Let’s talk work-life balance in graduate school! In this video (and thread) I talk about 7 things *I have learned are important for me* to keep in mind around work-life balance. 1/13 

For those of you in different places in life, some of these points may not quite work for you – I imagine parents, especially – so I would direct you to the PhD Parenthood Trap: http://press.georgetown.edu/book/georgetown/phd-parenthood-trap 2/13 

But without further adieu, let’s begin. Lesson 1: the work will always be there, life won’t be. It is so easy to slip in the trap of setting aside some of the most important events in life to get that last paragraph written or that last page finished, 3/13 

however, this is a habit which will lead to regret and burnout. The work will be there, so if there is an *important* event, it should definitely be sidelined. 4/13 

Lesson 2: strict rules about time management can help, but they aren’t for everyone. E.g., some people need a very strict 9-5 schedule, some need to designate particular days as ‘off limits,’ or perhaps like me, you work best front-loading your week 5/13 

and having a weekly ‘hour budget,’ and this may get nudged around for big events (e.g. conferences, etc.). Experiment, find what works for you, and don’t feel guilty if it does not match advice other people have given 6/13 

Lesson 3: sometimes low-tech solutions are better than high-tech solutions. You can really take this multiple ways (taking notes in class on paper vs. notes), for me it is carrying a flip-phone to avoid the constant contact that can become toxic. If you feel burned out … 7/13 

consider if you are ‘too available’ and if that can be adjusted… Lesson 4: overwork impacts your health. There’s not much to say in a tweet, but if your mind and/or body are suffering, it’s time to think about what’s happening and seek help. 8/13 

Lesson 5: The ability to say ‘no’ is important. Really, this relates to 4, but it can also impact your coworkers if you take on commitments you can’t follow through on. No one is going to hate you because your plate is full, and there will be future opportunities to collab. 9/13 

Lesson 6: family and friends may not understand the demands of graduate school, but we can just as easily not understand their needs. All families are different, all family situations are different, but this is something some of us may need to keep in mind, 10/13 

and hopefully I have gracefully articulated this in the video, it was the hardest thing to talk about. Lesson 7 (we done!): you may have certain times of day when you are most productive. I know this heavily relates to ‘lesson 2,’ but it is so good to know that … 11/13 

for example, I am *really super amped* to work on Mondays, and so I love finishing off my last item in bed at a seemingly unreasonable hour. It works, I enjoy it! But I also know that as the week goes on I need to wind down pretty dramatically, 12/13 

so my schedule looks very different from most people I know. But that’s it, those are lessons I have learned about work-life balance! What are some you’ve learned? 13/13