A Day in the Life of a Researcher, Educator, & Entrepreneur
Back in 2019, a year after launching Dissertation by Design, I offered a sneak peek into my day-to-day routine. It’s now 2023, and the ride since then has been a rollercoaster. Nowadays, I’m juggling not one, but two companies – Dissertation by Design and Academic Insight Lab. The last four years have been packed with enough adventures to fill a decade – from relocating to personal transformations, globetrotting, and even dealing with the joys of perimenopause (yes, it’s a real party). 🎉
I’ll be totally frank – it hasn’t been it hasn’t all been piña coladas and picnics in the park. Finding balance, motivation, and energy has been an uphill battle. There are moments when I daydream about throwing in the towel, taking a midday nap, or escaping to a mega yacht in the Mediterranean. (BTW – I don’t know anyone with a mega yacht, so feel free to make a connection). One thing that keeps me going is my rekindled passion for research, thanks to generative AI (a.k.a. ChatGPT). Sure, I’m also slightly terrified about its impact on humanity, but let’s face it, some things are just beyond our control.
Recently, I’ve had many conversations with academics looking to venture out independently, feeling frustrated with the academy. While I am thankful for the freedom and fulfillment my work brings, the reality is it often requires twice the time and effort compared to a traditional 9-5. My businesses now support a growing team of 16, and the demand often exceeds our capacity (I’ll refrain from commenting on what this says about our higher education system). On the best days, I wake up with a clear sense of purpose, knowing exactly what needs to be accomplished. It’s also incredibly rewarding to receive an email from a client who recently graduated or published their first manuscript, knowing that my team played a part in their success. However, I won’t sugarcoat it – most days are a struggle to prioritize effectively, and I find myself relying on my team more than I’d like to admit.
Now, let me take you through a typical day in my life.
2:00 – 5:00 AM: Toss, Turn, and Sweat
Perimenopause is no joke, and it hit me a few years ago like a ton of bricks. My nights have become a battleground of restless sleep and night sweats. So, even though I feel like I’m sleeping in a refrigerator, I still sweat through my sheets most nights.
5:00 AM: Rise and Shine…to Furry Demands
The day starts with stretching and pandemonium from my three pets – Sunny, Piper, and Fens. My 80lb Goldendoodle, Sunny, demands his morning walk. Meanwhile, Piper and Fens holler for breakfast. I feed them all and take Sunny on his morning stroll. And if I’m feeling hungry, I might munch on a banana or a breakfast bar (because cooking is just not my thing).
6:00 AM: Priorities and Coffee
My morning routine kicks off with a much-needed cup of coffee. My favorite coffee mug is adorned with Ruth Bader Ginsburg doing situps on a medicine ball (may she rest in power). While the coffee brews, I dive into my list of priorities. Occasionally, I indulge in a round of Wordle and skim through the New York Times.
6:30 AM: Uninterrupted Creativity
In the whirlwind of my days, I’ve battled my multitasking addiction with the magic of “task batching.” It’s like my personal productivity potion, keeping me focused and efficient – no sorcery required. I start the work day with 90 minutes of uninterrupted creativity. During my creative time, I avoid my email to focus on developing resources, content, and research ideas. I really enjoy the variety of tasks I tackle during my creative time. Yesterday I spent most of the morning working on a manuscript for The Qualitative Report and today I wrote this blog post. But here’s the thing – the pressure to explore AI tools and keep up with the times can be overwhelming, and resistance often sets in. Immersing myself in music always helps – here is my favorite Spotify playlist for deep focus.
9:00 AM: Tackling Emails
Finally, the dreaded email onslaught begins. I can’t quite remember where I heard this advice (probably a podcast) but reading emails first thing in the morning gives someone else the power to control how your day starts. So, I try to avoid checking my email when I wake up, but I’m not always successful. On any given day, I respond to about 30-50 emails from clients or members of my team. Most emails are customer support related, like purchasing another package of consulting hours or requesting editing quotes. However, I do get the occasional email that sends me into a panic (e.g., “I’m locked out of Zoom and I’m hosting a workshop in 5 minutes”). But here’s my confession – I’m a tad bit OCD about my inbox. Keeping it pristine is my daily struggle. I’m learning to let non-urgent emails linger “unread.”
10:00 AM: Team Meetings and Chit-Chats
I meet with at least one member of my team each day. Sometimes we make a ton of progress, like finishing up a manuscript or developing a new workshop. Recently, we’ve been focusing on learning how to ethically and responsibly use AI tools like Scite.AI and ChatGPT. This weekend I am integrating these tools into two of our upcoming workshops so that our clients can also learn how to use these tools responsibly. On other days we sometimes veer off on a random discussion about our weekend plans, favorite cat memes, or dissecting recent news headlines.
12:00 PM: Midday Sanity Break
Lunchtime rolls around, and I dive into a HIIT workout after taking Sunny for another stroll. Before heading back into the office, I usually eat something prepared by Jersey Mike’s or a Trader Joe’s frozen meal (did I mention that I don’t cook?).
1:30 PM: Put my Educator Hat On
I wasn’t ready to give up teaching when I started Dissertation by Design, so I didn’t! I feel lucky to be able to continue working with doc students and I find a lot of joy in guiding them through their research projects. Most days, I’m grading papers or giving feedback during 1:1 meetings. Between semesters, I somehow find a way to fill this time with something else – probably checking emails.
4:00 PM: Another Round of Checking Emails
5:00 PM: Unexpected Tasks
I typically allot an hour each day to put out fires and deal with unexpected tasks. For instance, I recently had to fix an issue with our Zapier API integration (don’t ask) and figure out why our website was suddenly loading v-e-r-y slowly. I have a bad habit of trying to do things myself before asking for help and have been known to make a big mess out of what would have been a very simple fix for someone who knows how computers work.
6:00 PM: Break + Eat + Walk Sunny, Part II
7:00 PM: Academic Insight Lab
As the day winds down, I hold either a writing retreat, workshop, or small group coaching session for Academic Insight Lab members. I don’t do much 1:1 academic coaching anymore, so these sessions with AI Lab community members fill me with inspiration.
9:30 PM: Wind Down and Rest
To end the day, I unwind with a glass of wine, turn on Netflix, and melt into the couch under my weighted blanket.
Although I rejected ChatGPT’s suggested title for this blog post – “AI Wizardry and Perimenopause: A Day in the Life of a Multitasking Maniac!” – I want to acknowledge ChatGPT’s role in helping me find the right words to express my thoughts. 🙌🏻