What is your new year’s resolution? We at the Network Institute want to share this short article in Nature by Laurel Raffington, promoting a healthy work-life balance.

Something that is not always easy to maintain, especially for scientists. Our jobs easily become our whole lives – pressuring us into unhealthy work habits, never really clocking out of work, or feeling ashamed when we finally do. Raffington writes how distinguishing science from academia helps her in managing this. While she loves being a scientist, she asserts that “issues such as a scarcity of permanent jobs, hypermobility, a lack of diversity, and reward systems geared towards individuals rather than teams” come from academic culture, that “often discourages an ‘it’s just a job’ mindset to justify the lack of normal working conditions.” But, she states: “loving your work does not mean 12-h days, constant availability, or indifference to where you live.” Moreover, this toxic atmosphere is ultimately counterproductive to successful scientific work, because the latter thrives when we are happy, well-rested and have room for creativity and experimentation.

As an institute, we fully embrace and promote this vision of our job. May this be a guiding principle in 2026 and the years to come!