Attribution: Envato Elements
Dear friends,
I hope all of you are safe, healthy, and as well as you can possibly be at this challenging time. My father reflected to me recently that he always conceptualized his move to the US from India as similar to his own grandfather’s move from their hometown to the city of Lahore- one day’s journey. Now COVID has stretched the distances between us, and as I hit “send” I hope for the day I can see you in person!
For the UCSF K-scholars’ retreat, I was tasked with giving a talk on work life balance. Instead of agreeing, I suggested a conversation with my friend Dawna Ballard, whom I have mentioned before. She studies time and communication, and I always think differently after I talk with her. Here are some highlights from our conversation:
Work-life balance is not a thing. Instead of trying to achieve work-life balance, strive for alignment among the various aspects of your life- including work. Balance happens when you are in one place, and any small change will upend it. Instead, think about alignment among the many aspects of life, including work, family, and leisure. The concept of alignment takes into account that we are moving forward, through a changing landscape, and requires ongoing effort and responding to the events around you.
Play the long game. She advised us to consider different time scales. Even if you don’t have a perfectly aligned day, over the course of a week, month, or year, are you in alignment? We are built for seasonal rhythms and not for continuous production.
Recovery trumps resilience. Resilience is finite, and absorbing increasing demands is akin to stretching a rubber band. At some point, it will snap, and so will you! Recovery is a process that takes time, but it provides you with the reserve to take on life’s demands again.
Our bodies and brains need a rhythm. I asked Professor Ballard what strategies might help us most during shelter-in-place, and she emphasized the importance of imposing some structure on your time when there are fewer external cues.
The best productivity strategy is . . . whatever strategy works for you. Try different things, but if something that other people swear by doesn’t work for you, move on. There’s no data to recommend any one method.
Now for my ask of you. I’m so grateful that you read this email every month, and I hope you find it helpful. I would like my blog to reach more people, especially because so many research trainees and junior faculty are feeling isolated and under-mentored right now. Please feel free to forward to peers, mentors, or leaders who can share widely. You can sign up to receive the monthly email here, at the bottom of the page, and we have added an index so you can quickly find the topic you’re looking for. Stay safe and well!
Warmly,
Urmimala