Life after entering design school is a race against time. Lectures, all-nighters, workshops, projects, research, and maintaining an active personal and social life – no one prepares architecture students for the hectic schedules ahead of them. But, with appropriate productive strategies and time management, students can excel academically and develop themselves for a stable and decent career in architecture and design.
- Creating a routine or schedule:
Establishing a daily and weekly schedule that outlines the daily tasks, project revisions, and personal commitments. Allocate sufficient time for each task and include personal breaks to recharge oneself, as continuous work can lead to burnout and decreased productivity. Instead of postponing project assignments for weeks or days, start them in small phases as soon as you receive the same. Prioritize projects based on deadlines and priority. Setting a task list will help students to work with a roadmap as a guide and ensure that one’s working on the key tasks at first.
Take time to set deadlines and create a plan for your calendar so you can prepare yourself for the same. Hence you can work little by little every day without stressing or being anxious about the provided tasks. Trying to complete architecture projects is heinous, and its better to complete projects beforehand instead of cramming up in the last minute.By setting realistic goals, architecture students can strike a work-life balance in the long run.
- Embracing Technology:
Adapting to technology could streamline an architecture student’s workflow.
Leverage technology to streamline your workflow. Architecture software like AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Adobe Creative Suite can help students work more efficiently. Software such as Enscape, Twinmotion and graphic apps such as Photoshop and, Lightroom will improve project submissions and portfolios.
Project management tools like Trello or Asana can help you collaborate with team members and manage project timelines effectively. Investing in a good quality laptop or desktop, an ergonomically efficient mouse can also benefit one in the long run.
- Focus on one task at a time:
Once we become architecture students, we are put up against others and constantly in a bit to improve ourselves, complete assignments, and meet deadlines. While this may seem practical for short-term goals, commitments requiring constant time and observation may seem futile. Focusing on only one task at a time will get us into a continuous state of flow, which requires focus, dedication, and producing meaningful work.
We get more done when we are patient and slow down ourselves while we work. Whereas, while single-tasking isn’t the final answer to all our student-work issues, its always good to start from somewhere.
- Eliminate distractions:
Most of an architecture student’s time and work revolves around laptops, iPads, and design software. With the advent of online classes and lecturers, students are also more often than not on online platforms. Hence, it is common and easy for students to get distracted by their social media notifications, texts, news, and online media. Logging off social media apps during work hours or exam days can limit our usage. Non-study-based websites and apps should be locked and restricted during work hours.
Moreover, controlling the hours we spend our time on social media is an effective method to eliminate distractions. Android and iOS features such as enabling parental controls and setting a daily hour’s limit for social media apps will provide detailed data on one’s daily usage of electronic gadgets, especially mobile phones.
- Allowing short breaks or intervals:
Taking short breaks every 45 minutes is a great way to block time for architecture students. By taking a 15-minute interval, our body and mind naturally set time for refueling itself. Hence it improves our concentration and decreases fatigue by preventing exhaustion and fatigue. Taking frequent breaks helps us to slow down and review our completed task and goals at hand and effectively assess upcoming tasks or projects. Breaks without any distractions will let us evaluate progress.
- Collaboration and receiving feedback:
Working together with your classmates, peers and professionals from the design and architecture field can aid architecture students in receiving appropriate feedback on the projects and design solutions we work with. Collaborating with people and students from our similar backgrounds can be a safe space for constructive criticism, pool resources and sharing ideas and opinions on any task or project goals.
Time management is a key life skill necessary for architecture and design students, in fact any student or working professional for that matter. By prioritizing our goals, creating a detailed daily/weekly schedule, eliminating media distractions, embracing technology, and seeking criticism and feedback on one’s projects, students can optimize productivity and excel in an academic and professional work environment. It is important to note that efficient time management is not about working harder but working smarter. By implementing productivity strategies, and self-care, students can not only meet deadlines, but also produce higher quality work and enjoy a more balanced work-student life.
References
- Illustrarch (2023) Time Management for Architecture Students [Online]. Available at: https://illustrarch.com/articles/13650-time-management-for-architecture-students.html [Accessed: 06 September 2023].
- Actitime (2023) 10 Time Management Tips for Architects and Construction Design Offices [Online]. Available at: https://www.actitime.com/software-for-architects/time-management-tips-for-architects-construction-design-offices [Accessed: 07 September 2023].
- Successfularchistudent (2019) 6 Time Management Tips for Architecture Students [Online]. Available at: https://successfularchistudent.com/6-time-management-tips-for-architecture-students/ [Accessed: 07 September 2023].
