Balancing Family and Academic Life

Juggling a job and family life, an academic career and children – to foster better balance between these needs, Freie Universität Berlin emphasizes a family-friendly personnel policy and university structure. Freie Universität has been

certified as a family-friendly higher education institution since June 2007 and signed the “Familie in der Hochschule” (Family on Campus) charter in June 2015. The following goals have already been implemented since then:

-  Establishing the Dual Career & Family Service

-  Making it easier for students to organize their studies through services such as preferential seminar registration for students with family obligations

-  Providing advice and support for faculty and staff members and students

- Appropriate continuing and professional education services

- Enhanced flexibility in terms of working hours through models such as alternating telecommuting and mobile working

- Full-day childcare at the nursery school operated by Studentenwerk Berlin at Freie Universität Berlin

- Emergency childcare services for children of faculty and staff members

- Child care during conferences

- Parent-and-child rooms and nursing and baby changing rooms

- Support for dual-career couples

- Quarterly advising through care organization

.....

http://www.fu-berlin.de/einrichtungen/verwaltung/abt-1/media/dcfam-flyer-balancing-family-life.pdf

Personally, I follow a timetable for my activities (Academics and family). I sometimes have to bend the rules to favor each one as and when the need arises.

Best regards

Dickson Adom

Balancing Family and Academic Life

Juggling a job and family life, an academic career and children – to foster better balance between these needs, Freie Universität Berlin emphasizes a family-friendly personnel policy and university structure. Freie Universität has been

certified as a family-friendly higher education institution since June 2007 and signed the “Familie in der Hochschule” (Family on Campus) charter in June 2015. The following goals have already been implemented since then:

-  Establishing the Dual Career & Family Service

-  Making it easier for students to organize their studies through services such as preferential seminar registration for students with family obligations

-  Providing advice and support for faculty and staff members and students

- Appropriate continuing and professional education services

- Enhanced flexibility in terms of working hours through models such as alternating telecommuting and mobile working

- Full-day childcare at the nursery school operated by Studentenwerk Berlin at Freie Universität Berlin

- Emergency childcare services for children of faculty and staff members

- Child care during conferences

- Parent-and-child rooms and nursing and baby changing rooms

- Support for dual-career couples

- Quarterly advising through care organization

.....

http://www.fu-berlin.de/einrichtungen/verwaltung/abt-1/media/dcfam-flyer-balancing-family-life.pdf

Dear Dickson, 

It is quite interesting experiencing the two at the same time. Personally, it's challenging but worth it. Family always come first on the priority list(scale of preference) before any other things including academic career.

Thank you.

Olutosin

Dear, Certainly it requires a good organization, because it is personal and professional life. In my case, I try to serve both in the best way, but it is not always possible. You have to be disciplined!

By the way, I put a questioning, long ago, very similar.  You are in the following link.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Challenges_in_investigating_and_acting_as_a_teacher_what_is_the_point_of_equilibrium

Dear Prof. Osmar,

Thanks for your valuable opinion. Discipline is key in such a balance of our two streams of life. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Olutosin,

I appreciate your important input, family first. Best regards

Dickson Adom

https://www.researchgate.net/deref/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fu-berlin.de%2Feinrichtungen%2Fverwaltung%2Fabt-1%2Fmedia%2Fdcfam-flyer-balancing-family-life.pdf

Dear Prof. Mohannad,

Thanks for the rich information on how dual career couples can balance their activities. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Ali,

Thanks for the helpful link. I think you are in consonance of thought with Prof. Mohannad. Thanks for enlivening the discussion. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Hi, 

I think that time table is the best way to master your life whether personal or academic.

Regards

Don't plan much with these two things. I preferred academics over my family duties. If you will be thinking both at a time you won't able to do justice with any of the things. So, choice is yours. 

I agree with you Dickson, there needs to be a balance else  we will be crazy maniacs.

When I was a teenager , I would think what happened after Einstein died ???? After my Dad I consider him to be a good person and a scientist . I figured nothing !!!!!!!!!!!

E=mc2 Is not for everybody :)

It is one life , we need to be loved, for us to be strong and not hurt others we need family who give us a purpose and make this journey worth living ...

Recommended question dear Dr Dickson.

We as a researcher have to create an accurate balance not only between academics and family life, but to take into account other parameters, like health, sport, food time (I used to eat my fast food sandwich in my way to college and some time I get just an apple along the daily time duration), also our social relations, sufficient sleeping time, mediation, traveling, and other activities, sorry sorry I forgot the most important activity, enough time for internet navigation and RG interaction with dear colleagues like you my brother Dickson.

Regards, Emad

Dear Prof. Emad,

Thanks so much brother for supporting this discussion that we need to create a balance. Its always good to hear from you. Best regards my dear brother. 

Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Aparna,

I appreciate your great viewpoint that we need to balance the two. After all there is the need to be loved by family. Thanks and best regards.

Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Amit,

I respect your valued opinion. Academics before family duties. But my dear friend, I want you to marry the family into the academic work. I do that at times, conducting interviews and undertaking observations at study areas with friends and family. Anyway they are all virtually researchers. Thank you so much.

Dickson Adom

 Thanks so much for your compliments. I am happy of your suggestion that we need to set specific times for both activities-research and family. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Dear

you must take a time for your family and freinds, but you must keep your academic life, an acadimid man has tow lines in his life, and he makes a balance between them.

Very easy to get carried away in the woking environment and neglect family affairs. Here one can see the warning signs: If family has a complaint, this is where one has been neglecting the family and needs to re-adjust schedules to help in family matters.

One has to recognize the warning signs: he spends too much time at work without realizing how much he misses family.

Having close friends and a good family is one of the important factors for the researchers to get their work go well. Further, a good idea often comes during the leisure time. Thus, I think that the balancing of research and private life by spending holidays and nights to the latter is a good idea.

"It's all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family." — Philip Green

Note added later: I have just found the following passage in Michio Kaku's book "Physics of the Impossible" (Doubleday, 2008): "Historians now believe that [Schrödinger] was in the Villa Herwig in the Alps with one of his girlfriends the weekend that he discovered his equation."

Dear Prof. Tatsuo,

Your points are well crafted and your arguments are very powerful. A balance of research and family is the best option. Please, how do you personally do yours, Prof?

Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Abdulatheem,

Thank you very much for your great contribution to the discussion. Your points are clear: Academicians have two lines of life and we must balance. I'm really grateful. Best regards

                                          Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Michael,

Interesting and practical suggestion that helps us to know when academics is pulling the time for the family. As soon as they complain, we need to adjust and bring our balance on track. Thank you so much

Dickson Adom

One day, one of my professors at the University of Washington reminded me:

He has divided the 24 hours into three sections

Eight hours of work

Eight hours for the family

And his eight hours

In my view, we remain social and we are affected by informal relations, which spend most of the time in this informal activities.

Dear Prof. Salam,

Thanks for showing us the schedule your Professor told you. It's very helpful my brother. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Dear Dickson,

Thanks for your kind comment on my answer.

As for your question to me, my answer is this: I made efforts not to work long after the end of working hours to have time with my friends and family.

Regards,

Tatsuo

You are welcome dear Dr. Dickson thank you very much for your kindness and superior question. There is also a huge need to balance you time in your university according your own tasks especially for the fully loaded academicians of course under precise pre planning road map.

Accept my best regards,

Emad

http://www.fu-berlin.de/einrichtungen/verwaltung/abt-1/media/dcfam-flyer-balancing-family-life.pdf

Dear @Dickson, let me bring some related research questions with good answers and many resources. I have taken part in most of them.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_interventions_can_be_used_by_universities_to_promote_better_work-life_balance_for_academics

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_academics_put_work_before_quality_of_life_Why_or_Why_not

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_might_changing_topic_affect_a_career_in_academia

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_are_the_lifestyles_of_researchers_and_how_do_they_manage_their_time

Do your duty and responsibility honestly when with family; and do the same honestly during work. Balance not required, happens automatically. 

Some more research questions to go.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Does_your_role_disturb_your_work-life_balance

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_you_mange_time_in_research

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Academia_is_not_a_job_but_a_way_of_life

Dear Prof. Ljubomir,

Many thanks for the great tutoring spirit you possess. Thanks for offering the great pool of resources on the subject. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Singha,

Thanks so much for reminding us of 'honesty' in attending to our duties whether family or academics. I just honestly helped my family in cleaning the entire house and now I am back to my academic work, honestly. Interesting and valuable insight Prof. Best regards

Dickson Adom

The way we do multitasking and working on time management.

It is very hard, but, manageable with a proper working plan.

Great comment Prof. Anirbid for reminding us the need to implement our multitasking tutorials in attending to these two important activities in our lives. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Dear Prof. Rahman, your working plan is very essential to play a balance in carrying out these two duties. Thank you

Dickson Adom

 A wonderful contribution for Prof. Hasan Keleş

Dear Dickson Adom,

Like other professions, academics have to submit to the inner and outer structures of your profession. This attitude, profession, amounting to balance the impulse of life and struggle.

Dear Pro. Hasan,

Thanks for responding affirmatively to my message to partake in the discussion. Your succinct view of balancing our duties is very true. Best regards

Dickson Adom

Good question

Useful Link: http://www.fu-berlin.de/einrichtungen/verwaltung/abt-1/media/dcfam-flyer-balancing-family-life.pdf