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Thriving as an introvert in academia?

In our September "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I'm wondering if the introverts out there can provide some advice on being an introvert in academia. In the earlier years of my PhD, when I could mostly stay sequestered in my office alone doing research, I felt like I was thriving. This term, I'm teaching two courses as I wrap things up. And sometimes I find it overwhelming. I love teaching. I am energized while doing it. And I have no trouble staying on top of my workload. But I find the act of teaching itself absolutely draining. And god forbid I get stuck in the department talking to folks on days that I have to teach. I love what I do. But I wish I was less introverted. To be clear, introverted people are not shy. Introverted people feel emotionally and mentally drained by social interaction with others.

Does anyone have tips for coping and/or thriving as an introvert in academia?

This is a great query!

Do any introverts out there have any helpful tips/advice to share?

Posted in

8 responses to “Thriving as an introvert in academia?”

  1. Tenured now

    I see you. I try to schedule as many of my classes and social interactions as I can for the end of the workday – and then I found a partner who is understanding of the fact that on those days I just need to spend a good chunk of the evening by myself. Good luck!

    Reply
  2. An Anon

    No tips, exactly, but I had the same experience as an introvert when I first started teaching while working on my PhD (minus the loving it and feeling energized while doing it part.) I was always completely drained after teaching and completely useless for working on my dissertation. I, shall we say, severely tested my department’s patience when it came to finishing my dissertation.
    All I can say is that for me it got much better with a lot of practice and I am now perfectly capable of teaching and performing other complex tasks afterwards. I’ve even figured out the loving it and feeling energized while doing it bit. So no advice, really, but hopefully that’s at least encouraging.
    (One possible bit of advice, with all the caveats that we should attach to amateur psychological self-diagnosis. I think that part of what all that practice got me was figuring out how to teach from my authentic personality. For the first couple years I felt less like a teacher and more like an actor with an extremely pedantic one-man show. I think that’s what was so draining. But again, that’s very much amateur psychology even as applied to me, never mind OP.)

    Reply
  3. anon

    When it comes to the combo of teaching and talking outside of class on the same day feeling like too much. I’ve felt this sometimes, and have made do with just showing up to my classroom directly rather than stopping in the office first, or sometimes working in my office with the lights off to avoid notice (lol).

    Reply
  4. newly tt

    I am not 100% sold on the introversion/extroversion stuff, but I DO test as an introvert on the OCEAN test – and people who know better than me say that one is legit. And I recognize OP’s experiences. So here’s what works for me.
    * Recognize that teaching and socializing with your peers is work of its own sort. It is okay to devote some days to that work. You’ll be tired after – but you’ll be tired after a research day, too.
    * Find a time management system or tool that helps you set firm boundaries on tasks like grading. This can save you some energy, and also gives you a sense of accomplishment – which can be really helpful (the sense is rare in research, IME, even for productive and successful people, so find it where you can).
    * If you’re committed to working on research on teaching a socializing days – cool! Figure out which research tasks can be completed quickly and/or provide an immediate sense of gratification. For me this is often writing out a new idea, one unrelated to other projects I’m working on. The new idea has less baggage and I’m discovering new stuff, so any progress I make is good work. It could be stuff like finding new papers, downloading them, and never reading them, too.
    * Are there administrative tasks that need completing? Do those on the teaching etc days. Is your office a mess? This is a great day for fixing that.
    * Remember that other people don’t really care if you say can’t hang out because you need to go home and recover. You don’t have to tell them that – indeed, the polite thing to do is decline without offering excuses (in most cases).
    Basically: lean into this. If you want to work, do the stuff that provides immediate gratification. Then go home and rest. That’s fine.

    Reply
  5. OP

    OP here. Thanks for the comments so far! I should also mention a few cognitive enhancers that I find helpful. Other introverts might benefit.
    First, caffeine. Everyone consumes it. But I find if you consume it less frequently (say, 2-3 times a week), it becomes much more potent on the days you do use it. I try to use it only on days I’m teaching, though I find it difficult to not start using it every day.
    Second, L-tyrosine. You can find it in health food stores. It helps alleviate the effects of cognitive fatigue.
    Third, nicotine. I know this is probably controversial. But there’s plenty of research to show that nicotine itself, isolated from tobacco, has quite positive health benefits, including providing cognitive energy, alertness, etc. So, take that for what it’s worth.
    I agree with An Anon entirely. I think when I first started teaching, I felt like an actor and was too excited/animated, which made me tired. I think I am slowly learning how to teach in an ‘upbeat’ way that is also consistent with my own personality and energy levels. Definitely still in the learning process.

    Reply
  6. Foreign worker

    With all due respect, we have to realize that countries make laws and policies with their own citizens in mind, first and foremost. So it should not surprise us that foreigners have to incur costs that others do not. I say this as a foreign worker – I left my homeland in 2002, and have lived and worked in three other countries. I am grateful to these countries for employing or hosting me in philosophy positions over the years. Like everyone writing in here, I have incurred costs, and restrictions on my freedom that citizens do not have to endure. But this is the reality of a world of nation states. In my case, and I am sure in many other peoples’ cases, I feel my home country has truly let me down. I have never been offered a tenure track job there, despite my many academic accomplishments.

    Reply
  7. Nomad, No Cry

    Foreign worker,
    I know the feeling. I am on foreign country #4 in a little over 4 years. It’s tough every time, because every country’s procedure is different in terms of the order things can be done, the documentation needed at each stage, and so on. However, these four countries have thrown me a lifeline, as the number of academic jobs in my home country is vastly exceeded by the number of applicants.
    (By the way, I think that you meant to put this in the Visa thread.)

    Reply
  8. Foreign worker

    Nomad
    You are absolutely correct. I have placed my earlier comment on the wrong topic. Hopefully Marcus will see this and move both of our comments to the appropriate page.

    Reply

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