Tough semester

[voyeurofthemind]

Between course work, practicum work, and research responsibilities I am putting in 58 hour weeks. While my course load and other responsibilities were pretty formidable the past few semesters I was always able to leave school by 5 - 5:30. I am definitely feeling the crunch right now. I am trying to keep the weekends free of responsibilities but I know once classes get rolling this semester work will spill over into them. This semester is going to be tough. Just looking for support or suggestions. How do you self-care with little to no time and responsibilities that must be met (quitting or reducing hours in the aforementioned areas is not possible) How many hours a week is typical for you to put in?

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[Pragma]

Between course work, practicum work, and research responsibilities I am putting in 58 hour weeks. While my course load and other responsibilities were pretty formidable the past few semesters I was always able to leave school by 5 - 5:30. I am definitely feeling the crunch right now. I am trying to keep the weekends free of responsibilities but I know once classes get rolling this semester work will spill over into them. This semester is going to be tough. Just looking for support or suggestions. How do you self-care with little to no time and responsibilities that must be met (quitting or reducing hours in the aforementioned areas is not possible) How many hours a week is typical for you to put in?

I feel for you. The best advice I can give is to do your best to plan - intentionally get those self-care activities in. For me, it was workouts - can you plan some form of self-care activity each day for you? Early AM exercise or meditation before class - or maybe late at night before bed? I liked getting my "me" time in before dinner, then I felt refreshed to work again on whatever it was I had to work on that night.

I also usually recommend planning some kind of social activities that will get you away from psychology people. Go out with some other friends for happy hour or on a Saturday night. Maybe use it as a reward for getting caught up on Saturday morning/afternoon. I hate it break it to you, but keeping your weekends totally free is probably unrealistic if you want to maintain any sort of balance during the week.

You could also discuss your research responsibilities with your advisor, although I'd maybe consider cutting out other things first. it is sort of the name of the game in grad school - although your advisor may be very accomodating and understanding if you are overwhelmed.

60-80 hour weeks (including studying for classes) were fairly typical for me until I went on internship. Then it was easier for a year and back up to 55-60 hours per week for postdoc.

Another thing to consider is whether taking an extra year is right for you. Some of my friends who were not willing to work more than 50 hours a week went that route for various reasons, but some of them still have not graduated.

 

[PHD12]

Between course work, practicum work, and research responsibilities I am putting in 58 hour weeks. While my course load and other responsibilities were pretty formidable the past few semesters I was always able to leave school by 5 - 5:30. I am definitely feeling the crunch right now. I am trying to keep the weekends free of responsibilities but I know once classes get rolling this semester work will spill over into them. This semester is going to be tough. Just looking for support or suggestions. How do you self-care with little to no time and responsibilities that must be met (quitting or reducing hours in the aforementioned areas is not possible) How many hours a week is typical for you to put in?

60 hour weeks are very common throughout graduate school for me too. Internship is even more exhausting because of the back to back clinical hours without many breaks. Self-care is a constant struggle. I don't think anybody has fully figured it out. We all talk about the importance of self-care, but very few people really practice it. I usually try to start my day with 20 minutes of exercise/yoga/meditation. This keeps me more focused, energetic, and positive throughout the day. I notice a huge difference if I don't exercise for even 20 minutes and feel moody. I am not a naturally high energy person so I really don't do well with extremely long hours. I noticed that many clinical psychology students are pretty high energy and don't need a lot of sleep.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Years 1-4: 60-75ish hours
Year 5: 40-45ish hrs (gap year. Not ideal, but the break helped)
Year 6; 55-60hrs (internship. It was a VA, so some of those hours were by choice to work towards fellowship)
Years 7-8: 65-80 hrs (much of fellowship was rough. There was a ton of training, but it was quite stressful)

Now I choose my hours. Currently I'm working <40hr/wk. I'll eventually bump up those hours, but for the time being I want to enjoy working "part-time".

 

[voyeurofthemind]

60 hour weeks are very common throughout graduate school for me too. Internship is even more exhausting because of the back to back clinical hours without many breaks. Self-care is a constant struggle. I don't think anybody has fully figured it out. We all talk about the importance of self-care, but very few people really practice it. I usually try to start my day with 20 minutes of exercise/yoga/meditation. This keeps me more focused, energetic, and positive throughout the day. I notice a huge difference if I don't exercise for even 20 minutes and feel moody. I am not a naturally high energy person so I really don't do well with extremely long hours. I noticed that many clinical psychology students are pretty high energy and don't need a lot of sleep.

Moody is the key word here. I notice I am being more snappy and short with colleagues. The smaller things are getting under my skin. Thanks for the feedback so far. It's good to at least get some normalization.

 

[PHD12]

60-75ish hours years 1-4, then 40-45ish year 5, 55-60hr internship year 6, 65-80 years 7-8. Now....half of that. Working is actually quite enjoyable when you only have to work 35-40hr/wk. I'll eventually bump up those hours, but for the time being I want to enjoy working "part-time".

the hard work paid off. I have generally heard that you never work as hard as you do as a graduate student, intern or post-doc again (at least most of us don't).

 

[PHD12]

Moody is the key word here. I notice I am being more snappy and short with colleagues. The smaller things are getting under my skin. Thanks for the feedback so far. It's good to at least get some normalization.

I think everyone gets moody/frustrated if they work 12 hours per day. Its just human nature unless you are a trained zen master. I would add one fun activity into each day and keep one weekend day free. I don't think its realistic not to work on weekends. You just have to accept that you won't have full weekends for a few years.

 

[Pragma]

Now I choose my hours. Currently I'm working <40hr/wk. I'll eventually bump up those hours, but for the time being I want to enjoy working "part-time".

Yes, there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel

I think the hardest part is figuring out how to wear a few different hats those first few years. Internship felt like a breeze to me, because it was predictable and all in one setting, even if there were some different hats, they were mostly clinical.

You've just got to experiment and see what works well for you, time management-wise. Oh - and I will absolutely admit that sometimes, wine helped me tolerate some of the evening work in grad school - just a little when you are studying, and then switch to scotch when you have the night off

One other random note - meta-planning is a good thing. If you don't want internship to be as stressful, suck it up and finish the dissertation beforehand if you can. Same goes for other milestones - defend the diss proposal as early as you can so that internship apps aren't as overwhelming...etc. For me, the delayed "gratification" (one less big project on your plate during critical times) was a strong motivator. Also, working when you have momentum is great. If you are having an awesome week and feel motivated, get ahead - then you won't fall behind when you have a crappy week.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

the hard work paid off. I have generally heard that you never work as hard as you do as a graduate student, intern or post-doc again (at least most of us don't).

I can see that. I think a lot of it depends on your setting and goals. Friends of mine who are solo or in small private practices seem to work pretty hard, but mostly on their own terms (e.g. worked more hours to start, but backed off when they started a family). One friend is working for someone else and it is less ideal, but she is living in a very competitive part of the country (and didn't have an APA-acred internship). Other friends are TT, and they have a ton of control over what they do, but it is a "new" grind to get tenure. There are still plenty of 50-60hr wks in there for everyone, but that is the nature of the beast.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

One other random note - meta-planning is a good thing.

Abso-freaking-lutely. Get the dissertation done before internship. Network throughout your training so post-doc fellowship isn't left up to chance. Take the EPPP as soon as you can.

 

[Pragma]

There are still plenty of 50-60hr wks in there for everyone, but that is the nature of the beast.

Outside of some jobs, most people that I know with advanced degrees or jobs that compensate them well (outside of psychology) also work more than 40 hours a week. It is common in a lot of professions. it is actually nice that some folks have the option to work part time or set their PP hours in psychology, because that option doesn't exist in all fields.

I think a big difference, motivation-wise, is what those hours are going towards. For me, 50 hours a week in my TT job is a breeze - in part because the compensation is better and I can see what those hours do for the career that I love. The exta hours I put in on PP are based on my own decision and financial goals, and also don't seem bad when they are under your own control.

When I was a student and these hours were mostly out of my control, I had to grapple with the abstract, long-term rewards, and it was easier to have doubts and get pessimistic. I think that's why people often say "suck it up and get it done" - because if you can do what you need to do to get through it with your sanity intact, the rewards become more tangible when you join the workforce.

 

[weeblewobble]

This thread is so helpful and timely for me. I am also facing a particularly tough semester (quite demanding class load, heavier demands at practica, am at important points for multiple research projects, etc) and I am trying to plan for it in a way that is efficient and allows for self-care. It's tough to take all of my priorities into account without getting overwhelmed.

 

[cara susanna]

I had a terrible semester last year so I hear all of you. I purposefully took on less commitments this year and it's going much better.

 

[LivingOffLoans]

I agree with those who mentioned exercise and planning your schedule ahead of time. I would also add in eating as properly as possible (healthy foods and on a normal schedule). And, I don't know if anyone else mentioned this already, but going to therapy is also really helpful. I'm also thinking of things to watch out for or not do, such as isolating yourself, abusing substances, or doing anything else to 'get by' while continuing your work. We all have our limits and triggers. Know what yours are, and don't wait until they're already present to do something good for yourself.

I am used to the graduate student hours by now. In fact, I think because school inevitably eclipsed my 'normal' life, that now I don't know what to do with myself when I don't have work to do! Fortunately, the heaviest parts of my training are soon over (for a little while, anyway) and I will be able to resume a more normal life

So, take care of yourself the best you can. There will be weeks where you have to compromise or shift your routine. But scheduling a routine anyway despite whatever decisions you decide to make later, I believe, is what will keep you on track.