Are you constantly overwhelmed by requests, struggling to protect time for your most important work? Or do you feel guilty every time you decline an opportunity? Academic culture often rewards saying “yes” to everything, but this approach can lead to burnout, compromised work quality, and misaligned priorities.

This interactive workshop provides practical strategies for establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries in academic life. You’ll explore why saying “no” feels so difficult, examine the beliefs that drive overcommitment, and learn to distinguish between opportunities that enhance your goals and those that derail them.

Using proven frameworks, tools, and templates, you’ll identify your genuine priorities and develop systems for protecting them. You’ll practice polite but firm language for declining requests, learn to navigate the difference between “askers” and “guessers,” and explore how to maintain professional relationships while setting clear limits.

Boundaries aren’t selfish — they’re essential for sustainable productivity and wellbeing. Through individual reflection and group discussions, you’ll develop personalised strategies that work for your specific academic context.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have:

  • Gained clarity on your core priorities and learned techniques for keeping them visible and protected.
  • Understood the psychological and cultural factors that make boundary-setting challenging in academia.
  • Developed a toolkit of diplomatic yet clear language for declining projects, responsibilities, and unrealistic deadlines.
  • Created actionable strategies for saying no to requests that don’t align with your goals
  • Explored the difference between rigid and porous boundaries, and how to calibrate yours appropriately.

You’ll leave with an action plan for what you’re going to say “no” to and how, along with the confidence to prioritise your most important work.

👩🏽‍🎓 Audience: Researchers at all stages and in any discipline.

⏰ Duration: 2 hours

Feedback

  • “This session is so important for first years, I wish I had it before.”
  • “Thank you Catherine and thanks to everyone who shared their experiences or ideas. This session was very helpful.”
  • “Thank you very much, very valuable.”

Cost

This 2-hour workshop costs £525 + VAT for up to 30 participants.

Booking

Please email me@catherinepope.com if you’d like to book this training or if you have any questions.

On receipt of a purchase order, I’ll arrange a date with you for the workshop and make all the necessary technical arrangements. You just need to promote the event and send the link to your researchers.

For more information, please see my full workshop terms and conditions.