7: Finding Time to Manage Workload and Maintain Well-being

Featuring the stories of early career researchers Alfred, Amy, Harry, Jane, Lucy, Mark and Steve

In this chapter, we acknowledge that surviving in the highly competitive job market requires early career researchers to maintain extraordinary levels of productivity to achieve security and advancement. In this context, we explore the challenges of balancing workload demands and personal well-being. Workload is the amount of work involved in meeting roles and responsibilities while well-being broadly refers to a positive state of experiences that enhance a person’s ability to contribute to society with meaning and purpose (World Health Organisation, 2022). Positive circumstances may include being close to friends and family, being appreciated in the workplace, maintaining a stable environment and sustaining a healthy lifestyle.