The focus of this comparative qualitative study is on female teachers' experiences as teacher researchers in Canada and Turkey as they worked towards the completion of their postgraduate degrees in the midst of teaching full-time. Attending carefully to participants' accounts of time use during the research process revealed heavy time pressure as informed by teaching, societal norms and familial obligations. In response to complex schedules, participants engaged in multitasking and research engagement happened amongst multiple personal and professional responsibilities. The findings of this study provide new ways to consider the competing demands shaping women's efforts to professionally develop and learn, and question the sustainability of teacher-led research as a sustainable professional learning endeavour beyond postgraduate studies