tenure track - What lessons have you learned over the years as a TENURED FULL Professor that you wish somebody had told you when you started as an Assistant Prof?

As a Tenured Full Professor and given your long experience in Academia, what valuable lessons have you learned over the years that you wish somebody had shared with you earlier when you started as an Assistant Professor? Given these experiences what would you do differently if you had the chance?

Answer

Learn how to say NO.

It is very easy to say yes to every PC invitation, every paper collaboration, every committee, every this and every that. But this spreads your time too thin and means that you perform far less than optimally at everything you do. Ultimately, work encroaches too much on family time, and life becomes less enjoyable.

Also, learn how to teach properly. Take a teaching course or two. It will make your job easier and increase the amount you enjoy teaching.

See also: What is expected of a postdoc?. Many of my comments there are applicable.