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Hello 2021! Let me start the year by evangalising the tracking of work hours for academics & how (even imperfectly) doing it has improved my mental health, work, & life in general. A few yrs ago the fab @BRKeogh made us a tool which he's now updated. Anyone can save & use it! 1/ https://twitter.com/BRKeogh/status/1344131028223287297
When I first started tracking my hours properly in 2019 I wrote a little thread about why I was doing it and what I'd found about my work habits: 2/ https://twitter.com/hmberents/status/1166952956249309184?s=20
But most importantly the take away was, and remains, this: 3/ https://twitter.com/hmberents/status/1166952977287933952?s=20
The new improved version of the spreadsheet that @BRKeogh has made includes more specific tasks under generalist workloads headings for academics (I was finding in the prev version too many things were ending up in 'misc' which tells you something about academic work too!) 4/
I want to very strongly stress using the workload spreadsheet ISN'T about hyper efficiency or productivity. Rather it helps me be more in control of my time. It's
a) confirmation I'm doing enough & can stop w/o guilt
b) a tool for accountability of the tasks I want/need to do 5/
a) confirmation I'm doing enough & can stop w/o guilt
b) a tool for accountability of the tasks I want/need to do 5/
. @BRKeogh has also added a tab of stats/graphs to this version. I'm hoping they'll help as a check-in for what/when I'm spending time on so I can make a plan to allocate certain days/times to certain work. A feedback mechanism for the tracking I'm doing 6/ https://twitter.com/BRKeogh/status/1344131034934210560?s=20
So as 2021 kicks off I would strongly encourage others to track their hours. You can save a copy of this template & then tweak it to suit your workload/tasks. @BRKeogh has included instructions & tips to use it also. 7/ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W-w_pbJgsemr5vznErqqNG5UJsfxeiPUNgG8f6pXyfg/edit#gid=1226213337
Tracking work is an indv response to address issues that are often structural, but also offers both a way to look out for yourself & as a basis for solidarity-w other colleagues on contract as well as more precarious colleagues, & for collective action 8/ https://twitter.com/hmberents/status/1166952998959890432?s=20
I'm v grateful to get to do the work I do. But it is work. The culture of academic overwork is toxic & harms our colleagues (particularly ECRs). Don't donate your time to your employer. As 2021 starts after this past awful year take care & value yourself & your time. end/
