Balancing Act: Navigating Service as an Academic Without Losing Your Energy

Engaging in service work is a fundamental part of academic life, yet it’s often an aspect that gets overlooked or undervalued. Whether it’s organizing events, serving on committees, or reviewing journal articles, service can drain our energy, sometimes offering little in return. Still, there are ways to engage in service that feel meaningful and manageable. As academics, we need to be mindful of how we spend our limited time and energy—especially when the reward is not always commensurate with the effort.

The Joy of Collaborative Service

One of the more rewarding aspects of service is the opportunity to engage collaboratively, particularly with students. For me, co-organizing conference sessions with my undergraduate students is a highlight. It’s a fantastic way to involve students in the academic community, allowing them to network with scholars, discover new research, and gain experience in professional settings. Plus, it’s a relatively small commitment that brings a sense of accomplishment for both the students and myself. This kind of service feels aligned with my values—it’s easy to see the immediate benefit for students, and it’s gratifying to know I’m helping to foster the next generation of scholars.

The Pitfall of Endless Review Requests

However, not all service work is so fulfilling. A perfect example is my experience with writing peer reviews for journals. Don’t get me wrong, reviewing is an essential part of the academic ecosystem—it’s how we maintain the rigor of our disciplines. But when I found myself doing three reviews a month, I realized it was too much. I pour a lot of time and thought into my reviews, so taking on so many at once was overwhelming. It wasn’t until I stepped back and established a healthier balance that I regained my footing. I had to learn that it’s okay to say no—editors understand the pressure, and it’s better to contribute quality reviews sparingly than to burn out by overcommitting.

The Drudgery of Committee Work

Another tricky area is committee work. On the surface, serving on committees can seem like a way to influence your institution, give back to your department, and collaborate with colleagues. And in some cases, it’s genuinely enjoyable. But the reality is that committee work often becomes bogged down in bureaucracy and administrative tasks. Meetings can drag on, with little real impact on the issues at hand, and some committees feel like they exist more for appearances than for actual progress. Despite these frustrations, committee work remains an essential component of academic life—and sometimes, it’s unavoidable. The key is to choose committees that align with your values and interests, rather than feeling obligated to say yes to every request.

The Underappreciated Value of Service

One of the unfortunate realities of academic service is that it’s often undervalued. While teaching and research receive much of the attention in promotion and tenure processes, service tends to be viewed as a lesser commitment. This lack of recognition can make it difficult to stay motivated, especially when service tasks pile up. Yet, without this behind-the-scenes work, academia wouldn’t function. Service work is crucial—it keeps the gears of the institution turning, supports the dissemination of knowledge, and builds academic communities. It’s time that institutions place more value on service and acknowledge the emotional and intellectual labor it entails.

Guarding Your Energy: Finding Balance in Service

The challenge, then, is finding a balance. As academics, we have limited time and energy. When we overload ourselves with service, it can detract from other areas of our work, like research and teaching—or worse, from our personal well-being. I’ve learned that being selective is essential. Not all service opportunities are created equal, and we need to think strategically about where we can make the most impact without spreading ourselves too thin.

For me, the trick has been to engage in forms of service that I enjoy and that align with my strengths. Co-organizing events with students, writing thoughtful peer reviews in moderation, and choosing committees that resonate with my values are ways I stay involved while protecting my time. It’s also important to recognize when it’s time to say no—a lesson I’m continually learning. Setting boundaries is critical in maintaining the energy needed for the other aspects of our careers that often go underappreciated, like mentorship and community engagement.

Conclusion: Reclaiming the Value of Service

Service work is an integral part of being an academic, but it can also be draining if not approached carefully. While some forms of service offer rewards—like student engagement and contributing to the scholarly community—others can sap energy without providing much in return. By being thoughtful about where and how we invest our time, we can navigate the tricky terrain of academic service with greater purpose and less burnout. And maybe, just maybe, we can push our institutions to start valuing service work for what it is—a crucial, often underappreciated, pillar of academic life.