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In July, I started a new role at OSU as the Assistant Vice President for Talent and Team Development within the Office of Knowledge Enterprise (OKE) while continuing my engineering education work. OKE is part of ERIK which is essentially the research and innovation arm of the institution. In this role, I am charged with helping researchers and teams of researcher prepare for large-scale interdisciplinary research that could lead to federal funding. It has been an exciting new adventure that has allowed me to connect with amazing folks across the entire university. That said, balancing a faculty appointment and an administrative appointment can be challenging. Below are 3 tips if you are interested in starting to pursue something similar.

• Have a typical schedule but be ready for changes. I spend 2 days a week in my OKE office and 2 days a week in my engineering education office. I use Fridays as a split day to catch up on whatever is needed (ideally working from home that day but that has happened less than I would like). While this balanced schedule would be ideal, there are times when adjustments need to be made. With that, when planning things like meetings in advance, I keep everything to their assigned days. This allows unforeseen issues or tasks to be tackled as needed. There are times when I make exceptions, but these are far and few between or else I would be doing both jobs all the time.

• Communicate, communicate, and communicate again. When you have two major roles, you know you do, but others will forget because they are not balancing both day to day. There is no harm in reminding them about your schedule, availability, capacity, and expectations. This is about setting boundaries but also communicating them. I have found that people are typically extremely understanding when I remind them of my dual role and the restrictions it causes.

• Ask all the questions. I have been at OSU as a faculty member for 10 years now. I know how a lot of things work. I have seen the old ways of doing things and the new ones. One major thing I have learned in this new role is that every unit has their own way of doing things even if we are following the same university policies. This means you have to ask questions to learn how things are done across the system. There are certain things people will assume you know, but trust me, ask questions just to be sure you are aligned.

As I continue in this role, I know I will have more to share, but I wanted to post my initial insights having been in this role for about 6 months. Each and every day, I learn something new about the role, the unit, the university, and myself. It has been a great experience in doing something fresh and continuing to learn.

The past few months of my PhD journey have been an absolute whirlwind! Aside from my typical class and GTA responsiblities, I was juggling my dissertation proposal, an ASEE conference paper, and preparing for the KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network) National Conference! It was a lot of work at times and a little daunting, but whenever I took a step back from it all, I realized how cool all the work is that I’m doing and how amazing it is to be doing it as a PhD student. Along the way, I learned several important lessons that will inform how move through Engineering Education moving forward.

A long term goal of mine was to finish my dissertation proposal, send it to my committee, and formally start my candidacy exam on February 1st which happened! I blocked of time weekly to work on my proposal and flesh out my research design since the Summer of 2023, and seeing the kind of progress and growth I was making was incredible. For some time, I had learned about all the different elements of research design, what kinds of things I need to consider, and what decisions need to be justified, and finally putting all this knowledge into practice helped to make all this conceptual knowledge more tangible. This process also showed me the power of setting aside dedicated work time for specific projects. With each passing week, I could see the progress I was making and always ended each week a few steps ahead than where I started.

While finishing up my proposal and sending that to my committee, I was able to work on an ASEE paper with fellow RIME members, Amanda Singer and Carter Huber, along with Drs. Kajfez and Kecskemety! This paper focused on the application of some indirect assessments our KEEN Research & Assessment Team developed in the honors track of our first-year program. We had some interesting findings in our data analysis and it’s exciting to put this out into the world for other practitioners to reference as they help their students develop an entrepreneurial mindset. It was also very cool to begin collaborating with my peers on research! I think we all brought something valuable to our work and that helped to make our findings shine.

The submission of both my proposal and this ASEE paper culminated with a trip to the KEEN National Conference (KNC) which was held in Austin, Texas this year! It was refreshing to be with a group of educators who are also invested in how we teach students and making sure it’s done in a way that benefits their growth. The conferenced largely focused on different kinds of workshops and helping educators see how they could bring new ideas and practices into their classrooms to enhance student learning. But, the best parts of the conference were attending with Dr. Kajfez and meeting up with fellow RIME member, Meg West, and RIME alumn, Abby Clark (see photo below).

Looking forward, I will soon begin working on the written portion of my candidacy exam. While it can be a little intimidating, it will encourage me to think deeply about different pieces and parts of my study design and make sure I’m ready to think through any curveballs that come my way post-candidacy. I’m excited to begin this part of my PhD journey and see what my study design will look like by the end of the spring semester!

Returning to the first-year engineering (FYE) classroom after a two-year hiatus felt like stepping into a familiar yet somewhat distant realm. Prior to starting my degree at OSU, I worked as a teaching assistant for the FYE program at my previous institution for 5 years. During that time, I served in a variety of capacities including as an undergraduate teaching assistant, lead teaching assistant, and, eventually as a co-instructor of the required TA training course. I loved being in the classroom, working with students, and helping other TAs build the skillsets needed to excel in their own classrooms. Although I was excited to dive into research and graduate courses upon arriving at OSU, I quickly discovered a yearning to get back in the classroom and engage with first-year engineering students. I was very excited when I learned that I would be a graduate teaching associate for two sections of the Fundamentals of Engineering Honors (FEH) course at OSU earlier this summer.

While I looked forward to getting back into the classroom, I was also curious (and somewhat nervous) to see how the FYE program and classroom experience at OSU would differ from my prior institution. Previously, I was responsible for course grading, attending class each day, hosting office hours, and planning and facilitating my own 50-minute active learning session once a week. At my previous institution, I had a small section of students (~20) and was given a lot of autonomy in terms of grading, developing content, and facilitating sessions. At OSU, however, I found that, although I would be facilitating a lab session each week on my own, the content and structure of the sessions were rigid and set. While this new structure saved me a lot of time outside of class, I struggled to make the sessions interactive and feel like my own during the first few weeks. Additionally, I was now teaching a larger number of students (~72 across two sections) and was struggling with learning how to manage and engage a group this large in a new environment.

Determined to bridge the gap between the highly structured, traditional lecture-format and my own approach to teaching, I took deliberate steps to inject active and peer learning into the introductory lecture for each lab session I facilitated. I introduced short introductory activities (i.e., jigsaws), built in group discussions, and leveraged technology to enhance interactivity and to check for student understanding of the pre-lab material. Additionally, I tried to build in opportunities for student choice and autonomy to foster a more inclusive classroom. Over time, I found a balance between leveraging the set curriculum and infusing elements of my own teaching style. This experience not only challenged me to innovate within constraints but also enriched my pedagogical repertoire for the future.

Looking ahead, I am excited to continue as a GTA for FEH this coming spring semester. Specifically, I am eager to work with students as they learn solid modelling and complete their Nanotechnology semester projects. While I am learning that the OSU FYE program is quite different from my previous experience, I am eager to see what else I can learn and reflect on how it can be used to advance my own teaching philosophy.

I am an international Ph.D. student in the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University. I have already completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the US, so I am familiar with the education system and culture here. However, starting my PhD has been a new and challenging experience.

One of the biggest challenges I have faced is the transition from being a master’s student in a technical engineering discipline to a doctoral student in the education realm. In an engineering master’s program, you are typically required to take a set of courses and complete a research project. In a doctoral program, you are expected to be more independent and to develop your own research agenda. You are also expected to read more, whether they are related to your courses or your research interest. This has been a challenging transition for me, but I have learned a lot from the process.

Another challenge I have faced is the language barrier. English is not my first language, so I can sometimes have difficulty understanding classes and assigned readings. I have also had to learn new technical terms and concepts in the education realm. However, my professors and classmates have been very supportive, especially my advisor and members of my research group, and they have helped me to overcome these challenges.

Despite the challenges, I have also had many rewards as an international PhD student in engineering education. I have had the opportunity to work on cutting-edge research projects with world-class professors. I have also had the opportunity to collaborate with talented students from diverse backgrounds. I have learned a lot, both academically and personally, from my experience.

Here, I would like to share some tips for incoming international Ph.D. students in engineering education:

• Get involved in the engineering education community. There are many engineering education conferences and events held throughout the year. It can be challenging at the beginning for many reasons. I suggest you start with faculty members in your department. Attending seminars and events held in your department to familiarize yourself with professors and lecturers is a great way to start.
• Find a mentor. A mentor can provide you with guidance and support throughout your PhD program. Your mentor can help you to develop your research agenda, to write papers, and to prepare for your job search. You typically spend lots of time with your advisor, but talking to your cohort and other Ph.D. students in their second or third year is also a great way to learn.
• Take advantage of your university’s resources. Most universities offer a variety of resources for PhD students, such as writing centers, statistical consulting, and career counseling. Take advantage of these resources to help you succeed in your program.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are struggling with anything, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your professors, classmates, mentors, or other campus resources. There are many people who are willing to help you succeed.

Engineering education is a challenging but rewarding field of study. As an international Ph.D. student, you may face some additional challenges, but you also have the opportunity to learn from a diverse range of people and gain valuable skills and knowledge. I encourage you to embrace the challenges and to make the most of your experience as an international Ph.D. student in engineering education.

In addition to the tips above, I would also recommend that international Ph.D. students in engineering education reflect on their journey and share their experiences with others. This can help to raise awareness of the challenges and rewards of being an international PhD student, and it can also provide support to other students who are going through the same experience.

Transitions are hard. As a previous professional academic advisor, it was my job to aid students in their transition to college. Whether it was homesickness, learning about one’s identity, or adjusting to a new major, I was there to ask important questions, celebrate joys, and advocate for my advisees. As an advisor, I was able to walk alongside my advisees on their academic and personal journeys. In contrast, as a new researcher, I’m learning to create paths, signage, and lampposts for those on their journey. As a part of my transition to Ohio State, I’ve experienced what I like to consider identity whiplash – stress caused by a change or shift in one’s role which is considered central to their identity.

To give background to the situation, just as one has an engineering identity, I also have an advising identity. My goals as a researcher strongly relate to affective components of learning and identity development. Pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education was strongly influenced by my values and my identity as an advisor. I was not expecting my advising identity to be extremely relevant in the first year of my studies; However, as a Graduate Teaching Associate, my advising identity has been particularly salient. Within six weeks, I have had the privilege of having in-depth conversations with students on their identities, developing support networks, equal opportunity concerns, sources of motivation, and academic exploration. Although these interactions have been meaningful, they have been relatively infrequent and unexpected. After having these conversations, I felt both pride and sadness. I was happy to help my students in any way that I could; however, I missed being able to consistently walk alongside students during their journey. In some ways, I felt as though a part of my identity was being lost during this transition.

Transition – that’s the word that I focused on. After realizing that I was going through a large transition, I was immediately drawn to Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. In working with students, I would frequently use this theory to help them cope with various experiences. In analyzing my own transition to Ohio State University, I reflected on the context, impact, and type of transition that I was experiencing. In this situation, the transition can be considered as anticipated. The impact could be considered high due to a major change in daily life, the impact of values and identity, and financial considerations. In terms of context, the transition was voluntary, and embraced, yet occurs far from a familiar setting (my wife and I moved from South Dakota recently).

According to Schlossberg’s Theory, the ability for a person to cope with a transition is situated within the situation, self-factors, social support, and utilized strategies. In this reflection, I would like to focus on the situation and strategies. The situation was viewed as a role-change: particularly, one of loss, rather than of addition. The transition could be considered “off-time” based on two prevalent identities. Within the engineering field, this transition occurred slightly late, as most individuals pursue a PhD prior to working full-time. In contrast it is often expected within the student affairs realm that one pursues a terminal degree after significant service in the field. In this sense, the transition also occurred extremely early. Finally, I experienced a similar transition when moving from engineering to the student affairs realm. The experience mirrors the transition where I perceived a loss of my engineering identity.

Although each situation is unique, many individuals have similar experiences. If you, a student, or a colleague is experiencing “identity whiplash”, several interventions can be explored to help cope with the transition. According to Schlossberg’s theory, these interventions should focus on modifying the situation, controlling, or shifting the meaning of the problem, or providing a strategy to manage undue stress. This may come in the form of analyzing the transition, adopting a new coping strategy, or broadening one’s support network.

I found understanding in reflecting on my transition in the form of a blog post. This experience allowed me to consider and shift the meaning of my problem. In many ways I missed making a difference in the lives of others and aiding them in their journey. Being re-introduced to advising conversations during my transition, brought feelings of loss, and “whiplash”. In processing the experience, I’ve realized that transitioning into a new role does not necessitate a loss of my advising identity. Rather, the addition of a research identity allows my experiences to culminate in another form. In many ways, my research reflects all of my identities. Furthermore, I can implement my advising identity outside of a typical advising position. As a student and graduate teaching associate, I can impact my peers, the students in my labs, and my undergraduate teaching assistants. I will not be losing the opportunity to help others grow and develop. Rather, it will be a shift in practice. I will be walking alongside my colleagues, mentees, and students during their journeys. At the same time, I will be creating pathways, lampposts, and signage for those on their journey. Moving forward, I’m an engineer, an advisor, and a researcher – a role that I’m looking forward to adopting.

I have been fortunate to travel across the U.S. for academic conferences and workshops as a graduate student and as an engineering education consultant. From my experiences, I’ve learned a few things about preparing for travel, being present and engaged in the content presented, and completing reimbursement paperwork. I’ve compiled the following tips for academic travel from my personal experiences that may be useful to you. 

• Know the booking procedures well in advance. Whether you are paying for your travel out of pocket or being supported by your institution, there are travel and lodging booking procedures that must be followed. These procedures can be dictated by your institution and/or the organization hosting the event. I recommend looking up these procedures four to five months in advance and creating a to do list around the booking processes.
• Be intentional about your personal objectives. When preparing to go to a conference or workshop, I recommend taking some time to think about your personal objectives. Are you going to the event to learn about new techniques and innovations in your field? To gather feedback on your work? To network with other graduate students or professionals with similar interests? To find your next collaboration? To find your next employer? Whatever your objectives may be, consider how you will meet each of them while at the event.
• Take notes on the back of business cards you receive. You will most likely be interacting with many people at the event and the conversations you have may melt together when you try to recall them after the event. When someone gives you their business card during a conversation, I recommend you write brief notes about your conversation on the back of the card to help jog your memory when you get home. If you don’t have a business card, take notes in a notebook, laptop, or even on your phone.
• Take breaks when needed. Academic conferences and workshops can be overwhelming at times. I recommend taking 15 – 30 minute breaks when you need them during the event. While you may be tempted to go to every session that catches your eye, breaks and rest are important to keep you present and able to engage in meaningful ways.
• Provide as much documentation as you can for reimbursements. If your institution is supporting your travel on a reimbursement basis, I recommend providing as much documentation as you can when filing for your reimbursement. Providing a clear history of your spending can only help in the reimbursement process. For example, it is good practice to collect and submit itemized receipts for all purchases along with any reimbursement forms required by your institution. 

One year ago next month will be a full year since I first began my journey to earn my PhD in engineering education here at Ohio State. I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge and a number of new skills I didn’t previously have, and it’s changed me so much already. I’ve become more reflective, aware, and think deeply about what I would like to accomplish and how to go about doing that. Throughout this past year, I was able to take numerous classes both directly related to engineering education and to the skills needed to conduct my own engineering education research. These classes helped me to begin framing the research I plan to do for my dissertation and to think critically about how I will go about executing it. It’s been very exciting to see my ideas on paper and slowly come to life, especially from all the groundwork my classes laid down for me.

As I became more introspective and thought about how to use my PhD journey to prepare me for a faculty position, I realized I would like to use it in a way that makes me a strong candidate to become clinical faculty. This has led me to begin working on a graduate certificate in College & University Teaching which not only is helping me understand how students learn, but also how to lead my classes in a way that’s student-centered, engaging, and memorable for them. With a culminating mentored-teaching experience I will complete this next academic year, I am excited to put all the knowledge and skills I’ve gained from these classes to use and to receive feedback to improve my teaching practice.

With my research design, dissertation, and future career plans slowly coming to life, I’m excited to see how the next year of my journey unfolds and where I am a year from now!

In early June, I had the pleasure of attending the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network’s (KEEN) Enhancing Inclusive Teaching workshop, a 3-day workshop held in the heart of Philadelphia, PA. True to its name, this workshop series focused on enhancing inclusive teaching practices and designing classroom activities that foster inclusive learning environments and experiences for students. Specifically, the facilitators framed the workshop around four factors necessary for building inclusive classroom experiences in engineering: (1) highlighting diverse figures, (2) providing safe spaces for failure, (3) encouraging collaboration over competition, and (4) promoting student autonomy. As an educator, my primary goal has always been to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for my students. However, engaging in this workshop has opened my eyes to new perspectives and approaches for achieving this goal. The remainder of this blog post highlights some of my reflections and takeaways from engaging in this workshop experience.

My primary takeaway from the workshop was the realization that fostering inclusivity and designing inclusive learning spaces does not necessitate a complete overhaul or re-design of course content. This insight was particularly meaningful to me as a graduate student, as I often have limited control over the curriculum I teach. Going into the workshop, I was unsure how applicable the content would be to a graduate teaching assistant who has little control over the activities and content I am asked to cover during class. The facilitators of the workshop skillfully emphasized that promoting inclusivity can be achieved at various scales and across different levels of teaching autonomy. For example, in our discussion regarding promoting student autonomy, we discussed how I could give my students agency through having them help develop classroom expectations/policies and embedding choice across course activities and tasks to help promote student autonomy.

In addition to framing the content to be applicable to a variety of educators and settings, I also appreciated how the facilitators modeled inclusive practices while running the workshop. One especially powerful demonstration of this was in our ice breaker activity that we completed during the first day, which highlighted an example of diverse figures in engineering. In this activity, we learned about the women who were responsible for weaving the core memory rope (i.e., the “software”) for the Apollo mission. The ice breaker activity required us to “code” our names using the same techniques implemented by the weavers, switch our “memory rope” with another participant and decode it to learn their name. In addition to highlighting diverse figures in engineering, the facilitators also took steps to promote collaboration and create a safe space for failure during this activity, prompting us participants to work together to help each other with coding and decoding. In modeling inclusive teaching practices and providing examples of what this might look like in the classroom, the facilitators helped me feel empowered and confident that I too could do this in my own classroom. Their modeling also prompted my curiosity as to how I could slightly adapt or add on to the existing activities in the first-year engineering course I will be teaching to connect to or recognize diverse figures in engineering.

Finally, the workshop emphasized that inclusive teaching is an ongoing process of growth and reflection. It requires constant self-assessment, seeking feedback from students, and adapting teaching strategies to better meet their needs. In attending this workshop, I have learned the significance of continuously educating myself about the latest research, best practices, and resources related to inclusive teaching. By doing so, I can ensure that my teaching remains responsive, dynamic, and inclusive.

Attending the Enhancing Inclusive Teaching workshop was a transformative experience that has reshaped my approach to education. Through a deeper understanding of how I can highlight diverse figures in engineering, make my classroom into a safe space for students, encourage collaboration, and promote student autonomy, I am better equipped to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students. I am excited to implement these newfound insights as a graduate teaching assistant this coming school year!

Hi! My name is Valencia Nguyen and I am a second-year Industrial and Systems Engineering student working on the KEEN project as an undergraduate research assistant. I am also a first-generation student who initially had no idea how to navigate college, let alone figure out my career path. So, I thought I’d share my experiences and how I ended up where I am today. 

Going into college, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I’ve seen what’s in the movies but had no idea what it’s really like. I ended up having an un-traditional first-year experience due to COVID-19. When I look back on it, it’s almost a blur. In the beginning, I remember how I barely left the dorm. All classes were online so there was almost no reason to leave except to get food from the dining halls. I had roommates who I will always be grateful for as it felt like we were all in it together. However, I still felt quite isolated. I knew there was more to college than just academics. 

So, I put myself out there. I went to the Student Involvement Fair in the fall and ended up with a whole list of organizations that I was interested in joining. At one point I was “in” 8 clubs at once, which I do not recommend. I created a tier system to determine which clubs I was going to stay in and those that I would leave. There were clubs that I wanted to get involved with their leadership, then there were clubs that I enjoyed just being a part of the general body, and then the clubs that I felt weren’t my priority that I would leave. Finding the right organizations that I wanted to be a part of was a big step for me in making college my own. Currently, I am involved with the Society of Women Engineers and Off the Lake Productions. Society of Women Engineers allowed me to find a community of women from all engineering majors and be able to grow professionally and personally. I’ve taken on a leadership position for next year as Website Director. The second is Off the Lake Productions which is a student-led theatre organization in which I am the Musical Technical Director. I wanted to dedicate time away from academics and into my passion for theatre. I have found so much value in getting involved within these groups as a way to meet new people and form awesome relationships. 

Next, I looked for an on-campus job. I honestly can’t remember what got me interested in looking for one, but I knew I thought it’d be cool to have a job throughout my college career. I started my first job in the second semester of my freshman year as an instructor assistant for a python class. I had taken it my first semester and enjoyed it so I decided to apply for the position. I really loved the opportunity to help other students throughout the course. While I loved my time as an instructor assistant, I wanted to do more. So, I explored how to get involved with research on campus. I “researched” the different projects that were going on around campus, which is an insane amount. I then stumbled upon a team within Engineering Education called the RIME Collaborative which I was interested in. I set up a meeting with Dr. Rachel Kajfez and here we are! During my time with RIME, I’ve been able to work on my own research paper for the KEEN project and have been able to dive into the research world. 

Another challenge I had to navigate was building my professional career. I had no connections and no idea how I was supposed to get an internship. I utilized Engineering Career Services and Society of Women Engineers events on building your professional profile and network. I also attended several career fairs in order to gain exposure and practice talking with companies. If I were to share any advice, it would be to advocate for yourself during interviews! In addition, I learned to not be afraid to apply to jobs and companies that may be a reach to get an interview with. You never know where you’ll get an opportunity. Last summer, I got an internship with the Navy through a scholarship I applied for. I didn’t even end up getting the scholarship but they still reached out to me. This upcoming fall, I’ll be doing a co-op with Disney in which I got an interview by simply submitting my resume. The work scene can be unpredictable, so I apply for things I am interested in no matter what because you never know where it can take you. I have learned a lot throughout college when it comes to navigating the professional world and feel confident about the future.

To conclude, there is no way to do college right. Everyone has their own path and way of doing things. Something I will always advocate for is not to be afraid to reach out for help! I know I am no expert in certain topics, so I try to reach out or attend sessions where I can educate myself.

My day begins the night before as I’m tucked into bed by 10:30 to meet my minimum 7 hours of sleep.  The next morning, I’m up at 6:00 AM and at the gym by 7:00 AM.  I do 40 minutes to an hour of vigorous exercise before walking back to my apartment, eating a light breakfast, and finishing the morning routine with a cold shower.  After my routine, I attend my duties as a TA for the Honors Fundamentals of Engineering Class (I am their favorite TA), then go to my classes (yes, all of them).  Following my classes, I do two 90-minute deep work sessions to complete all my homework and then another 90-minute session to work on one of my many research projects.  My work day ends at 5:30 PM and I spend the rest of my day working on my own creative passions and spending time with family and friends… is what I would say if I had a perfect routine.

The truth is, my routine is far from perfect, and although I do incorporate parts of my fantasy routine into my daily life, I frequently miss meetings and let deadlines slip past me.  Being both a UTA and URA can be exhausting and can leave you questioning how you ended up here.  Add on some extra credit hours a semester and you could easily earn a one-way ticket to Burnout City.  However, as a second-year student in my undergraduate journey, I’ve learned to spend less time on busy work (work is endless, but you have the power to put a pause on it) and spend more time on prioritizing the work that matters to me, something that I believe is highly underrated.   Here are some tips from my fantasy schedule that I personally incorporate and that I believe you should incorporate as well.

#1: Quality Sleep

“…as I’m tucked into bed by 10:30 to meet my minimum 7 hours of sleep”

Although this sounds like wishful thinking, I’m completely serious.  I know that unless you’re a toddler, quality sleep is hard to come by, especially 6-8 hours of it.  However, from my personal experience, research that’s out there, and common sense, quality sleep is vital to proper function.  As someone who has to grade students, write research papers, and spend unethical hours on homework, it’s crucial that I perform with mental clarity and with adequate cognitive function to avoid letting work bleed into other important areas of my life.  What about drinking coffee?  While coffee may offer temporary benefits such as jittering and the occasional extreme focus, the residual sleep deprivation eventually creeps back in as the coffee wears off.  The optimal solution for mental sharpness?  Drink coffee AND get 6-8 hours of sleep.  Your cognitive function and overall health will thank me.

#2: Physical Movement

“I do 40 minutes to an hour of vigorous exercise”

With this tip comes the concept of making time.  While humans are limited by their ability to create time out of thin air, we have the power to organize our days the way we want to.  If we can scroll on social media for hours at a time, then we can get some movement too.  Other than the obvious physical benefits of exercise such as improved health, working out FEELS GOOD.  Physical exercise has been known to release dopamine in the brain, improving mood and overall well being.  Personally, working out early in the morning establishes the tone for the rest of my day.  No longer am I groggy walking to class 5 minutes after I wake up, but I am refreshed and accomplished because of overcoming resistance early in the morning.  Whether it be walking, jogging, lifting, playing sports, or rolling in the grass, anything that gets you moving for at least 40-60 minutes will do.

#3: Social Interaction

“…spending time with family and friends”

This tip is highly underrated.  A lot of people may view social interaction as a waste of time when “hustle culture” dominates as the current societal norm.  However, working 80 hours of week alone in your room is not the key to a good life.  Not only is social interaction just plain fun and relaxing, collaboration for me has also stimulated my creativity in many ways.  By talking to my friends and family about the crazy ideas that I have in my life, I’ve been able to bounce ideas and generate new, creative solutions to different problems in my life.  Don’t isolate yourself because you think it will help you do more work.  Not being able to talk about your long day will just lead to longer days until you eventually burn out.

#4: Deep Work

“I do two 90-minute deep work sessions to complete all my homework”

The tips aforementioned will greatly benefit your overall mental health and physical health and set a good foundation for you to separate work from life.  However, you may be asking how you can fit all of this into your busy schedule.

“I don’t know how I can get quality sleep, get at least 40 minutes of exercise a day, and get social interaction when I’m taking 17 credit hours and have a research position and teaching position!” – me, probably.

But this is where the magic comes, the game changing tip that has altered the philosophy of my work-life balance: The 90 minute deep work session.  After I learned about the 90 minute session, I stopped working from 9 AM to 12 AM, scattering myself to respond to student emails, then switch to write one sentence of my paper, finish half a homework assignment, then scroll on Instagram for an hour.  Instead, I now let myself work with no distractions for 3-4 hours a day and prioritize the work that I either need to get done (homework with immediate deadlines), or work that I am passionate about and work that will hone the skills for my future career.  How do I do it?  I let myself believe that the work that I’m doing in front of me for the next 90 minutes is the most important task that I have in my life because it’s what will make me grow as a person and as a subject matter expert.  Obviously, I also turn my devices on do not disturb or put them in another room.  For example, if I am grading, editing a paper, or doing homework (tedious work that does not require much thought), I will finish that within one 90 minute session.  This gives me at least 2-3 more hours in a day to commit myself to long term studying for exams, or even personal projects such as doing a new project in Python or making a short film.

The rest is simple arithmetic.  7 hours of sleep + 4 hours of work = 11 hours.  24 hours in a day – 11 hours = 13 hours to go to class, join meetings, respond to emails, do physical movement, and have social interaction.