8 ways your people pleasing is getting in the way of your goals
You have email on all day so you can swiftly respond to any queries from students, professional services or your boss and so that everyone knows you're working and not slacking off.
You allow students to schedule meetings with you whenever.
You do a complete over-deliver on an admin task, which you, in all honestly, don't really see the point of.
You change your entire module based on one student complaint.
You say "yes" to optional admin because you feel bad saying no, and then feel resentful and dismayed when you realise you were 4th choice for the task and everyone else said no.
You allow students to use you as a personal therapist.
You cancel the time you had planned to work on your paper because someone asked for a meeting and then feel annoyed at the person for asking.
You respond to student emails on the weekends because you take personal responsibility for their well-being and don't want them to be worried.
All of this is not only a huge time drain, it takes a serious emotional toll and results in burnout and stress. The emotional aspect of this and why we feel compelled to do these things is an overlooked aspect of the male-led productivity literature. But it's one of the main cornerstones of Reclaim Your Time, my group coaching programme for women in academia. The next round starts at the end of September. There are bonuses for early sign-ups.
