In Scientific American, a computer science professor at Harvard describes her typical workweek and how she balances the stresses of being on the tenure track at an R1 school with the demands of home. Despite a chipper tone to her article, her life sounds just awful to me. She says that her peers and superiors expect her to work an 80 hour week, but she can only fit in 56 hours of work into her week. That disconnect between expectations and the reality must be very stressful. She has to read old e-mails from people who complimented her in the past, so she can feel good about herself.

Her breakdown of her time during the week was unbelievable. It sounds like she never sees her husband or has a family dinner together. There doesn’t seem to be any room in the week for emergencies or spontaneous fun with the kids. To each to their own. I think she might make more money and have less stress in the private sector, but whatever.

Even with all those stresses, that woman seems to be surviving, because she “only” works 56 hours per week. I can’t see how it’s possible to raise two kids with two 60-80 hour per week jobs and not lose your mind.

This article led to a discussion among my friends about what a normal workweek should look like. What’s a normal amount of hours? A few friends are teachers and professors at schools with low expectations. They put in big hours for six months of the year, but have very laid back lives for the other half of the year. A few do no work at all during their 6 months off from teaching. Other friends think that 60-80 hours is normal.

What’s a normal work week?