The new academic year is about to start again! This means we have the summer holidays behind us, and had time to reflect on things too. What went well last year? What went less well, and what should I do differently in the new academic year? For me, this reflection was initiated in a rather painful way. In fact, I fell ill on the Sunday ahead of the first week of summer holidays. It turned out to be an infection in hospital, which was difficult to treat, so I ended up being sidelined for three weeks. At the worst possible time, as my wife and children were eager to leave for the campsite. But I was sick in bed.
As we were all very much in need of a holiday, that was a setback for a while. Looking back on the past semester, it is not surprising that my body hit the emergency brake. It was a madhouse. My agenda was so full that sometimes I didn't even know what I was going to do at the next meeting. New research projects, colleagues dropping out which meant extra work on the plate, a busy time with visitations, and also many private developments that needed attention; it all piled up and ‘had to’ be done. After all, some of these tasks were only temporary, so I had to hang on for a while. In the end, I paid the price for that. Very annoying, but sometimes you have to hit a wall to see what needs to be done differently. The most important change, however, is the division of teaching and research. You can compare the relationship between research and teaching to a double bed. A bed of 120 cm in which two people can just barely sleep. If one has taken up space, it means the other doesn't sleep well and vice versa. It is the same with research and teaching. Despite the demands on both (in a job that combines teaching and research), there is only room for one task to lie comfortably in the doubter. Because let's face it, spoon-laying and sleeping well, that's given to very few. This has made me decide to focus more on education in the coming years. The more I think about it, I get more satisfaction from that - for now - than from research. I will continue to do research in the form of supervising PhD students, coordinating projects and co-authoring papers, but initiating and leading papers myself is not what I am interested in for the time being. Research may go to the edge of the bed for a while, and teaching may enjoy space and warm blankets for a while.
So despite the traditional mould of the academic job, there is room to make choices. That room for choice is different for everyone, but it is there. Fine-tune it with your supervisor, with other stakeholders, and see how you can shape your job as pleasantly as possible. And that shape is not set in stone either. Interests change, and sometimes a change of life stage makes you want to make a different choice. My main lesson is that you have to keep reflecting, so that after the summer break you can start the new academic year with renewed energy.