As an established researcher, it is important to accept that you will let some things go, including opportunities you would have enjoyed, gained recognition from, or that have served you well in the past. A helpful phrase to hold in mind is: “What got you here won’t get you there.”

Many of the activities you do well, that others value, and that you may genuinely enjoy, will have helped you to become established in your career. Over time, however, these same activities can begin to crowd out space for the next phase of your development. Habits that were useful earlier on like saying yes and taking on admin roles can quietly become constraints.

Think of your early career as fishing from a pond of opportunities. The pond was relatively contained, and with effort and enthusiasm it was possible to try a wide range of things and catch almost everything. Saying yes helped you build skills, raise your profile, test career directions, and gain credibility. Catching all the fish was hard work, but achievable.

As an established researcher, that pond has become a flowing river (or raging torrent!). Opportunities are now abundant and continuously arriving. It is no longer possible, or desirable, to catch every fish. Some will inevitably swim past, including some that look appealing, familiar, or even particularly “tasty”.

The challenge is to trust that more fish will keep coming, and that you can choose when and where to dip your net in, based on capacity and strategic intent rather than habit or fear of missing out. This often means learning to say no to some opportunities you know you would enjoy, in order to create space for those that are better aligned with your longer-term priorities.