So @tompkinsstange I’ve been mulling on advice for asst profs post-3rd-year review, here are a few assorted thoughts (1/n)
2/ Some micro-advice that helped me: ruthless calendar management. Packing meetings all on one day, blocking out time for tasks rather than just adding them to my to-do list, limiting travel, never assuming 15 mins is too little to get something done, saying no succinctly.
3/ Also you’ll probably take on more non-research responsibility as you progress and it helped my outlook to remind myself that this other stuff actually is squarely in my job description, ie if I spend a whole day doing it, it doesn’t mean I’ve done nothing all day.
4/ As far as what you need to do to get tenure, I strongly agree w/ those who have said make sure to get local advice; don’t assume everyone else’s advice automatically applies to your context.
5/ But I guess my big-picture advice would be to stay as focused as possible on what *you* want to do with your life and time. I honestly just tried to stay focused on asking important questions and doing the best I could to answer them rigorously & with integrity
6/ I’m a people-pleaser so just maintaining this level of focus, and not getting overly discouraged by failures and not getting distracted by everyone else’s goals and expectations was (is) hard for me.
7/ One thing that helped me focus was visualizing the next best thing I could do if academia didn’t pan out. I was and still am very comfortable with those alternatives, and that’s incredibly liberating.
8/ Music also really helps me recenter myself, and recover from rejection. I have playlists for every purpose. It’s like a form of CBT, but everything is more convincing when set to music.
9/ For me, forget tenure, keeping that focus and sense of purpose was (is) hard enough, especially while also trying also to be a good mom, to follow through on my commitments, and to be present for my family, friends, students & advisees.
(DIGRESSION: I confessed to my 11yo the other day that before I had kids, I thought I would be a good mom and that it would be easy. She started laughing hysterically, paused briefly to cough out “no offense mom!” And then went back to laughing hysterically.)
10/ Of course I didn’t always live up to my ideals. And looking back, maybe that was actually way healthier than the times I DID live up to my ideals, but ceased to exist as a human being. I did get really burnt out and needed my 1st sabbatical to regain some sense of self.
11/ Hence my hesitance to give advice. I feel like I just got here, I surely didn’t do everything right, I’m just muddling through like everyone else. I’ll probably feel that way forever though. So I’m learning to accept and even appreciate the muddle.
12/ I keep thinking of a book I eagerly checked out of the library in 3rd grade entitled, “Be a Perfect Person in Just 3 Days.” No spoilers, but let’s just say I was looking for specifics and I felt really cheated at the end.... Now 30+ years later I think I might get the point 
13/13 Bottom line is to curate those bits of advice that are useful, but also to nurture your own goals & trust in your own judgment - especially if you’re the type that would earnestly check out a book like the one above in 3rd grade.
