Another family dinner was missed, big dark bags bulging from beneath the eye, espresso pumped in the system, and a black outfit of the day, which seems like a typical scenario for an architect.
Architecture being a demanding profession asks for time and devotion and tests the patience of the architects at every step. Architects have bestowed the responsibility of designing structures that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also safe, functional, and relevant with time. Hence this requires long hours of planning, strategizing, and preparations. So, it becomes difficult for architects to find equilibrium between their professional and personal lives. To keep one’s creativity intact and for mental well- being this balance is necessary.
Early Realisation
When you enter an architecture school, on the very first day you are hit with the realisation that to survive and succeed in this field the sleeping schedule, and parts of your personal life would be altered drastically. Long studio hours, and struggles during final jury weeks all take up a major chunk of one’s time and it becomes difficult to maintain a life outside the intensive sphere of architecture.
Professional Path
In corporate offices client meetings, presentations, countless deadlines, site visits, etc. surround the architect, blurring the lines between working hours and personal hours, ever since COVID, the new concept of working from home has emerged which makes it harder for the architects to maintain a healthy balance between work and their personal lives. This practice is very unhealthy as the importance of time management is being neglected profusely. Due to rigorous working hours, the architects tend to feel stressed and excessive burn out making it difficult to deliver their full potential and please their clients.
Passion for the Profession (Loving the chaos)
The people who choose this profession are beforehand aware of the struggles and the efforts that have to be put in to survive in this industry. With this passion, they courageously take up all the challenges embracing all the chaos.
As architects love what they do, they forget about the commotion outside and are focused on the only goal of designing buildings. They are always ready to invest any amount of time if they know that their output will bring a change in the industry and help a larger audience. When a person is doing what they desire that job is not a job anymore it becomes more of a game for them. They enjoy it and never feel burned out or stressed. As architects are poets in a way reciting every story of design with wonder and beauty, they require recreational or relaxation time to think and explore and let their minds just wander in peace.
Balancing the Chaos
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is tricky but not difficult. There are many ways to do it like setting realistic timelines. Negotiating appropriate timelines can reduce stress and workload and help avoid constant overtime. Here communication is the key to maintaining a good rapport with the clients and colleagues.
Another way could be using digital software for smart work. Gone are the days when everything would be done manually, now that we are living in the digital age, we must utilise software and tools available to their full potential. This will reduce the burden on one person and will be able to produce efficient results giving better clarity to the clients.
Setting up priorities and work delegation is also an efficient way to balance out the work. Allocating work to every person and achieving realistic tasks is also a healthy way to prevent burnout.
In many ways, it’s also about how passionate one is about the work. Again, an architect has chosen this hectic life for them, which after some time makes them feel tired and stressed but they always look at the big picture and work for that. That feeling helps them regain their fleeting confidence and work with more vigour to fulfil their clients’ whims and fantasies.
Burning the midnight oil all the time
Burned out I feel,
I am an architect
I wonder what sleep feels like.
I embrace chaos
I love what design preaches
