“I wish I could just take a break and not think about work or deadlines”, says every academic.
Regardless of the career stage, academia is a unique environment to work in. It calls for unique minds and those minds at any given point have their share of burn-out and exhaustion. Working as an academic, be it a teaching faculty or a researcher running a laboratory, is not the same as working a 9-to-5 job. As an emerging academic, I can say there is a drastic difference between we as academics approach our work as compared to non-academics.
Not to say that either one is better or worse than the other. But, academia, especially pursuing a PhD takes a lot of the 3 P’s – perseverance, patience, and passion. In the process of accomplishing the 3Ps, students often feel guilty of taking personal time during official holiday breaks. This pattern of working extensively and not prioritizing personal time is more harmful than it seems. It is a road leading towards burn-out, exhaustion, and frustration.
For many PhD students, their mentors are either unaware of the situation and fail to encourage their students to take a break or they themselves struggle with taking personal time off. With international students, some mentors assume that the students do not have any family so they are expected to work during holidays.
Holidays are a great way to take a break in chaotic academic life, so let’s learn about why this is such an important part of all academics in general, but specifically PhD students.
Work-life balance
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One of my guests wrote an entire blog about maintaining a work-life balance during PhD.
I have stated this time and again that PhD life is full of action (if you decide to be proactive). Especially the initial years when you are trying to manage time between classes and research. Amidst this ongoing action, it is prudent to slow down, take a breather, and set aside time for some personal growth. Doctoral students are in such a distinctive role as they are neither fully employed nor full-time students who are only responsible for attending classes and completing assignments.
When classes and research compete for your time, it is so easy for work to slowly slip into your personal time. Often, physical and mental health takes a back seat. Ideally, personal time is when you would like to unwind but there is a deadline for something and now you need to skip the unwinding and work for two hours at night and yet are expected to attend that 8am class. Phew.
Good thing is – there is a solution to this never ending loop of work – holidays!!
Holidays are that time of the year when you get personal time off from work, no classes, no research, just personal time. This time can be anything that you want to make of it. Travel, explore, go home, meet friends and families, cook your favorite dish, or just stay home. Whatever you like. Or whatever is feasible. Even if you have work pending, allow yourselves a couple days to a week off when everyone is also doing the same.
While I am all for prioritizing work and making progress in a timely manner, I have also learned to prioritize my mental health first. Work can be balanced too if you set goals, create checklists, manage your time efficiently, and set boundaries between work and personal time.
Fresh perspective
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Whether you live with your family, spouse, roommates, pet, or alone, PhD students often get too focused and isolated in their academic world. I speak from personal experience as I have been on both sides. At one point, I was so involved in PhD-related work that I had a hard time separating myself from my PhD-self. It took some time for me to realize that after all, it is just a part of my identity as opposed to being the whole identity.
I am certain this is not just my experience. I have also been on the other side too and tried taking regular breaks. Guess what? It worked wonders. I now take breaks and enjoy the benefits of taking personal time all year round. If taking small breaks through the year is not preferred or feasible, do not miss out during holidays. Holidays is a great time to step back and get a fresh perspective.
Regardless of whether you get family time or not, even spending time with your friends or by yourself can be rewarding. The point is to step away from work and indulge in the activities you like but don’t have enough time for. This includes indulging in self-care or other hobbies that you like.
Time management and productivity
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Taking some time off is almost magical in terms of improving productivity. Going without breaks for long periods of time has physical and mental health consequences. These consequences eventually seeps into your day-to-day work and adversely impacts efficiency, motivation and passion for your work, and overall self-esteem.
Not taking breaks is very common for PhD students who are just starting out. They have higher expectations to live up to for both classes and research. It may also seem that because it is just the beginning, it is okay to not take breaks and that you can carry on with full enthusiasm. Let me tell you that all the energy will drain pretty quickly once your mind and body starts to give up. And eventually it will give up.
Maintaining productivity consistently is key during PhD and refraining from taking breaks will work against your progress. Time management goes hand-in-hand with productivity. Sometimes, we get into a loop of not being able to manage time and it doesn’t seem to resolve through the semester. Holidays gives you a chance to reset it to 0, break the cycle, and manage your time more efficiently moving forward.
So, if you feel on track with everything, enjoying the holidays will only help you maintain the same efficiency for the upcoming year. If you feel you are behind on projects and exhausted, then taking a break during holidays becomes even more important. It will help repair the damages that are caused unconsciously throughout the year in hectic PhD life.
Social reconnections
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
You have one weekend when you are all caught up on work. You plan to relax or go out or do something you like. But wait, you have lost connections as a result of your busy.. busy student/research life. Not scaring you, just stating hard facts as this is a reality for MANY PhD students.
Maintaining relationships and socializing can be more challenging during PhD. This is because of mainly two factors. Socializing requires one thing in abundance – energy and time. The energy and time that you have poured into your work or assignments and now you don’t have enough of it left for anything else.
No matter how busy or intense it gets, humans need humans. Relationships will pay off in long-term and PhD is LONG. Whether your social stimulations come from family or friends or anyone else, it is important to maintain relationships. But, if you haven’t, this is your chance.
Holiday season is a such a wonderful time to reconnect with people who mean something to you. Take a break. Slow down. Maybe pick a hobby. Send handwritten cards. Or don’t. But, just give yourself that time to slow down. To unwind. To reconnect and let your loved ones know that you remember them. Rekindle lost relationships. Push yourself to do that even if your mind draws you towards work. It will pay off in long run.
Creativity and inspiration
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Yes, science requires creativity, inspiration, imagination, and curiosity. All of these things come in spurts rather than a constant flow. That’s why you can complete writing a manuscript section in a couple hours sometimes. But the other times, it feels as if you don’t even know how to type. As I said. It comes in spurts.
To ensure that the flow doesn’t stop indefinitely, taking a break and giving your mind a rest is a must. So, you can recharge, and bounce back with a rejuvenated flow rather than a forceful one. Pouring in all the energy and creativity that you have in one or two experiments/projects is far more efficient and appreciated than pouring in only some portion of it in four different commitments, whatever that may be.
Science requires creative energies – whether it is trying to understand a scientific concept, a conceptual model, creating a research idea for funding, or simply writing manuscript. All of these tasks need inspiration and curiosity. When you have used those energies for a semester or year, your mind needs a break, whether you wish to take one or not.
Holidays is a great time to calm your mind and fully step away from work. The work that you can only enjoy if you take breaks. If you choose not to, you will realize sooner or later that there is a certain level of unwillingness, disinterest, or even resentment towards work. So, to continue loving PhD and academic life and believing that it is worth it, taking breaks is a must.
Alternate travel
Still not sure when to take a break? Have a tight budget so can’t travel anywhere? Don’t have family in town?
Well, in all of these cases and others, conference travel can be a great alternative to step away from the usual work environment. It is work away from work. However, it can be enjoyable and rejuvenating if you decide to make it. After a day full of listening to speakers talking about their groundbreaking research, there is nothing like taking a walk, exploring the city, making new friends at the conference, try a different cuisine, going on a hike or guided tours, and more.
Check-out this article where I discuss all-things conference and why you must attend it. I also talk about conferences extensively in this podcast.
In my opinion, mentors must encourage and support the PhD students taking time off during holidays. It is needed for their well-being and progress. If your mentors are not encouraging, you still officially get a break so be sure to take it for your own good. Today, I feel like ending the blog with a quote-
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you” – Anne Lamott
Signing off. Don’t forget to sign-up for free to receive upcoming blogs to your inbox. Suggest what topics you’d like me cover in future.