By Jade Pearce 

One of the biggest challenges as a new faculty member navigating an academic institution is the ability to balance various research, teaching and service responsibilities all while maintaining their personal life outside of their work. No matter what the rank, faculty in and outside of the University of Washington (UW) discuss this topic often.  

One piece of advice that is freely given is to “just say no.” This can be an effective strategy to protect faculty’s time (and sanity), but often it’s just placed in their lap without any explanation, context or nuance. So, there’s a disconnect between the need to use these powerful words and how to effectively leverage them. As a result, faculty are caught in a conundrum with the following question: How can I best utilize my time, energy and resources within my department without stretching myself too thin and burning out? This feature story hopes to provide some insight and help faculty answer this question.  

Pouring through the literature, the advice to “just say no” is easier said than done, especially if an individual identifies as being an underrepresented faculty member. Often, underrepresented faculty are few and far between (e.g., the only _______ in the department) and the few are given a disproportionately large number of requests and obligations (often under the pretense of diversity-related items). All faculty members constantly juggle their responsibilities, but newer faculty often feel the pressure to accept many of these additional service requests. Therefore, the ability to say no is even more necessary in these cases.  

Kerry Ann Rockquemore from the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) encourages faculty to do some self-reflection. This includes faculty asking themselves why they feel the need to say yes when confronted with requests. Faculty should be asking themselves, “Am I saying yes because I want to or that I feel that I have/need to? If so, why?”  

Robert Talbert from Grand Valley State University reinforces these ideas of self-reflection by suggesting that faculty should clarify their values and goals within their career path. This will help incoming professors understand their professional values, to say yes to the right things and yes to enough things all while having the courage to gracefully say no. Once the initial self-awareness is established, faculty should develop a framework to assess and process the never-ending requests that come their way. This can range from a gut-check to a formal list. Amy Bruckman from the Georgia Institute of Technology lists her never-ending requests on paper and will prioritize each one of them. Faculty can also create a pros and cons list for a service request item; this will provide a visual on the benefits and challenges associated with each item and can give perspective.  

While self-reflection and establishing a low-key assessment framework is beneficial in the long run, what can a faculty member do with requests on the spot?  

Rockquemore further recommends:  

Avoid saying “yes” on the spot 

While it can be daunting to not provide an answer immediately after a request, most of these requests aren’t time sensitive. Faculty can give themselves some extra time by responding with, “Let me check my calendar/workload, and I’ll get back to you.” Not only will this buy some time, but it provides the perfect opportunity for faculty to do some self-reflection (why would I say yes?) and an assessment framework exercise.  

Estimate how long it will actually take you to complete the request 

Faculty should be realistic with their time since it is limited, and they often have responsibilities outside of their job. This is where it is important to prioritize values and to develop an idea of how much time this request could take. Newer faculty can consult with their peers and mentors regarding the amount of time a request can take. This is where a consulting a calendar can come especially handy. Reviewing current responsibilities on a visual platform can give enough of a reason on whether to accept a service request or not. Further, faculty can leverage the use of their calendar by blocking out time throughout the day on the calendar. Doing so can give space (and time) for faculty to specifically focus on their current tasks rather than being bombarded with various calendar and task requests.  

Figure out how to say “no” and do it (your way) 

Once a faculty member decides that a service request just doesn’t make sense (based on their calendar availability or values), the next step is to figure out how to say no. There is the hard “no,” and while this is an effective and immediate solution, there are other ways to decline a request more gracefully. Other forms include the “not now (but maybe later),” the “not so much” to where a faculty can negotiate the scope of the request.  Rockquemore suggests that it may be possible to soften the “no” by outsourcing, or suggesting others who may be able to help in your place. Also, if the current situation may not be feasible, but it may be possible to discuss if there is room to adjust the request where the time commitment or value added can be more favorable. Perhaps the “no” could be shifted if the benefits or costs were more favorable. This is why it is important for faculty to get a full understanding of the scope of the request.  

Often having someone to act as a sounding board can help with self-reflection and establishing an effective assessment framework on how to accept and decline requests. Faculty can even create a more information version of this by asking for help from their allies or mentors 

Using these strategies will allow faculty to serve strategically and most importantly allow them to better balance their professional careers and personal lives.  

As a weekly challenge,  Rockquemore further suggests these exercises:  

• For one week, say "no" to EVERY new request you receive just to see what it feels like. 

• With each request, let “no” be your default response and wait for a reason to say "yes.” 

• If that seems too much, then at least commit to reviewing your calendar and existing tasks before saying "yes" to any new commitments. 

• Recommit yourself to 30-60 minutes each day for your writing. 

• If you haven't created a quarterly plan; it's not too late. 

Finally, a faculty’s job is a demanding one and it’s important for assistant and mid-level faculty to gently remind themselves that there are requests and then there is practicality. Throughout a professor’s academic career, there will ALWAYS be more service requests than there is time to fulfill them.  Rockquemore suggests for professors to view their career as a book with many chapters. In other words, take a step back and look at the big picture. Faculty are human beings with their own wants and needs. Everyone needs to practice self-care and saying no is just one healthy way. Faculty need to remember that everyone struggles with the challenge of saying no, even mid-career faculty face similar challenges of not knowing how to say no, psychological roadblocks and external constraints. In sum, here is a quote by Cal Newport from Georgetown University that hopefully gets the point across. "Here's the secret about other professors and administrators at colleges: they're just overburdened and trying to get stuff off their plate. They're not over sweating it if you say “no.” Instead management trainer Bruce Tulgan   reminds readers “Don’t waste your yeses.” By being strategic and creating a plan, faculty will better position themselves to advance their career and live a more balanced life.