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Because of (or thanks?) to Covid, I took 5 months off between the end of my PhD and the beginning of my Postdoc. My academic self did not want to share it publicly (why?) but it's exactly because of that feeling that I am posting this today. #AcademicChatter #chemtwitter 1/11
I took an entire month to (re)connect with family. No matter if your family is on the opposite side of the Earth or if you live with your parents, you probably still never had enough time with them. I was so happy to be able to relax and connect with the people I loved. 2/11
I spent 3 months doing all the projects and things I wanted to accomplish for so long but never had time for during grad school. I alternated between 1) mental/physical 2) social 3) personal and 4) professional growth. 3/11
1) I finally got into the best mental/physical shape I could dream of. I got more time to cook and eat healthier meals, sleep well, and I either skied, hiked, worked out, walked, or did a yoga class every day! #stayactive I also read +10 books, only two were about/for work. 4/11
2) I spent some time catching up with friends and family, either in person or virtually. For the first time in my life, I had time to make Christmas cards and write a personal message to each recipient. 5/11
3) I spent more time on my #zerowaste journey and shook up my routine to create a better one. I also took more responsibility at home to support my partner in his career development, as he had done so for me during the last few months of my PhD. 6/11
4) I finished and published my last research paper with my PhD supervisor, wrote an application for a thesis award, and volunteered for a non-profit organization, @ElectStem, where I will hopefully contribute some blog posts soon (stay tuned!). 7/11
Finally, I took the last month to transition from Canada to the USA to start my job. From moving out/in, packing, cleaning, settling in, doing a bunch of admin paperwork, and much more, this made my transition less stressful and much more exciting! 8/11
Overall, taking 5 months off for the first time in my life since forever, was the best decision I ever made. I got so much done that filled me up with joy and resourced me. It also made me realized that I missed working in the lab and solidified my professional career path. 9/11
Too often, our society, especially academia, sees time off as “you’re lazy”, “you’re not ambitious”, “you are not a strong person” etc. If you know me at least a bit, I hope this will help you realize that taking time off is the complete opposite of the stereotypes we have. 10/11
Now, I can start my postdoc as a fresh individual, ready and excited for it. I hope this post can help demystify taking time off. I can only recommend this experience to anyone, especially if you are about to finish a PhD. As always, I welcome questions/comments/concerns! 11/11
