3 time management hacks for architects

If you’re an architect or an architecture student, this title almost seems like a joke! You would scream in disbelief: ‘There’s absolutely no way to manage time when you’re lost in the world of never-ending submissions.’

Well, I hear you! I’ve been there, and well…I’m still there. Time management is specifically challenging for the architecture profession but this is exactly why we need some good measures in place. Don’t you think? After a lot of trial and errors over the years, I’m letting you in on three of my favorite tips that work best:

1. Energy Management

First of all, let’s set our challenge straight. For the longest time, I thought that I had to manage my time better. Up until I started working at an architecture company. I would reach the weekend completely drained. Only start to become normal again around mid-Sunday but well, that would’ve been already too late.

So I discovered something that we tend to disregard. We talk day in, day out, about time management but we never talk about energy management.

Think about it. If I were a robot, I would manage my time perfectly! Oh but then again, even a robot would need to recharge. Phew, I was starting to be envious.

So don’t forget that life gets in the way. We have emotions, challenges, unexpected events that drain us daily. That’s why accepting that our energy resources are limited is the first step towards better time management. By realizing that, it will become easy to:

- Rest. Most counterintuitive advice for productivity, and yet the one that works the most.
- Say no to the things that drain our energy, with no clear results that would be worth it.
- Diversify the type of work. With new tasks comes renewed energy.

2. Timeboxing

This is how Elon Musk manages his time. I was curious to try it, I applied it to architecture, and it has done wonders to my productivity ever since!

This technique is called timeboxing, and for a good reason. It simply means to put a deadline for any task, decision, or activity. How does this apply to architecture? Let's take an example.

Let's say that you're designing a project. You get caught up in the design phase and can't make fast decisions. Before you even realize it, the submission is in a few days and you haven't even started with the real deliverables yet. Panic mode on!

That's where timeboxing steps in. At the start of the project, you set a specific deadline to experiment or be creative. Be it a day, a week, or a month. But, after that, time is up! Time for execution.

The same methodology could be used perfectly for small tasks as well. Something along the lines of '30 minutes to finish this task, then I wrap up and move on!'

Do you know who would love that even more? Perfectionists! That’s because, by nature, they tend to spend hours following that perfection rainbow. But no more, with timeboxing.

Ever heard of the saying: ‘Fast and good enough is the new perfect.’?
No? Well, I just invented it, but it’s for a good cause. All fellow perfectionists out there, repeat this sentence daily because it will do wonders.

And, by the way, the idea of timeboxing or literally 'putting time in a box' is just so relieving! Just by its name, it makes us feel that we're in control of our time, not the opposite.
Now, how fun is that for a change?

3. Antidote to procrastination

We have yet to find one single person who has never procrastinated in his life! We all usually start with a quick video on YouTube watching a how-to tutorial (that is ‘very important for our work’). Two hours later, we realize we’re still there watching how that cute dog saved a baby’s life.

Meanwhile, work is there. Waiting on our desks. On our laptops. Constantly on our minds but well, I guess one more video wouldn’t hurt.

But it does. It hurts loads. And it affects our lives, our dreams, our projects, minute after minute. We feel it, but we can’t seem to find a cure for it. If only there was a rocket that could propel us into action when we most need it! Right? Instantly.
Something like: 5-4-3-2-1 action.

Well, there is! Weirdly enough, this is exactly what the author Mel Robbins decided to do one day. She counted 5-4-3-2-1 and got out of bed at 06:00 a.m. She counted 5-4-3-2-1 and made that call. She counted 5-4-3-2-1 and started writing the first page of her book.

It was working. She didn’t know why, but it was working. No procrastination, only action. Later on, she realized that there was a science to back that up. I will not go into any technicalities here, because, well, I’m an architect, not a neurologist. But I tried it too, and it works. Our brain functions in mysterious ways, and this appears to be one way to ‘fool’ it into action.

What about you, ready to try these tools? Stay tuned for more productivity tips specially tailored for architects, and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about them. Plus, we’ll be taking good care of your time: you’ll receive only one e-mail per week, but chock-full of tips!