You don’t just like things done well. You like them done right. Your way. On time. With proper references and perfectly indented bullet points.

You get a request from your line manager and finally gear yourself up to say no. You’ve rehearsed it in your head. You’ve read these newsletters and maybe a book about it. You’re ready.

It’s 9 pm and I’m still working. That’s rule number one broken: I don’t work in the evenings. But here I am, marking. It’s rare.

This new generation don’t work like we did.  They don’t get it. One of my post-docs took a day off for a breakup. And a heavy period. And some grief. All in the same week.

You’re working six days a week, checking emails in the evenings and on weekends, because the admin pile-up just won’t stop. When it comes to admin overload in academia, two forces drive the problem.

I was listening to a podcast with Gabor Mate the other day talking about junior doctors. He and the podcast host were discussing how some junior doctors just can't tear themselves away from their work and end up staying late or going in on their day off.

If you went part-time to manage your workload only to end up using your unpaid days to catch up on email and things you didn't manage to finish, then it's time to stop.