I saw a short thread on Twitter reflecting on taking advice to say no a lot.
Before starting my lectureship, my mentors told me very clearly to say no to as many things as possible (except unmissable opportunities). It has been hard to break the habit of nearly always saying yes to writing, speaking and grant writing opportunities… #AcademicTwitter
— Harriet Thomson (@harrimus) June 12, 2018
but as I reflect back for my PDR meeting I realise this has been really good advice. Not only because starting a new lectureship is busy, but also for workload and mental health, and being strategic about my future research profile #AcademicTwitter
— Harriet Thomson (@harrimus) June 12, 2018
That being said, saying no is never fun, especially as there is often that fear of missing out on something interesting/fun/impactful. And as a sector it feels like we are encouraged to do *everything*. But, I’m working on it ???? #AcademicTwitter
— Harriet Thomson (@harrimus) June 12, 2018
Let’s face it: not everything you need to say no to is an administrative task. (Not that saying no to them is easy either.)
Sometimes the things you need to say no to might include:
- opportunities to collaborate
- invitations to publish a revised version of that conference paper in an edited collection
- applying for a grant on a topic you could do something useful on but isn’t really your main research area
You know saying no will be good for your workload and your mental health, but one reason it’s hard is that fear of missing out.
The 3 examples I listed in the previous paragraph are all things that clients of mine have done and then later discovered were not very helpful for their careers. Since lack of control over your workload is a big contributor to stress, being strategic about your research (and other aspects of your work) will also reduce your stress even if you still have a lot to do.
In order to resist that general sense you have to do everything, you need a good sense of what you want your research trajectory to look like so you can be strategic about offers. In other words, you need to know what you want to say yes to.
Let me reassure you, that although it seems like you are evaluated by how many things you publish and how much grant income you earn, this is only part of the story. Promotion committees also care a lot about trajectory. Having a coherent programme of research matters.
You can do this!
Related posts:
Risking doing the work you find meaningful
Applying for promotion: Research Trajectory
Opposite day as a decision making strategy
All the things I’ve said “no” to by Aimée Morrison at Hook & Eye
How to assess shiny new ideas and invitations by Loleen Berdahl at Academia Made Easier
This piece started life as the June 2018 newsletter. I have edited it mostly to include more links and remove a reference to a service I no longer offer. Most recent edit September 2021. Added to Saying No Spotlight, March 2022.
