Okay, So I need to know how you guys and girls stay on top of things at school with all the classes you have to take along with studio which seems to be taking up most of my time and leaving me with very little time to devote to other classes. I have tried writing up a to do list, but I never stick to it. what to do??? share your routines!!!
Personally I always found it most helpful to knock out my other class-work first. Say on a weekend for instance, Friday after studio go home and write your theory paper, do your structures homework, and study for your physics exam etc. Then Saturday morning head to studio and spend the weekend there. That way you're not in studio Sunday night debating whether or not you should go home and work on your other classes or strengthen your presentation for Monday afternoon (because in this case studio almost always wins and your other classes suffer).
Yeah, basically what citrus.grey said. Except my two cents are, use your in-between hours wisely. Between classes, before classes if you can wake up reasonably early enough. They add up.
Bring all your work into your bathroom and lock yourself in with one desklamp, without your cell phone. Use your toilet as a chair/stool. You have no idea how much time you would save with this method.
I think its important, to put studio on the top of your priorities since its what will help you get your carreer started by getting you through the door ( its what employers will look at, not your papers from theory classes or grades). And yes its hard to stick to a list, especially when in studio they keep giving you intermidieate deliverables to show where you are at as on now on your studio project. Best thing to do is try to devote time for other required classes possibly after class if not possible due to more studio deliverables, try to devote weekend mornings (EVERY WEEKEND, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY) so that your work does not pile up.
And good luck.......(i have been there, and I am still there)
well, I hate to admit it , but...during my last studio...I was pretty regular with the whole foods store metabolic herbs and cheap beer....so regular, that I still using.
Oh and I meant to add that I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll get much better once you figure out what works for you. Personally I had a bit of a tough time with it my first year, nothing too bad but it was definitely challenging, but as time went on I got better at anticipating how much time I needed for things and better at working that time into breaks from studio.
The other thing is that personally, once I got better at managing my time I started getting more out of my other classes as opposed to just surviving them so I could get to studio.
Work, think, sketch during every waking moment during the day. Everyone works differently. I worked until 2 or 3 am every night because I work better during the night.
If you don't have ridiculous bags underneath your eyes, you're not working hard enough.
^^^ think how much better the work could be if you studied things in greater detail and gave yourself the time to see/observe > critique > revise > repeat.
i've seen people who convince themselves that this concoct-it-in-your-head method works when it really just dooms talented people to mediocrity. it's a lazy and non-rigorous way to pursue architecture.
no offense, meta, if it works for you. some people can pull it off, but it's NOT good as advice.
a design professional told me once...if you can't design overnight you shouldn't be designing
a brilliant seed of a design can come overnight - and we all should nurture in ourselves the ability to be this responsive to problems we encounter - but the initial idea is just that. it's not a design.
I've seen people who convince themselves that this concoct-it-in-your-head method works when it really just dooms talented people to mediocrity. it's a lazy and non-rigorous way to pursue architecture.
I agree. Whenever someone pulls off a last minute project, I'm left wondering what kind of project could have come about if the student had actually applied him or herself.
I'm normally way ahead of the game, but today was mid-term crits and I was WAY behind the ball, and sinking fast (to mix metaphors). I went to studio last night at 10 with a bottle of gin.... proceeded to bitch and moan about how I wasn't at all ready (and I wasn't).
Fast-forward to 4am, when my project's now better clarified than it has been in weeks, thanks to some last minute cutting and pasting (and discovering things I hadn't known before). My crit was satisfactory this morning, so I'm not complaining....
.... but if you can get a good night's sleep and be organized, even if your work isn't totally complete, that's almost always better than freaking out at the last minute and grasping for straws. Sometimes that works, but usually everybody knows that you came up with the work at the last minute, and this can taint people to your work.
Also, take breaks! Sit in a hot bath for a bit. Read a little bit of a novel every night before bed. Go for a walk. Watch a movie. You deserve a break every once in a while - if you don't, you'll burn yourself out before you know it. I'm watching my classmates implode for this very reason.
No need to leave, meta. I think there's lots of room for discussion of this topic... one that all of us here are either going through, or have gone through.
I can't tell you how many times I've looked for (and appreciated) the advice of people on here.
I think that once in a while, most of us can pull a horseshoe out of our asses and come up with something great at 4am, but I think as Steven is saying, that's not a sound game plan.
On the other hand, if you can talk a good game, you can put a pile of dogshit up on a podium and come out a winner. I'm not saying that I'm a master of the language (by any means) but I know what profs want to hear, and just as importantly, I know how to ask for help, which is more often the case than not in this, my first year of archi-school.
1. I'm working from a bar right now, and actually got a good bit done
2. OFG as always has a good point, I try to block my days out so I'm up at a certain time and eat at a certain time. Your body will thank you for this (although i have to sleep min 6hrs on a day-to-day basis)
3. Currently I'm working part-time, and at school full time, I use outlook to budget my time and
4. I use meta's approach to designing except in a more sly fashion. I always have work to show every class but my tactic is to always take my prof's advice with a grain of salt. For example, if they give me a completely unrealistic set of things to do before next class I edit it down to something I can do (i.e. doing a CGI model vs a physical one) and still learn/develop what needs to be developed. Any student of architecture must and will learn eventually that as long as you do work even if its not what your prof's specified they cannot fail you, ever. 9 times out of 10, the only way to get that coveted A is to pull a Howard Rourke and push your project yourself. The best professors I've had always let us specify our own requirements for final reviews.
i always was poor with schedules in school, but have become better over the years. like everything it is easier with practice.
the way i do it now is basically to just be disciplined. the OF way would not work for me, but something like that is a good start. it is amazing how much work can be done if you focus every day.
i have an album with muddy waters talking about how he learned to play guitar by practicing 30 minutes every day...oddly , and contrary to the mythologies of creativity, greatness can be achieved by perseverance as much as by genius. in fact i would say it is the core of greatness.
the in-the-head design process is not so good as advice for school i think...you are in school to learn, and learning requires communication. which means you gotta produce and show work constantly. otherwise there would be nothing to talk about...and what a waste that would be...
My old dog Muddy was named after Muddy Waters. I miss him!
Tomorrow is Saturday, and I'm going in to studio for about an hour or two just to look at my work pinned up against the wall. Then it's off to the gym. Tomorrow night we're (my gf and I) are having Board Game Night with a few people at our place. It's time for a break, and we both deserve it.
....the only reason I can do this is because I'm caught up (or actually, ahead) in my work in other classes. As soon as I get those assignments for tech classes, I do them, usually the same day just to get them out of the way. You've got to do it eventually.
i think old fogey laid out a pretty good template up there. as one of my relatives likes to say, "plan the work, work the plan"...when you have a set routine the 3-4 of each semester passes very quickly and the next thing you know you are either drinking & celebratine christmas/new years or you're drinking & celebrating summer.
oddly enough, i'd compare studio work to running a marathon. sure you can show up on race day (similar to final crit) and run 26.2 miles...but the risk of a fatal heart attack is much higher without diligent preparation.
I learned that trying to live a balanced life made getting the things I needed done much easier. Staying up all night, not eating or exersizing just didn't work for me. One hour of focused work is worth more than 2 hours of unfocused work.
When I was in school I learned to try and stay motivated by working on what I could focus on at any given time. If I was in the studio and no ideas were coming, I would pull out a book and study. I would take regular breaks and come back ready to go.
I try to do these things in the office as well. If I am losing concentration, I get up for a few minutes or maybe work on another task. I am not saying be lazy or never work hard, but somehow when you balance things out, the work just seems to get done. You don't blow off deadlines, but if you start the project working smart and don't procrastinate, its funny how when that deadline comes you have a good design ready to present or a good set of construction documents.
my oh my! seems like we're all similar as far as routines are concerned even though some of us are more disciplined than others.
Snook_dude i dont bask in the sun all day though id love to. unfortunately where I reside, the sun is not shining at this moment. more like snow and black ice!
in terms of work habits, i consider myself a night owl and during the day i sit and do nothing because I cannot focus. bt i think it is wise to use studio time for other hw instead of letting my 1-6pm go wasted. though im in a digital studio this semester learning how to use Viz, I dont get much done coz I end up waiting for my prof to help me figue shit out and i lose time that way.
I will invest in a set schedule and use my in-between classes time to do homework! what sucks is that im usually up all night and cant stay up at my 9am class on MWF. i hate that we have such early lectures....we are in studio or working late for chrissake!
Damn!!!! coming from someone who is working, I need to adjust my night owl B.S and start getting shit done during the day. this will be even more useful this summer when I do my co-op which I am hoping works out. I am nervous about working coz this will be my 1st taste into the real world and an architecture office setting! Pray for me!
Mar 2, 08 5:03 pm ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
Staying ahead of the game
Okay, So I need to know how you guys and girls stay on top of things at school with all the classes you have to take along with studio which seems to be taking up most of my time and leaving me with very little time to devote to other classes. I have tried writing up a to do list, but I never stick to it. what to do??? share your routines!!!
Why can't you stick to it (the list)?
don't waste time writing 'to do' lists...instead take a bubble and just daydream about what you need to do
Personally I always found it most helpful to knock out my other class-work first. Say on a weekend for instance, Friday after studio go home and write your theory paper, do your structures homework, and study for your physics exam etc. Then Saturday morning head to studio and spend the weekend there. That way you're not in studio Sunday night debating whether or not you should go home and work on your other classes or strengthen your presentation for Monday afternoon (because in this case studio almost always wins and your other classes suffer).
Yeah, basically what citrus.grey said. Except my two cents are, use your in-between hours wisely. Between classes, before classes if you can wake up reasonably early enough. They add up.
Bring all your work into your bathroom and lock yourself in with one desklamp, without your cell phone. Use your toilet as a chair/stool. You have no idea how much time you would save with this method.
hahaha, I am going to try that...
so funny
I totally understand....
I think its important, to put studio on the top of your priorities since its what will help you get your carreer started by getting you through the door ( its what employers will look at, not your papers from theory classes or grades). And yes its hard to stick to a list, especially when in studio they keep giving you intermidieate deliverables to show where you are at as on now on your studio project. Best thing to do is try to devote time for other required classes possibly after class if not possible due to more studio deliverables, try to devote weekend mornings (EVERY WEEKEND, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY) so that your work does not pile up.
And good luck.......(i have been there, and I am still there)
DF....
drinkin and druggin
Hard to stick to list. too many intermideiate deliverables to see where you are as of now on your studio project...
Correcting typos...
well, I hate to admit it , but...during my last studio...I was pretty regular with the whole foods store metabolic herbs and cheap beer....so regular, that I still using.
Oh and I meant to add that I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll get much better once you figure out what works for you. Personally I had a bit of a tough time with it my first year, nothing too bad but it was definitely challenging, but as time went on I got better at anticipating how much time I needed for things and better at working that time into breaks from studio.
The other thing is that personally, once I got better at managing my time I started getting more out of my other classes as opposed to just surviving them so I could get to studio.
double what citrus said.....
I appreciate your thoughts peers in archiTorture!!!! I am learning fast and I will let u know what strategy works for me..eventually! lol
bathroom... doo itttt
Stay out of the Sun and you might get something done!
Work, think, sketch during every waking moment during the day. Everyone works differently. I worked until 2 or 3 am every night because I work better during the night.
If you don't have ridiculous bags underneath your eyes, you're not working hard enough.
^^^ think how much better the work could be if you studied things in greater detail and gave yourself the time to see/observe > critique > revise > repeat.
i've seen people who convince themselves that this concoct-it-in-your-head method works when it really just dooms talented people to mediocrity. it's a lazy and non-rigorous way to pursue architecture.
no offense, meta, if it works for you. some people can pull it off, but it's NOT good as advice.
a brilliant seed of a design can come overnight - and we all should nurture in ourselves the ability to be this responsive to problems we encounter - but the initial idea is just that. it's not a design.
I agree. Whenever someone pulls off a last minute project, I'm left wondering what kind of project could have come about if the student had actually applied him or herself.
i think we just fundamentally disagree, meta.
but that's ok.
I'm normally way ahead of the game, but today was mid-term crits and I was WAY behind the ball, and sinking fast (to mix metaphors). I went to studio last night at 10 with a bottle of gin.... proceeded to bitch and moan about how I wasn't at all ready (and I wasn't).
Fast-forward to 4am, when my project's now better clarified than it has been in weeks, thanks to some last minute cutting and pasting (and discovering things I hadn't known before). My crit was satisfactory this morning, so I'm not complaining....
.... but if you can get a good night's sleep and be organized, even if your work isn't totally complete, that's almost always better than freaking out at the last minute and grasping for straws. Sometimes that works, but usually everybody knows that you came up with the work at the last minute, and this can taint people to your work.
Also, take breaks! Sit in a hot bath for a bit. Read a little bit of a novel every night before bed. Go for a walk. Watch a movie. You deserve a break every once in a while - if you don't, you'll burn yourself out before you know it. I'm watching my classmates implode for this very reason.
No need to leave, meta. I think there's lots of room for discussion of this topic... one that all of us here are either going through, or have gone through.
I can't tell you how many times I've looked for (and appreciated) the advice of people on here.
I think that once in a while, most of us can pull a horseshoe out of our asses and come up with something great at 4am, but I think as Steven is saying, that's not a sound game plan.
On the other hand, if you can talk a good game, you can put a pile of dogshit up on a podium and come out a winner. I'm not saying that I'm a master of the language (by any means) but I know what profs want to hear, and just as importantly, I know how to ask for help, which is more often the case than not in this, my first year of archi-school.
A few points
1. I'm working from a bar right now, and actually got a good bit done
2. OFG as always has a good point, I try to block my days out so I'm up at a certain time and eat at a certain time. Your body will thank you for this (although i have to sleep min 6hrs on a day-to-day basis)
3. Currently I'm working part-time, and at school full time, I use outlook to budget my time and
4. I use meta's approach to designing except in a more sly fashion. I always have work to show every class but my tactic is to always take my prof's advice with a grain of salt. For example, if they give me a completely unrealistic set of things to do before next class I edit it down to something I can do (i.e. doing a CGI model vs a physical one) and still learn/develop what needs to be developed. Any student of architecture must and will learn eventually that as long as you do work even if its not what your prof's specified they cannot fail you, ever. 9 times out of 10, the only way to get that coveted A is to pull a Howard Rourke and push your project yourself. The best professors I've had always let us specify our own requirements for final reviews.
i always was poor with schedules in school, but have become better over the years. like everything it is easier with practice.
the way i do it now is basically to just be disciplined. the OF way would not work for me, but something like that is a good start. it is amazing how much work can be done if you focus every day.
i have an album with muddy waters talking about how he learned to play guitar by practicing 30 minutes every day...oddly , and contrary to the mythologies of creativity, greatness can be achieved by perseverance as much as by genius. in fact i would say it is the core of greatness.
the in-the-head design process is not so good as advice for school i think...you are in school to learn, and learning requires communication. which means you gotta produce and show work constantly. otherwise there would be nothing to talk about...and what a waste that would be...
and so it goes...
My old dog Muddy was named after Muddy Waters. I miss him!
Tomorrow is Saturday, and I'm going in to studio for about an hour or two just to look at my work pinned up against the wall. Then it's off to the gym. Tomorrow night we're (my gf and I) are having Board Game Night with a few people at our place. It's time for a break, and we both deserve it.
....the only reason I can do this is because I'm caught up (or actually, ahead) in my work in other classes. As soon as I get those assignments for tech classes, I do them, usually the same day just to get them out of the way. You've got to do it eventually.
i think old fogey laid out a pretty good template up there. as one of my relatives likes to say, "plan the work, work the plan"...when you have a set routine the 3-4 of each semester passes very quickly and the next thing you know you are either drinking & celebratine christmas/new years or you're drinking & celebrating summer.
oddly enough, i'd compare studio work to running a marathon. sure you can show up on race day (similar to final crit) and run 26.2 miles...but the risk of a fatal heart attack is much higher without diligent preparation.
I learned that trying to live a balanced life made getting the things I needed done much easier. Staying up all night, not eating or exersizing just didn't work for me. One hour of focused work is worth more than 2 hours of unfocused work.
When I was in school I learned to try and stay motivated by working on what I could focus on at any given time. If I was in the studio and no ideas were coming, I would pull out a book and study. I would take regular breaks and come back ready to go.
I try to do these things in the office as well. If I am losing concentration, I get up for a few minutes or maybe work on another task. I am not saying be lazy or never work hard, but somehow when you balance things out, the work just seems to get done. You don't blow off deadlines, but if you start the project working smart and don't procrastinate, its funny how when that deadline comes you have a good design ready to present or a good set of construction documents.
my oh my! seems like we're all similar as far as routines are concerned even though some of us are more disciplined than others.
Snook_dude i dont bask in the sun all day though id love to. unfortunately where I reside, the sun is not shining at this moment. more like snow and black ice!
in terms of work habits, i consider myself a night owl and during the day i sit and do nothing because I cannot focus. bt i think it is wise to use studio time for other hw instead of letting my 1-6pm go wasted. though im in a digital studio this semester learning how to use Viz, I dont get much done coz I end up waiting for my prof to help me figue shit out and i lose time that way.
I will invest in a set schedule and use my in-between classes time to do homework! what sucks is that im usually up all night and cant stay up at my 9am class on MWF. i hate that we have such early lectures....we are in studio or working late for chrissake!
Damn!!!! coming from someone who is working, I need to adjust my night owl B.S and start getting shit done during the day. this will be even more useful this summer when I do my co-op which I am hoping works out. I am nervous about working coz this will be my 1st taste into the real world and an architecture office setting! Pray for me!
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.