Academia’s overwork culture is real—but are you using it as a shield?

Academia runs on overwork. That’s not an individual problem; it’s a systemic one. Institutions pile on admin, expect endless teaching labour, and then somehow still demand a world-class research portfolio.

I don’t blame you for feeling stretched thin. But I do want to call out something I see all the time:

🔹 Using busy work as an excuse for not doing research.

🔹 Taking on admin and committee work as a way to feel useful—because research feels scarier.

Here’s why it happens:

Most of us have three components to our job:

1️⃣ Teaching → You show up, and students are waiting. Immediate accountability.

2️⃣ Admin → Someone is always chasing you. Emails are constant. People are watching.

3️⃣ Research → No one is checking in. No one notices if it doesn’t happen. It’s all on you.

And because research is terrifying—uncertainty, rejection, criticism, years of waiting to know if it even mattered—it’s easy to lean into the things that feel urgent and visible.

🔹Answering emails? ✅ Feels like you’re needed.

🔹Sitting on a committee? ✅ Good for collegiality.

🔹 Redesigning a course for the department? ✅ Helps students immediately.

Research, on the other hand?

❌ No instant feedback.

❌ High chance of rejection.

❌ Uncertainty for years.

So it’s no wonder people get five, ten years in and realise they’ve put all their energy into admin… and have no research to show for it.

And then? They get rejected for promotion.

🔹 This isn’t your fault—universities set people up for this.

🔹 But you have a choice in how you respond.

If any of this resonates, ask yourself: Am I avoiding research by staying “busy”?

If the answer is yes, it’s time to prioritise differently—not for your university, but for yourself.

Because committees are less likely to get you promoted than your research. And I’m guessing you didn’t get into this job for the admin.