• Question: Do you find you have enough time to yourself with the job you work?

    Asked by Katie S on 8 Mar 2021.
    • Photo: Darragh Rogan

      Darragh Rogan answered on 8 Mar 2021:


      There are ups and downs, peaks and troughs of work. For most of the year, yes, absolutely, but a couple of times per year, there are intense periods.
      This is normal in engineering, and I am in a particularly intense field of engineering.
      The best way to make sure you have time to yourself is to try have a short commute, and also have things to look forward to!

    • Photo: Erika Duriakova

      Erika Duriakova answered on 8 Mar 2021:


      I always try to find some time for myself, because I find that I get more productive that way. This can be harder at times (particularly when I am trying to meet deadline that is very close), but this is generally only temporary and normally once the deadline has passed I can take some time off to catch up on some time for me.

    • Photo: Beth Macaulay

      Beth Macaulay answered on 8 Mar 2021:


      Its difficult to find a lot of time to yourself when you’re a student, as a lot of the time when you’re not working you’re doing extra study. This is kind of normal for most students – it is generally seen as a pretty intense and hard-working time of your life, but it is usually only for a few years and in the end you get a degree out of it and become more qualified to move up in your career. It can be tiring, but it is very important to give yourself time every evening and on the weekends to have fun and do things you enjoy, no matter what job you work.

    • Photo: Helena Mylise Sorensen

      Helena Mylise Sorensen answered on 9 Mar 2021:


      I think I do! I value my work-life balance very highly, so I make sure to try and keep my weekends work-free and to not work after 17. Doing that, I think I have a good amount of time for myself, my family and friends and my hobbies.
      Sometimes it can be hard to not work more and there is always some extra work you can take on.

    • Photo: Alessandra Mileo

      Alessandra Mileo answered on 9 Mar 2021:


      I love my job, and when you love something you get absorbed by it. But I also love other things like playing with my kids, playing music, baking, and I try and keep a balance. I have to say there is hardly anything I do that I do not want to do in my life and I enjoy most of the things I get into 🙂

    • Photo: Hui Wang

      Hui Wang answered on 9 Mar 2021:


      what do you mean ‘enough’?
      well, we’re supposed to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. maybe some more time if the deadline is coming.
      i could have a good life-work balance with my current position.

    • Photo: Jun Lin

      Jun Lin answered on 9 Mar 2021:


      The answer is usually a yes for me. But there are times that I have to work extra hours to meet deadlines. Overall, our working time in research centres is flexible so we do have the freedom to balance between work and life.

    • Photo: Miray Yasar

      Miray Yasar answered on 11 Mar 2021:


      Hi Katie, it is better to balance your job life and private life. Otherwise you can lose the control of your life and even you can not be so productive at work.

    • Photo: Alan Diaz

      Alan Diaz answered on 11 Mar 2021:


      Yes! That’s a priority for me.
      Work is a part of life for me, not what defines it 🙂

    • Photo: Peter Megyesi

      Peter Megyesi answered on 15 Mar 2021:


      It can be challenging of course, just like in any other profession.

      However, I strongly believe the challenge is not about finding time. It’s rather finding the priorities. After all, you can’t find more than 24 hours a day 🙂

      So what I try to do is that, whenever I feel like I don’t have time for something (but would like to), I take a step back and look the big picture: am I doing really what is most is the most important? (For my current task, project, my team, family or just myself)
      If not, than hit the reset button and try another way or move to the something else that is probably the most important…

      This is easier said than done of course, but definitely worth trying 🙂

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