A simple strategy to free-up time is to better leverage the help of your assistants. Here are three examples:
- A STEM field professor who was stressed about how to keep her research moving during a busy teaching semester was thrilled to realize that she could create more free time simply by swapping scheduled office hours with her TA. Her TA took the Tuesday shift, and had a full house of students seeking help before their Wednesday exam. The professor took the Friday afternoon shift, and since no one showed up, she was able to spend entire office hours on her own work.
- I wondered if a professor could ask her students to do more of the work to get their joint papers out. At first the professor was reluctant to ask more of the students, because she was sensitive about their need to finish their dissertations However, she reflected that the students of a more demanding colleague were going on the market with more publications on their CVs. Once she recognized that being more demanding would actually benefit her students’ careers, she went ahead and asked for more.
- A professor with young children asks her sitter to help with tasks such as putting together furniture and working with her kids to separate out-grown toys from the bins in the den. Ideally, you will want to mention these kinds of tasks at the time of hiring, as it will be easier to ask for the assistance when the need arises, but even if you didn’t, many sitters will be glad to help.