• Question: How do you balance your research and your hobbies?

    Asked by RitaN on 26 Feb 2026.
    • Photo: Michelle Hawkins

      Michelle Hawkins answered on 26 Feb 2026:

      I don’t make a habit of bringing work home with me so evenings and weekends are when I do my sport and choirs. I work part-time (4 days) so that gives me time to do fitness classes. If there are pressing deadlines I will sometimes go to work early or work from home so I can work during my normal commuting time.

    • Photo: Lorelei Robertson

      Lorelei Robertson answered on 26 Feb 2026:

      I always make sure I don’t work over my hours unless it’s going to be beneficial for me, or it’s an emergency! That way I’m guaranteed to have an evening after work and weekends. I try to make sure that have a least one thing booked in to do each week, whether that be a board game night, trip to the pub, a movie night or a big weekend trip, making sure I have something to look forward to each week after work.

    • Photo: Becky Paddock

      Becky Paddock answered on 27 Feb 2026:

      It’s very important to make time for yourself even in a busy job so I make sure that I do my hobbies and spend time with my family in the evening and at weekends. In some ways it’s easier than school/ college because when you come home you may feel the need to study more but when you are working you will have set hours and unless there’s something very urgent I tend to stick to my start and end times so I can enjoy my hobbies outside of those hours.

Comments

  • Photo: Andrew M

    Andrew M commented on :

    In my own case I keep home time and work time separate. Although I can work from home some of the time I choose not too but keep a physical and metal separation between the two. At work I work, and when at home I do the things I must and the things I enjoy but so long as they’re not work. In this way I create space for both and one doesn’t bleed into the other.