SEASON 2, EPISODE 5: ASKING FOR TIME OFF

This episode is about taking time off from work. I examine why I used to feel quite uncomfortable asking for time off while I was a postdoc and why I feel much more comfortable with it today.

I revisit a journal entry I wrote in June 2014. There was a moment of calm at work, so I was thinking about taking some holidays. This is the shortest journal entry I’ve ever done, so I was surprised about how much material I was able to mine out of this one.

I reflect on how my precarious contract situations left me confused about how much time off I actually had, how fixed-term contracts pressure you into not taking time off, how awkward I felt about asking for time off, the habits I had around taking holidays, and how loneliness can play into not taking time off. In addition, I talk about how I feel about these topics today and I reflect on how I feel a lot better about taking time off these days.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Intro

[03:36] Journal entry

[05:55] Precarious contract situation left me confused about how much time off I had

[07:13] Fixed-term contracts meant I had limited time to actually achieve my goals

[08:36] Feeling ashamed and insecure about asking for time off

[09:13] Not taking time off as a way to prove how hard I was working

[10:39] I never learned how to take time off and go on holiday

[11:56] Loneliness made it hard to take time off

[13:06] Today, I have a much better attitude toward taking time off

[14:04] But there were still challenges to taking time off

[15:47] Making myself suffer isn’t the best way to show loyalty

[16:16] I learned how to take time off and go on holiday

[17:39] I had too much unused holiday before I left academia

[18:26] Do I regret not taking more time off during my postdoc?

[20:32] Outro

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