Homework can be started after the meal has been ordered and before the food arrives at the table. Realize that laboratory expansion and publication rates will be less than those of colleagues without young children. The challenge while the children are young is to stay active and in the game. The research programs of many scientists often experience dramatic expansions after their children are grown. In collaboration with a supervisor or chairperson, determine how much time teaching responsibilities should take and stick to that budget.
Teaching is often the hardest activity to compartmentalize and juggle successfully.
No matter how well prepared a lecture is, there is always another paper to read or a better way to organize and present the lecture material. Also, adult students are demanding, and they require and deserve mentoring. It is hard to close the door and focus on research when actively teaching a course or mentoring a student in the lab. But, just as parents have to learn to let their children grow up, teachers have to learn to let students solve some of their own problems and identify additional resource people.