As December begins, my first semester as an academic librarian comes to an end. This fall semester, I was able to do instruction sessions, participate in a panel, collaborate with colleagues on projects, and gained experience with submitting proposals. Most importantly, I was able to do the thing that I love best–talk with students about their research topics, and help them brainstorm.
It has been a busy semester, with new experiences and meeting new people. Not only that, but I moved about 695 miles to begin a new job. I mentioned in my previous post that I am originally from Central Illinois. Making the move from Champaign to DC was stressful and went by quickly. Being an unfamiliar city, living with roommates for the first time, and commuting to work are just a couple of new things that I have experienced during my four (almost 5) months in DC.
For the first two months, I found myself very tired after every workday. It was a kind of tired that I had not expected. I had not gotten used to my sleeping schedule, but that changed after a couple of months on the job. I was used to my work schedule, and as I got to know the other librarians, I found myself myself struggling with keeping a work/life balance. I will admit, I had (and still do have) trouble adulting. As a recent graduate, I had had to deal with work/school/life balance. However, I will admit that I was not the greatest at keeping these things separate. I would take work home, I would take school to work and all the other combinations you could think of. By the end of each semester at school, I would find myself anxious about work piling up, and making plans to go home. This is something I went through and it is something that most of us (if not all) go through.
While I would rarely take work home (now that I am no longer a student), I would find myself thinking of an instruction class outline, proposal ideas, and other work related thoughts.
I felt guilty at times. Guilty because I did not check my work email during the weekend, guilty because I did not do the last thing on “my-to-do” list, and guilty because I left an hour earlier than I usually do from work.
However, it’s also important to be realistic. There will be times when you have to take work home. Submission deadlines and projects are things that may creep up on you and it will be necessary to work on them during the weekend.
So, what to do? Here are a couple of things that have worked for my work/life balance:
- Relax. It’s easy to sit in front of your laptop and stream Netflix for the next 5 hours (I am guilty of this), but having a nap or reading is a great way to relax and calm your mind.
- Take up a hobby. Those who know me know that I am not exactly the best cook (I know how to make some great guacamole though). I decided to try out a new recipe every week. It gives me the opportunity to get out of my room and experiment with different ingredients.
- Take care of your health. I had to remember that first and foremost, I had to look out for myself.
For me, it’s about loving yourself and drawing lines where there should be some. Thank you for reading and if you have any tips on maintaining a work/life balance, share them!