Take care of yourself

Lesson overview

Objective: Embed self-care into your career development

Summary: This lesson focuses on integrating sustainable self-care practices into your academic workflow to create the conditions for meaningful, high-value work. Rather than viewing rest as a reward for productivity, we position it as the foundation that enables good work to emerge. The lesson provides practical strategies adapted for different academic roles - whether you’re focused on teaching, research, leadership, or administration - helping you build habits that support both professional achievement and personal wellbeing.

Key habits:

• Create intentional recovery periods: Schedule 15-30 minute breaks between intensive work sessions, treating them as non-negotiable parts of your day
• Define and defend your work boundaries: Establish consistent start and end times to your day, along with clear limits on when you’ll engage with email and other communications
• Integrate movement into your daily workflow: Take walking breaks, stand while reading, or schedule regular exercise sessions that work within your academic schedule
• Prioritise sleep: Set up routines and an environment that support good rest, including a consistent bedtime and a workspace separate from your rest space

Introduction

The activities we typically turn to during breaks rarely help us recover. Whether it’s checking social media during short gaps between meetings or trying to catch up on writing during longer academic breaks, we often end up feeling more drained afterwards, wondering why we can never seem to get ahead.

When your sense of self-worth becomes tied to your academic productivity, it’s easy to feel constant pressure to achieve more. But focusing solely on external measures of success creates a working environment where you’re always depleted and never restored. This lesson is about building sustainable practices that support both your wellbeing and your academic goals. We’ll explore practical strategies for integrating rest and recovery into your schedule, with specific adaptations for different academic roles. After all, a successful academic career is more like a marathon than a sprint - and even marathoners know the value of pacing and recovery.

…it’s tempting to sacrifice well-being for success. Pushing past exhaustion brings short-term rewards. Over time, well-being is vital to success. Daily exhaustion adds up to long-term burnout. Success can be attained without rest, but it isn’t sustained without rest.

Adam Grant

Making space for recovery

Your career in academia is more like a marathon than a sprint. While there will be times when you need to increase your pace - for example, when preparing a funding proposal or finalising grades - working at maximum intensity shouldn’t be your default mode. Building a sustainable academic career means creating space for both intense work and meaningful recovery.

Rest isn’t just about preventing burnout; it’s about creating the conditions where your best work can emerge. When you include regular periods of recovery in your schedule, you:

• Return to your work with renewed energy and perspective
• Have more capacity for creative and analytical thinking
• Maintain better focus during periods of intense work
• Build resilience for challenging times

Think of recovery as an investment in your future productivity, not a cost to your current output. Just as elite athletes carefully balance training and recovery to achieve peak performance, academics need to find their own sustainable rhythm of engagement and restoration.

This lesson embodies the fundamental principle that meaningful academic work emerges from a foundation of calm and intentional practice, not from constant pressure and overwork. By integrating deliberate self-care into your workflow, you create the mental and physical space needed to engage deeply with your most valuable projects. This isn’t about working less – it’s about working more effectively and sustainably.

Self-care strategies across roles

While the principles of self-care remain constant, how you implement them may depend on your specific academic responsibilities. Let’s explore how different aspects of academic work - teaching, research, leadership, and administration - create unique challenges and opportunities for integrating self-care into a daily routine.

Teaching focus

Managing energy around teaching blocks

• Schedule “recovery blocks” after intensive teaching sessions - even 15 minutes of quiet time can help restore energy
• Build in buffer time between classes for physical movement and mental reset
• Plan lighter administrative work for post-teaching periods when mental energy is depleted

Establishing term-time routines

• Front-load course preparation during break periods to reduce pressure during term
• Block out specific “no meetings” times during heavy teaching weeks
• Set boundaries around email and student consultation hours to avoid constant availability
• Batch similar tasks like grading or feedback to maintain focus

Exercise adaptations

• Use standing or walking breaks between online teaching sessions
• Schedule exercise for mid-morning if you teach afternoon classes
• Consider gentle movement like stretching on heavy teaching days
• Build movement into your teaching by walking while thinking through lecture plans

Sleep and rest

• Maintain consistent sleep patterns especially during marking periods
• Create a wind-down routine after evening teaching
• Avoid checking student emails right before bed
• Schedule short restorative breaks between long teaching blocks

Social connections

• Build relationships with teaching colleagues to share resources and support
• Join or create a teaching circle for mutual encouragement
• Schedule regular coffee catch-ups with peers between classes

Research focus

Managing research energy

• Schedule deep work blocks during your peak cognitive hours
• Use time-blocking to protect writing and analysis periods
• Plan lighter tasks for after intense data analysis or writing sessions
• Build in reflection time after challenging research activities

Establishing research routines

• Create dedicated spaces for different research activities (reading, writing, analysis)
• Block out specific times for uninterrupted research work
• Set boundaries around collaboration and meeting times
• Break large research projects into smaller, manageable chunks

Exercise adaptations

• Take walking breaks between writing sessions
• Stand while reading papers or reviewing literature
• Schedule exercise after long periods of desk-based work
• Use movement to help process complex research problems

Sleep and rest

• Maintain consistent sleep patterns during grant/paper deadlines
• Create boundaries between research thinking and rest time
• Avoid checking submission status updates before bed
• Build in recovery time after intense research periods

Social connections

• Make time for non-research conversations with colleagues
• Schedule regular check-ins with research collaborators
• Join or create writing groups for accountability
• Build relationships with peers at conferences

Leadership focus

Managing leadership energy

• Schedule strategic thinking during peak cognitive hours
• Build in recovery time between challenging meetings
• Alternate between high and low-intensity leadership tasks
• Create space for reflection and strategic planning

Establishing leadership routines

• Block out “leadership focus time” for strategic work
• Set clear boundaries around availability and response times
• Create systems for delegation and team empowerment
• Schedule regular breaks between meetings and decisions

Exercise adaptations

• Take walking meetings where appropriate
• Stand during one-on-one discussions
• Schedule movement breaks between long meeting blocks
• Use physical activity to process complex leadership challenges
• Schedule movement breaks between long meeting blocks
• Use physical activity to process complex leadership challenges

Sleep and rest

• Maintain consistent sleep despite varying demands
• Create clear boundaries between work and rest
• Avoid checking emails during personal time
• Schedule recovery time after intense periods

Social connections

• Make time for mentoring relationships
• Build supportive networks with other leaders
• Maintain regular informal check-ins with team members
• Create opportunities for team connection

Administration focus

Managing administrative energy

• Batch similar administrative tasks together
• Schedule complex work during peak focus times
• Plan for regular breaks during high-volume periods
• Build in recovery time after intense deadlines

Establishing administrative routines

• Create structured workflows for recurring tasks
• Set clear boundaries around availability
• Develop systems for managing multiple deadlines
• Schedule regular planning and organisation time

Exercise adaptations

• Take short movement breaks between tasks
• Stand while processing routine work
• Schedule regular stretching during desk work
• Build movement into daily administrative routines

Sleep and rest

• Maintain consistent sleep especially during busy periods
• Create clear boundaries between work and personal time
• Avoid checking work systems outside hours
• Schedule recovery time after intense administrative periods

Social connections

• Maintain relationships across different departments
• Build supportive networks with administrative colleagues
• Schedule regular check-ins with team members
• Create opportunities for informal connection

Whatever combination of roles you hold, the key is to adapt these strategies to fit your specific context. Start with one or two practices that seem most relevant and build from there.

Pause and reflect

After implementing the advice in this course, you may paradoxically feel increased pressure to “be productive.” With these new tools and techniques, you might find yourself wondering if you could optimise even further - squeeze in more work, be more efficient, achieve more. This tendency to keep pushing for ever-greater productivity is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. The course aims to help you achieve a state of calm productivity, but that shouldn’t become another source of stress or a reason to constantly seek more optimisation.

Instead, we’re aiming to create a sustainable way of working that aligns with your personal definition of a meaningful academic career. Success isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters, while maintaining your well-being over the long term. Ask yourself: What would a satisfying and sustainable academic career look like for you? How can you structure your work in a way that supports both your professional goals and your personal well-being? The answers to these questions will help guide your implementation of these practices in a way that serves your broader life goals, not just your productivity metrics.

Activity

Build your self-care routine

Starting small is key to creating sustainable change. Rather than trying to implement everything at once, choose one area to focus on initially. Here’s how to begin:

Exercise and movement

• Schedule three 30-minute exercise sessions into your weekly calendar
• This could be as simple as a brisk walk or basic stretching
• Focus on consistency rather than intensity
• Try different times of day to find what works best

Sleep and recovery

• Set a consistent bedtime that allows for 7-9 hours of sleep
• Create an evening routine that helps you wind down
• Consider using an alarm to remind you when to start preparing for sleep
• Keep your bedroom environment conducive to rest

Restorative activities

• Identify 2-3 activities that genuinely restore your energy
• These might be reading, walking in nature, or spending time with friends
• Schedule these activities regularly, treating them as important as any meeting
• Notice which activities drain versus restore your energy

Planning breaks with the EASY goals framework:

• Energising: Choose activities that restore your depleted energy
• Agential: Ensure you have control over starting and making progress
• Small: Scale the project to complete within your break
• Yours: Select activities you want to do, not what you think you should do

Implementation tip: Start with just one of these areas. Once you’ve established that as a routine, add another. Remember that small, consistent changes are more sustainable than dramatic overhauls.

Download the template

Key takeaways

• Rest enables productivity: Rest isn’t something you earn after being productive - it’s what makes sustained productivity possible. When you prioritise rest and recovery, you create the conditions for your best thinking and most creative work. The benefits of good rest habits compound over time, enhancing both your academic output and your well-being.

• Sustainable progress over intensity: Meaningful academic success rarely comes from constantly pushing for more productivity or working longer hours. Instead, it tends to develop gradually through consistent, intentional effort. While there will be times when you need to sprint to meet specific deadlines, this shouldn’t be your default mode. Real progress comes from building sustainable foundations that support long-term growth.

• Self-care is essential: Self-care isn’t optional - it’s essential for a successful academic career. This means deliberately scheduling time for exercise, protecting your sleep, and nurturing relationships that restore your energy. Start with small, manageable changes that you can maintain consistently. Use tools like the EASY framework (Energising, Agential, Small, Yours) to plan breaks that genuinely rejuvenate rather than drain you.

Resources

• Burkeman, O. (2021). Four thousand weeks: Time management for mortals. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Grant, A. (2022). Tweet.
• Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: The new science of sleep and dreams. Penguin Books.