Work/Life Balance for Ph.D. Students

While commonly prescribed strategies of “work/life” balance can sometimes be helpful for PhD students in academia, I think we are unique in that research can often be a solitary, isolating endeavor, especially in the context of working on a dissertation. This is an immensely lonely activity that can haunt you when you are trying to “live” (by which I mean “not work”). As an academic, you know that there is almost ALWAYS time that you could be working. At nearly any time in your day, you know that you COULD be working on your dissertation, your assistantship, preparing for a lecture, reviewing papers, writing a conference proposal, etc. So even if you make time for “life” activities, you may not enjoy them to their fullest. There may remain that nagging feeling of “hey, I should be doing something productive” right about now. Instead of sitting down and watching a movie with your partner or friends, and feeling a sense of satisfaction afterward, you may suffer relentless guilt that you just wasted two hours of productive time.

Assuming the brain to be the primary human muscle in academic progress, I am a firm believer in the overused metaphor of it as an exercise muscle. In order for it to get stronger, it too has to rest from being “exercised”. Yet, there is clearly more to maintaining a work/life balance than “mind rest”. To continue this metaphor, for any athlete to improve her game, she probably engages in a number of exercises that target muscles beyond simply those that she uses for her primary sport. She also probably engages in behaviors that improve her game when she is not exercising, focused around her diet and other lifestyle choices. Certainly, there are stark differences between athletics and academics that make this an imperfect metaphor. Still, it is useful to note that the physical body cannot grow stronger if it does not have time to repair and heal itself after strain. An athlete simply cannot ALWAYS be exercising, and an academic simply cannot ALWAYS be engaged in academic-related activities. I believe we can benefit greatly from making time for non-academic activities so that we can refresh and repair our insights. More plainly, rest from working helps us to clear our minds and to see things with fresher, brighter eyes. However, just as the athlete is always mindful that her lifestyle choices need to be congruent with her exercise routine, so must the academic!

As exercise puts certain physical stresses on the body, there are certain affective stresses that individuals endure as a result of academia. This is not to say that academia has a monopoly on the affective stresses of work, but that academics, in general, are faced with a number of specific stresses that they cannot simply “leave behind” in the office. That nagging feeling of unproductivity when watching a movie may well be justified if all you are doing is watching movies or playing Facebook games all day. In such cases, guilt may be a good thing in the form of that invisible conscience on your shoulder reminding you of your responsibilities. But when you are living the lifestyle of an academic, it is important to fit in recreational activities, and it is simply not fair to let guilt be an additional stressor to weigh on your mind. Swinging too far in the direction of either “work” or “life” likely means that you are not doing a good job at maintaining the other.

In looking for advice on balancing out the two, I have found helpful information on a number of sites such as WebMD and the Mayo Clinic. However, much of this seems to be geared toward non-academic, more “traditional” business-oriented careers. For example, a number of articles suggested, “sharing the load” with co-workers, or delegating tasks to subordinates. While in some cases these nuggets of advice may be possible for academics to follow, a PhD student working on his dissertation probably cannot share the load, or delegate his literature review to an undergrad. Thus, in coming up with a list of useful tips for “work/life” balance, I tried to stick to those that I found most relevant to struggling graduate students! The following are drawn from a few different sources, to which I provide links following this post.

Tips on maintaining a “work/life” balance for Ph.D. students:

·      Learn to Say “No”: This is one that a number of people have told me over the years, and it is found in a number of articles on “work/life” balance. From personal experience, I have seen how saying “yes” to too many things can create unnecessary pressures and expectations. This is not to say that we should do the bare minimum and not push ourselves. This is, however, meant to signify that we should recognize that we have reasonable limits of productivity and responsibility to ourselves, and should thus respect them.

·      Prioritize: This may seem fairly obvious, but it is another tip that pops up again and again. Some recommend making an ordered list of your top priorities. This way you can recognize what is important, and begin to weed out that which is not.  One particular piece of advice that I saw recommended, is that each priority should get your full attention when it is attended to. While this isn’t always realistic in practice, I think that is probably wise “in sprit”.

·      Organize and Stick to a Schedule: I suppose this may be of particular relevance for academics. There are times in your career when you are not required to stick to any daily/weekly regular schedule. For example, as I work on my dissertation proposal, there are not hard and fast deadlines like there are during coursework. Therefore, it is far too easy to procrastinate and put stuff off until it gets too overwhelming to ignore any further. Integrating routine and organizing your own deadlines is an ideal way to keep from falling into a scholarly black hole. I concede that this is far easier said than done, but like they say when it comes to quitting drug or alcohol addiction, keep trying until you succeed.

·      Have a Support System: This can be particularly hard to find especially within academia itself. Your fellow students likely have just as much on their plate as you do, and your family and friends outside of school may not understand the specific pressures and issues you face in academia. However, it is important not to let the isolation of academia overwhelm (I am speaking in particular of dissertation writing, and other solitary PhD student activities). Start a writing group with your colleagues, or propose a weekly happy hour. Make time to go see a movie with friends. It is important to maintain one of the basic fundamental human needs for sanity: being social.

·      Have Fun: In fact, it is important to make time for it, and to leave guilt in the office or lab. Allow yourself to engage in activities you enjoy, mindful of, but not guilty about, your academic responsibilities. In other words, do it, and make sure you do it, but don’t overdo it. Just don’t underdo it either. I suppose that not overdoing or underdoing fun is a matter of its own balance, and will come with different guidelines for different individuals. But one thing is clear: you have made it this far, so you deserve to have SOME fun!

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/5-strategies-for-life-balance?page=2

http://www.cio.com/article/114051/Five_Sensible_Tips_for_Achieving_Work_Life_Balance?page=3&taxonomyId=3123

http://www.microsoft.com/business/en-us/resources/management/leadership-training/need-work-life-balance-7-tips.aspx#Needworklifebalancetips

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/work-life-balance/WL00056/NSECTIONGROUP=2

A Technology Fanaticism Model?

Those of us in the Information Science/Information Systems disciplines are intimately familiar with TAM, or, the Technology Acceptance Model. At its most basic level, this is the idea that adoption of IT is predicated on perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. For example, I choose to adopt Photoshop as my software of choice for photo-editing based on perceiving it as a very helpful tool for particular (or potential) tasks, and on the simplicity of its interface. If I see it as more useful, and easier to use than a competitor's tool (such as, let's say, PaintShop Pro), I thus adopt Photoshop. At its core, TAM operates under the assumption that humans are rational creatures.

In the 20ish year since its inception, there have been numerous additions, expansions, and variants of the model. Some, accounting for less rational factors, such as hedonic perceptions; others considering context such as for personal use or as a job requirement; while still others consider facets such as demographics, social pressures, and experience. But when I look at the news over the last few weeks, and see the extremes to which some people have gone to acquire their new iPhone 4s (myself being an eager adopter), existing TAM studies immediately feel irrelevant in explaining individuals' behaviors.

The iPhone 4 takes the idea of Technology Acceptance to the level of Technology Fanaticism. We've seen images of people standing in long, long lines, some camped out for days, awaiting their new iPhones. There are minute-by-minute blogs and Twitter postings documenting experiences of buying a phone (from getting in line to unpacking the box at home) which read like the play-by-play of an intense football game. It would be unfair to single these people out as the only fanatics of technology. It has happened before with other Apple products (such as the poorly-named iPad), and even non-Apple products; especially game systems! I remember the PS2 launch being a (somewhat) comparably big deal in 2000!

Yet, is this any different than the holiday brawls which erupted in the 80s over Cabbage Patch Kid Dolls, or in the 90s over Tickle-Me-Elmos? Is it different than when hoards of fans turned out for the new Harry Potter books dressed in costume? Or when Star Wars fans waited for tickets to Episodes 1-3 in their costumes? Is the insanity expressed over the iPhone 4 terribly unlike the enthusiasm of fans who camp out to get tickets for popular concert events? Is it any more or less extreme than those who follow around the Grateful Dead? Hell, what about Beatle Mania several decades ago? In all of these instances, what one might call fanaticism, another might say you have to experience to understand.

I think that in general, people are rational when adopting new IT, and behave in ways that demonstrate the explanatory power TAM and its variants. Yet, I also believe that there is something buried deep within the human psyche that causes endorphin flow when we satiate our need for "cool things". This might be stronger in some people than others, and "cool things" might be defined as very different entities by different people. I am sure this has been studied and researched in Psychology, and I am sure that the entities on which we focus our fanaticism may say a lot about who we are, our society, our values, and so on. Why some people go to extreme lengths to satiate this need probably says a lot about their personalities, backgrounds, and perceptions. I could sit back, try to delve into my own psyche, and consider the things I get fanatical about; or I could look up research on fanaticism. I could, but I think it is enough to recognize my fanaticism when it occurs, and to enjoy it for what it is, so long as it doesn't take away from the truly important things in my life which transcend materiality and superficial experience.

Ironically, I started this post on 6/24 and didn't finish until more than 24 hours later. The reason: I got my new iPhone 4 of course! But hey, at least it gave me something to write about....

Political Correctness vs. THE ZOMBIES!!!!!

The phenomenon of zombies in pop culture is hardly new; just look back to the classic B movie Night of the Living Dead in the 1960's, or Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in the 1980's. While I am in my early 30's, I remember as an adolescent that zombies were not any more popular than say, ghosts, in terms of Halloween costumes or horror movie antagonists. They were not particularly popular, but they were not entirely unpopular either. Recently, however, I feel as if zombies are EVERYWHERE, with more movies being made than ever before, and countless video games including them as the main baddies! Even classical novels are being rewritten with a zombie twist (see for example, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). Hell, I was even witness to a zombie parade this Halloween! Additionally, this past summer, I participated in some research where middle/high school students had to create Flash-based video games, and Zombies ranked among some of the most popular references either in their games, or their ideas for games. So, this begs the question: why are they so popular now?

While walking across the quad at school today, I was witness to a rather large and spread out crowd of undergrads sporting different color bandannas, and carrying Nerf guns. I crossed paths with a few, but didn't really pay any attention to their hi-jinx until I over heard one saying "no, you're on the Zombie team, we're on the Human team!" Instantly, it made sense! So much of our cultural entertainment endeavors (from play, to movies, to books, etc) have been built around having a human enemy, that, in an age of political correctness, zombies are the only politically correct group left to vilify! As a kid, I would hear "old" people recounting tales of playing "Cowboys and Indians". As a kid in the 80's, my friends and I would routinely decide who was to act as the treacherous Russians on the school playground, and who would be the Americans. And yet today, I live in a world where I would be horrified if I encountered children playing "U.S. Marines and Muslim Extremists," despite that it would follow this long tradition of extending current vilification trends into recreation and entertainment.

Granted, zombies are not the only non-human, yet, humanoid figures capable of fulfilling a role of vilification, as one could consider aliens, cyborgs, monsters, and so on. Without a doubt, obsession with vampires is also at an all-time high, though we seem to love them more as protagonists! I think there are probably attributes of zombies that are simultaneously horrific and exciting, which naturally make them good enemies. Couple this with some well-received films with high box office grosses, and you have a phenomenon that penetrates various forms of both passive and active entertainment! 

I think seeing people playing "Zombies and Humans" shows evidence that, by and large, nearly 20 years after I first heard the term "politically correct," we are FINALLY beginning to recognize that it is inherently wrong to vilify ethnicity, religion, race, or gender! Instead, we are turning to zombies! While I cautiously stand aside from making grand value judgments on political correctness and its cultural ramifications, I believe there is clear, everyday evidence that teaching, maintaining, and insisting on political correctness is having some inherently beneficial impacts on our society. This is not to say that violence or aggression toward anything that resembles a human is good or positive, but for now, I'll take college students shooting Nerf guns at zombies over kids firing off cap guns at cultural stereotypes any day!

Finally, rather than start with a disclaimer, I will conclude with one, as I figure this is probably the best spot to save discourse for those who do not care about such academics. My views are clearly based entirely on anecdotal observations, and I am sure that real historical and cultural research might uncover phenomenon entirely different or even contrary. Similarly, it is important to note that I am writing from a middle-class, American-born perspective, as everything above might have vastly different interpretations and meanings through different socioeconomic lenses. Additionally, no zombies were harmed during the conception, writing, or publishing of this blog post.

Speculations on Mobile Technology and Influences on Social Etiquette

If it hasn't already been asked, I think a great research question would be: "in what ways have mobile communication technologies influenced face-to-face social etiquette?"

About 5 or 6 years ago, as the ubiquity of text messaging was beginning to encroach upon our standard modes of modern communication, my social circle was among the early adopters. At work, at the bar, or any other place of gathering, it was not unusual for any of us to be texting during conversations. Certainly, there were some implicit social rules that accompanied this, differing somewhat per individual. For example, when I used to live with my cousin, it would not be unusual for either of us to be sending and receiving text messages while we had a casual conversation going between us. Yet, I had a friend in my Masters program who found it rather rude if I texted while out for our weekly, group, post-class Applebees drink sessions. She would tease me rather than reprimand me, but the message was still clear: she found it rude. Yet, I am not sure our other friend in the group did.

The debate as to the acceptability of maintaining a textual conversation during face-to-face ones is best left to be decided between those individuals engaging in them. I have come to try to avoid doing both at the same time, though at least once in the last year a friend called me out for texting while I was talking to him and his other friend in the same room.

Of course, there is also the question of whether or not it is inconsiderate to maintain multiple conversations across media. Certainly, I can think back on times when I was composing email, while responding to instant messages, and, at the same time, conversing via text messages. Likely, I wasn't doing any one of those things well, but rather a half-assed job at multiple tasks.

With the wall of invisibility between these modes of communication, the only clue to my virtual conversational partners that I was multitasking was probably the gap in time between responses, and a higher-than-usual occurrence of typos. Yet, as a 33 year-old, I was not born among these modes of communication. Rather, they came to me after I had been socialized into my culture and conversational etiquette had been learned. Thus, I think among folks my age, there is a (somewhat) subconscious mandate to ensure that the interlocutor at the other end of a conversation feels at the center of attention. Taking turns is important, and simultaneous texting while talking may or may not be preceived as a thread to that attention, so long as the attention is maintained at an acceptable level.

But what about those who have grown up and developed their social patterns engulfed in ubiquitous mobile and textual communication technologies? Recently, my roommate has begun dating a girl who is 12 years younger than me. On a regular basis, I can be having a face-to-face conversation with him, or even be playing a video game with him, and she will begin her own conversation with him at the same time. While it first struck me as annoyingly socially unaware, I have begun to wonder if it is not a generational thing. When you develop your social skills surrounded by technologies that not only engender, but promote multiple simultaneous conversations, does that practice carry over into face-to-face conversations? In 20 years, might social conventions no longer deem it rude to interrupt one real-life discussion with another?

I certainly hope not! And the odds are that water-cooler conversations will not likely be reduced to snippets of peoples' voices talking over and at one another. However, I suspect that the implicit social rules of face-to-face conversation are undergoing some subtle transformations, which may become less subtle as those who grew up with texting technologies become adults. Ten years ago I earned my Bachelor's degree in Communication Arts. It is truly unfathomable how much may have changed since then, not simply in regard to technological channels, but rather the interpersonal ramifications of those channels.

(Not) Blogging on a Regular Basis

On numerous occasions, I have intended to sit down and blog. Great ideas for topics have struck me, and I have composed wonderful ways of articulating those ideas in my head. There are mornings where I have woken up and thought, "today is a good day to blog." Or I have been falling asleep on a Sunday night with the firm commitment to blog every day that week. Or at least 4 days. Maybe 3. Okay, at LEAST 2. But if I did one, I would be happy.

Yet, I haven't blogged in over a year.

And I am not alone in this. I have seen plenty of friends set up blogs, being really into them for the first few weeks, or first few days. Then, there is a conspicuous absence of blogging for an extended period of time. This is frequently followed by a post that apologizes for the lack of recent blogging, with a statement of ongoing intention to resume regular posts. This intention may or may not result in the actual resumption of blogging behavior, but if it does, sputters out even faster than the original attempt. Then eventually, there is another blog about not blogging consistently, paired with another attempt to do so. Lather, rinse, (may or may not) repeat.

I will disclaim, however, that I do have at least 3 or 4 friends who blog on a regular basis with astounding eloquence. But most people I know who start a blog, fall into the vicious cycle (or some variation thereof) described above. I am one of them. I wonder what it is about blogging that is like dieting and exercise. How often do we commit to doing those things, with strong intention and motivation, only to let them fall by the wayside after a few weeks? Similarities can be seen in other volitional activities too, such as keeping in touch with friends, quitting bad habits, and so on. Thus, I guess the question, and possible answers, are not specific to blogging. The fact that blogs retain a public history of activity, makes them an easy target to observe lapsed behavior.

I write this not to scorn friends or readers who have not followed through on their blogging intentions. Hell, I am at the top of the guilty list. Upon reflecting through my own lacking blogging habits, I often wonder what it is that has stopped me from following through when I feel motivated to do so, and have ideas that are inspired enough to be legitimately encouraging. I certainly have time in my week to do at least two. I have enough interests to put up material that would not come off as overly repetitive. I typically feel a sense of accomplishment when I do put up a post. So what is it then that keeps me from blogging? Drum roll please....




I have no idea.

Yes, that was incredibly anticlimactic. But then, so have been my intentions to blog. I'd like to think that by writing this, I might work through whatever barrier it is, but I cannot promise I will resume writing on a regular basis, or at least maintain that once I try. I wonder what other lapsed bloggers perceive as their barriers. Is it the lack of anticipated fulfillment after they begin? Is it disappointment with readership or desired comments? Is it that blogging gets demoted to a lower priority when life gets busy? Is it too much effort to actually WRITE out the great ideas that inspired the blog creation in the first place? If anything, I suspect the latter is my barrier, coupled with slight feelings of guilt for spending time on composing self-actualizing streams of consciousness into text.

Whatever the case is, I do like that this outlet is here if I need it. That alone can be quite encouraging. The only way I will resume blogging regularly, and continue to do so, is through intrinsic motivation. I have to write for me, about what I want, and feel rewarded by the activity itself. In this moment it feels good to have written SOMEthing. And in this moment I have plenty of ideas for future posts that have been on my mind for awhile.

Now let's just see if those thoughts find the light of day on my blog tomorrow, or even next week....

Politics in the Classroom: A Few Thoughts and Discussion Points for Educators

So a friend of mine recently asked her Facebook friends if it would be inappropriate to have her students watch the presidential inauguration in class. I will ruin the suspense and say flat out that I do not think it is inappropriate. But, it did bring a number of arguments and concerns to my mind that I think are worth considering and discussing.

The main issue is how vocal should a professor be in expressing his or her own personal political opinions. On one hand, there is the argument that they are in a position of authority over their students, and there is the potential for coercion. Yet on the other hand, we all have a right to free speech, no matter how public your position is! While I am huge proponent of the latter, I feel that professors should be someone discretionary WHERE and HOW they choose to discuss such beliefs. For example, I am friends with a number of faculty members who are Facebook friends with their students. Around election time, it was NOT uncommon to see status updates that made specific and passionate political proclamations. Not just simply a "I'm voting Obama" or a "McCain sucks" but more like "Did anyone see what a fool Sarah Palin made out of herself in those interviews. If not, here's the link". As a future educator, I would not feel comfortable broadcasting those to the Facebook public IF a student who was currently reliant on me for a grade was going to receive that status update. As someone with a lot of experience being a student myself, I know that if a professor or a superior who had some authority over me, or a role in deciding my academic future was making such statements, especially if I disagreed with them, I would feel influenced. NOT influenced as to who *I* would vote for, but influenced as to voicing my own political opinion publically.

I can take the perspective of the academic, of the scholarly and just educator who will not be biased toward his or her student. And indeed, most every professor/instructor I know would not let a student's political opinion color the way she or he grades the student. But, looking at this from a student perspective, quite reasonably an undergrad may not have that same impression. If his or her instructor is vocal about politics in either the classroom, or ion a very interactively public forum like Facebook, might the student feel that expressing his or her own political beliefs in the classroom or on Facebook cause his or her prof/instructor to be biased against him or her if such beliefs clash? Certainly, there may well be those who would be bias against a student (though such a through is terrifying to me), and that very fear of bias, no matter how imagined or real, may well influence students to be less inclined to express their voices.

So...do I feel professors should be quiet in their political beliefs? Not at all. But when it comes to broadcasting them in a location where they have a relationship with a student, there is a potential for line crossing. It did occur to me, what about if the instructor/professor has a blog, or a bumper sticker in their car, or a sign in their window? I don't have a good answer for that. As I said earlier, I think as much as anyone, professors/instructors/teachers need to have just as much of a sense for freedom of expression. And as educators/instructors/teachers have to recognize that it’s not just content we are passing onto our students, but its often ideals and ways of thinking about and interpreting our world. To do anything that may put a student who is relying on you for guidance in a position where he or she perceives a boundary to expression, is doing a disservice to that student. As educators, I feel that students, that encouraging freedom of thought and expression, comes above all else. So, does that mean to not have a blog, or a bumper sticker, or a window sign? Not necessarily. But I think it calls on us to be mindful of the influence this may exert. We need to be mindful (but not censored) in the classroom, on Facebook, and elsewhere. Perhaps above all else, in order to preserve our own sense of freedom of expression, SHARE with students our encouragement for them to think for themselves, to think as individuals! Tell them forthright that it is OKAY to disagree with you, that political disconnection can be a driving force in the spawning of new and wonderful ideas. Tell them that it won't affect their GRADE!

Maybe one doesn't need to be so explicit in every case, but my point is, politics in the classroom, politics broadcast to those we have authority over may indirectly, even if temporarily, muffle voices that should ordinarily be heard loud clear! It is something to be mindful of. So when my friend asks if she should bring the TV into the classroom on inauguration day, my immediate impulse was no, as it may be a broadcast of her political leanings. Yet on further thought, might this not be a great opportunity for discussion and the exchange of ideas between students? Certainly, I don't think she should make a lovefest for Obama, but I think she may consider commenting that political discussion or ANY discussion of ideas in her classroom is encouraged, and will not personally impact any student's grade.

This is just one set of thoughts on a very complicated and multi-faceted issues. If anyone disagrees or has additional insights and opinions, I would love the hear them!

It was a really good post....but...

So I spent about 30 minutes writing feverishly about a particular topic today, and was about halfway through when I came to a realization. I couldn't continue with the post because it was coming off as harsh in regard to an issue I am faced with regularly in my position at my academic institution. And while I am a huge fan of the first amendment and taking vocal positions or stances, in this instance, I could not. It sounded disrespectful which was not my intention at all, and I could not think of a fair and diplomatic manner in which to otherwise express my feelings.

Yeah, I know this makes no sense because I have left out all of the specifics. But because I had put so much effort into the post...I feel like I have to post something for all that effort. So here is your daily dose of evasiveness and ambiguity! A post about another post that never was to be!