Like many professionals, our days in architecture can get hectic. We try to manage the emails, the meetings, and the deadlines. In our efforts to check off all of our boxes we can sometimes fall short. With everything from calendar apps to team management softwares, we have a multitude of tools to pull from. But, despite the abundance of aids at our disposal, there is one thing that consistently proves helpful. Keeping it simple.

When it comes to tasks, we have the big ones that will significantly move us forward to our end goal. And then we have the small ones, that still help toward that goal, but in comparison, hold less value, it could be things like responding to certain emails, adjusting annotations in a Revit file, or ordering samples.

Milestones and the theory of the few

Say we have a DD set of drawings due to a client in a couple of weeks and we've made good progress on our plans, sections, and elevations, but are lagging on our detail sheets; maybe it's casework and wall details. We have enough time leading up to the deadline to complete everything, but how do we go about tackling this project today?

We could keep a long list of everything that we need to do, which would be a good idea. But, we should also have a much shorter list, one that's just for today, with two or three big items on it. We aren't saying that there isn't more than three things to get done, just that there are likely very few big items that will make a significant impact in our progress.

For example, we might ignore the details for the next two days and focus on completing our floor plans, identifying all of the areas we'll need to detail later in the week and tightening up any loose ends. Others may choose a different approach, getting started on laying out your detail sheets first before returning back to the plans. Everyone is different. 

The essential factor is in keeping your focus on the few things that will make the largest impact for you. If all else fails, you know that if you complete these items that you will have taken a positive and impactful step forward.

How do you go about managing your workload?