Paid Time Off

In a profession with constant deadlines, where working hours are determined by experimental design, taking time off can be challenging. While it is obvious that taking time off helps decompress and unwind, taking time off may be perceived as a loss of productivity, and often discouraged. This perception, often misunderstood, can cause people to feel guilty for taking the time they need to attend to family commitments or reorganize their thoughts and return to work with a fresh perspective. For those engaged in wet lab research, even a 3 or 4 day weekend can amount to a week of lost time and be a major deterrent to taking time off. This is worse if your research uses animal models, sensitive instruments, or patient samples that require constant attention. In reality, for a profession as intensive as research, taking time off helps individuals recharge and revisit difficult problems with new perspectives. 

Research is a marathon, not a sprint! Thus, prioritizing your well-being, and pacing yourself throughout the program is extremely important. Most graduate programs if not all, have guidelines for the amount of paid time off allowed in an academic year. This may range from 2- 4 weeks of allocated time in addition to university holidays. Truth be told, there is a growing recognition of burnout in academia, and mentors need to be open to conversations about taking time off. If your mentor is not supportive or approachable, reaching out to the program advisor or committee members to discuss the situation can be a good first step. An often overlooked function of committee members is to provide oversight on student training and be a voice of reason in difficult situations between the mentor and the trainee. Having good communication with your mentor and knowing the number of days allowed by the graduate school is even more important for international students in the US. International students may require additional time off to travel overseas once every one or two years and can plan with their mentor to compensate for lost time over the year. Graduate programs can also do their bit by providing clear guidelines for resident and international students. While the specific circumstances of this process may be different for each individual honest and open communication between all individuals can reduce the stress and guilt associated with this process. For more strategies on this topic, listen to our episode on Spotify at PhDefined.