until the next morning. Weekends, meh, depends on what else I've got happening. I'm certainly not going to respond to a student's email sent at 3:00 am about an assignment due at 8:00 am until well after 8:00 am, if at all.

For every one of my undergraduate courses, I use a low-stakes open book quiz on the syllabus at the end of the first week of classes. All questions refer to information in the syllabus. Later in the semester I can copy and paste the same reply: "This information is in the syllabus and in the quiz on the syllabus taken at the beginning of the semester."

I use rubrics when grading. Click click click.

For meetings, if I'm asked to attend a committee meeting (whether virtually or in-person), I agree only if I'm put on the agenda. If it's a large regularly-occurring meeting, like a faculty assembly or "town hall," I give it an hour and then leave. Not worth more of my time to listen to announcements that could have been distributed by email.

[Ruralguy]

Streamline grading, don't answer replies to replies of replies, when prepping, think of things that don't need replacing for a while, but wouldn't be horrible if replaced at some point (to allow for flexibility).

Definitely leave time for yourself, such as exercise, reading, etc..

I more or less do what AvidReader does without really calling it "quadrants," but I do try to block out times of day or sections of the week or whatever for certain activities and rotate around.

[Parasaurolophus]

Also: don't rework your courses from scratch when you want to change things. Change a couple things with each iteration, until you've got something you're happy with. Once you've taught it a couple times, you don't really need to do anything by way of prep except remind yourself of what's on your slides and which classroom exercises you want to perform. That takes just a few minutes just before class. There's a lot to do when you're still prepping all your courses for the first time, but it gets a lot easier after that.

I don't work in the evenings (once I start cooking, I'm done for the day). I don't work on weekends, either. And I only answer emails in a one-hour period in the morning. I also schedule an hour a day to work on research, with some set goal for the day (as per the research threads). I sometimes do work at unorthodox times, but only if my partner is busy with her stuff and I feel up to it. When I taught in person, I'd work on research on the ferry (~20 minutes each way), and either read for fun, do teaching stuff, or work on research on the bus ride (~40 minutes each way).

You don't have to do everything all at once. Chip away at the mountain consistently, and you'll be left with a molehill.


Oh. I've also automated a lot of my marking through the LMS during the pandemic (e.g. quizzes, exams). I don't have as many writing-based questions or assignments, but the lost pedagogical value is more than made up for by all the time I've gained from not having to mark ~150 assignments six times a semester.

[fishbrains]

As others suggest, a fairly strict schedule does wonders. I'm teaching a 6/6 CC load this year. Fun times.

I check emails (student and institutional) four times a day: 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 8:00 PM and that's it. Naptime is from 3:30-4:15. Walking/hiking time is 6:00-7:00. Doggy and family time is 7:00-7:30. No exceptions. The rest of it all has to fit into these required activities.

Also, be sure to note any assignments that turn into time-sucks and eliminate them. And if you think students hang upon every piece of your feedback and commentary, stop it and streamline your commentary. Set a timer for each assignment when grading, so you don't get stuck on the sucky submissions.

I use a large whiteboard in my dining room to show everyone in the house my schedule, and to let them fill in any blanks (if any) in the open spaces if they need something from me. This lets them know not to bother me unless I am on fire. I tell them I'll be available for major projects/trips/activities on May 10.

I don't think I would have taken classes during my first year teaching. See if they offer them during the summer.

Hang tough. Take all advice with a grain of salt. Know it gets better.

[Vkw10]

Like others, I schedule time to answer email, have several copy and paste answers (syllabus, assignment instructions, course calendar in Canvas, tech support link), schedule times for reading/writing, and schedule time for exercise/family/fun.

Other strategies:
Don't answer a student email until at least 90 minutes after it was sent. If I'm answering emails from 9:00-10:00, I only respond to those with time stamp prior to 7:30. The rest wait until my next response period or have delayed response set so they appear to be waiting.

Set a timer for email response period. Stop promptly.

Use bullet lists instead of paragraphs for at least 50% of email replies.

If I take a few minutes to reply to email while waiting for washer to stop or oven timer to sound, set delayed reply option before I start writing reply, so students don't know I'm replying during my personal time.

In addition to training your students to expect a 2-8 hour delay on email questions, remind yourself that during your first year, your course prep needs to be "decent" not "perfect." Stop when you've done an okay job of prep. Next year, you'll improve each course some, so they move from decent to good. In year three, you improve them to very good.

As a department chair, my goal is to be able to say that Dr. FirstYear is a competent teacher even with 3 new preps a semester and shows promise of developing into an excellent teacher. I want to be able to say that Dr. ThirdYear is a good teacher, with a particular strength in [something]. Don't strive for perfect this year.

[darkstarrynight]

I definitely empathize with the never-ending work cycle. My institution did not have a spring break because we adjusted the calendar, so I gave all of my classes this week off. I had to grade assignments for all three which took me all day Monday and halfway into Tuesday, but today I took the entire day off and did not bother with checking email or a looking at a screen. It was monumental for me because I am one of those people who have this urge to respond immediately and I cannot handle piling red icons on my phone apps or unread emails. I really needed my break today, and have a relatively light rest of the week too. I can only hope my students truly take advantage of this week off, as I have nothing assigned to read or write. Inadvertently, I gave myself most of this coming Monday off since I normally grade every Monday. Go me!

I am not sure if this helps, but as I plan my assignments for multiple classes when preparing for the upcoming semester, I make a spreadsheet with the weeks in the semester and a column for each course. Then I try to stagger due dates so I am not grading too many things at once. I did not do that well this past week, but I had to get every class to turn something in before this week  to make everything after this week work out in the calendar. It should not happen again until the final projects/papers are due at the end of the semester.

[kaysixteen]

Your school 'requires' you to answer all student emails within 24 hours?   Who imposes this requirement, how is it phrased, and how might it be enforced?