Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "twenty-four/seven academics":
I have to say I think its a little absurd to work an 80 hours week or a 60 hour week or anything beyond that. I can't even imagine what I would do for that many hours (though grading does take a very long time). This is academia, and if we're supposed to be working 80 hour weeks, perhaps we take ourselves too seriously. I don't say this to demean what we do, but rather to say that quality of life is way more important to me than being seen working or having some "when I was your age I worked 'til I passed out" war story. I work very hard. My 40-50 hours of work are productive because I'm good at getting lots done in a given time frame. Tenure matters to me, as does publishing, because I'm exhaustively reminded that they are supposed to matter to me. They also matter because I am ambitious, though perhaps a bit lazy.
I may be the only one, but I went into academia so I could work less than I did in corporate America, where I did the 80 hour work week and spend more time on my writing career. I went into academia so I could travel during the summer. So far, I've been able to do those things and I am thrilled about it. I am simply not going to martyr myself for tenure. I don't think its a good idea for anyone.
Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 8/03/2007 4:33 AM
