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not sure where this post is going to go, but I want to talk about a culture of doing too way much in academia and what it means for our science 1/ 
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up until my tenure I spent a lot of time wondering if it's just me. conversations with colleagues overwhelmingly suggested it's not:
we are all doing way too much.
this reality is distorted & concealed to normalize it but the consequences are everywhere - incl our science
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our best science demands creativity, depth, reflection, iteration, and SO MUCH TIME.
instead we rush to get our ideas out faster than others while pretending we can simultaneously provide quality mentoring/teaching & overwhelming amounts of totally uncompensated service 3/
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Imagine the work we could accomplish *together* if we took time to READ and THINK about one others work. With curiosity, openness, and a desire for collective improvement
[note: the egotism/posturing central to identity in academia and also make this really hard] 4/
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Instead we are re-creating SO MUCH WORK. why do we need so many separate webinars, seminars, conferences, workshops, training programs etc etc
We don't even have time to assess redundancies & understand where they're useful/where there's missed opportunity for collaboration 5/
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Even under the most ideal circumstances (which we have *not* been living in) with the most focused/productive work habits and most effective teams - there are actual tangible limits to what people can reasonably do well 6/
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This is often framed to be about "say no", focus, purpose
these all play a role but the dominant force of a culture that facilitates & normalizes a totally infeasible distribution of work + ignores the detrimental impact on the quality of our science is often neglected 7/
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I have a # of group chats with peers & colleagues and never less frequently than once a week someone pops up saying they can't can do it anymore. it's unsustainable.
all the solutions we can reach for are about fixing ourselves 8/
see also:
see also:Quote Tweet
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Heather Tubbs Cooley
@HeatherTCooley
·
Tenured/TT academics: are you seriously contemplating leaving academia?
Asking since I see 1-2 departure announcements/week these days…
Show this poll
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I don't have a nice conclusion with a bow. Sorry!
My hope is those of us who recognize the facade of 'everyone just does it' for what it is; a galant performance will start being honest
that we'll demand deep, thoughtful science and engage deeply in one another's work. end/
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alright last thing I will say about this
the ultimate evidence of a systemic problem is when someone suggests problems exist beyond an individual level & they're immediately told maybe it's them, maybe they need a different job.
systems deny their existence above all else.
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