Can someone honestly point me to an example of a newly hired faculty at an R1 who truly only worked 40hrs/week before being hired? I'm betting the answer is no. So until the people in positions of power change the norms (e.g., for hiring), statements like this mean nothing, imo.
Could you be successful in 40hrs only? Sure, I don't doubt that. But will it get you the job you want? I highly doubt it. I've seen a lot of emphasis on encouraging grad students and ECRs to incorporate more work-life balance, but it shouldn't be up to us.
Instead, the focus should be on the expectations pushed on us. You can't expect someone to publish frequently in top journals, frequently travel to conferences, engage in academic service, etc. & have a normal life. We're not bad at balancing per se, you just expect too much.
