The Great Balancing Act of an Academic Year: Getting It All Done

The EduCause Horizon Report on Teaching and Learning (2022) stated that even after two years into the COVID-19 Pandemic, much still feels the same. However, in some important ways, our thinking and behaviors may be shifting in anticipation of longer-term changes in the ways we structure our lives and shared spaces. In higher education, these shifts may reflect an evolution from “emergency or reactive” modes of how we teach to making strategic and sustainable investments in a future that will be very much unlike our past. What does this mean for those teaching in higher education? How do professors shift from providing what was typical in their instruction to new and evolving modalities?

As we enter a new academic year, many universities have resumed normal operations with faculty and students returning to the physical classroom. Zoom and Microsoft Teams video-conference applications are cooling off from a heated two years of around-the-clock use. However, faculty are still expected to learn more technologies, including digital tools, and integrate current teaching method trends into a course. It truly becomes a balancing act of trying to get it all done. Updating the LMS with modules even for face-to-face classes, departmental meetings, new strategic focal points for reaching desired metrics, conducting research, publishing, and documenting research activity for tenure and promotion, and all of the other expectations of faculty before classes start. What are some ways that can make this balancing act less stressful? Here are five tips that may help.

1. Make a To-Do List. A to-do list is a simple rule of thumb. As a new academic year begins, a to-do list for the day, week, and month can significantly impact time management. It is refreshing to see an item on a to-do list crossed off that brings a sigh of relief. Also, having a to-do list has been proven to help people prioritize and accomplish needed tasks. It may help to organize the list into most urgent to least urgent and categorize it by course, meetings, and other areas of importance.

2. Work Smarter, Not Harder. We have all heard this famous cliché, but do we know what that means, or do we apply it? Most likely not. Most faculty spend hours and days revising syllabi, course documents, and other items every semester. Instead of individualizing every syllabus with information that applies to every course, create a digital document that can be uploaded for everyone. For specific details, such as due dates, assignment specifications, and things that can change during the semester, including those in the Canvas shell. This way, you will not have to change everything each semester.

3. Don’t Try to Cover an Entire Book. Over the years, a recurring question in many effective teaching and learning workshops has been, “why do faculty feel the need to cover every chapter, theme, concept, or theory in one semester?” The question of quality over quantity becomes real as we think about what we want students to know when they leave a class. Would we like students to know many things very well? Or would we like them to know too many things vaguely or not at all? So focus lesson planning on quality rather than quantity. The results in student success rates in the class will increase, as well as their knowledge of content going into other courses that build on the one you taught.

4. Find Work/Life Balance. Many higher education professionals spent at least a year working from the comfort of their homes.  Although that may have brought other challenges (e.g., kids or pets Zoom-bombing or unexpected noises such as doorbells and dogs barking), the setup did allow us to work in a setting that was familiar and less stressful. Human resource professionals report that the productivity of remote workers is often higher than onsite productivity. Finding balance was necessary, or we could find ourselves working 24 hours a day. Knowing when to stop, break, log off, or shut down became more apparent than before. Carry this same concept into this semester. Know when to stop. Leave that stack of papers in the office. The report review can wait until tomorrow.  Shut down the laptop or tablet. Learning to stop and do some of the enjoyable things (e.g., take a walk, listen to music, bake a cake, exercise, read for pleasure) can make a difference in how we feel and improve our health.

5. It’s Okay to Say No. This is my favorite tip. It took a while in my adult life to learn that the word NO is a complete sentence. The word no does require a subject or predicate because it does it all completely. It is okay to say no. The average educator teaches three-course sections per week and is a member of at least four committees. Almost every minute of the day is accounted for with something to do. In an era where class sizes are not decreasing and teaching loads are not being reduced as much as in the past, learning to say no can be a lifesaver, literally. The peace and comfort of saying no to something that we know is impossible to fit into a schedule bring relief and lessens stress. Practice it. Say it. Do it. No is not a bad word. It is a great word that preserves our health, time, and sanity.   

Therefore, as you enter Fall 2022, the great balancing act begins. If you just include one of the tips above, there should be a difference in getting it all done.  And if it doesn’t get done, remember tip number four, work/life balance is key to a more productive and happier YOU.