“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
– H. Jackson Brown
Within the architectural world is a myriad of small architecture business and many self-employed architects. Each of them struggling to find the balance between running a business while still doing what they love. From creative workflows, client demands, scoping new projects, invoicing, talking to contractors, and more, many architects find themselves pressed for time.
The inevitability of burnout becomes paramount. Fortunately, effective time management can help avoid burnout and improve business.
Here are some ways you can make time management work for your architectural business –
Allocate time to be creative
According to Emily Suzuki article on Time Management for Designers, the solution lies in effective time management. By intentionally assigning time to creativity and business demands, an architect can help their business thrive.
By blocking out time to be creative early in the morning, you are giving yourself the opportunity to maximize mental energy and alertness. Menial tasks such as admin, phone calls, emails and messages, etc…, can be dealt with later in the day since they require less focus and attention.
Multitask effectively
Multitasking does not mean taking on a plethora of small tasks. All that does is cause your brain to switch one train of thought to another and back again. The idea is to be efficient in what you do. One way to do this is to look at which tasks can be combined together.
For example, combine a coffee break with a team debrief meeting. Another option would be to have a walking meeting in which business is mixed with physical activity and socialization.
Many ways exist to combine tasks in a way that will reduce stress while being effective.
Use a time tracking tool
These days you can easily find time tracking software to help you manage both your time and your team. TallyPro is one such software. With TallyPro, you can
- Keep track of which hours are billable and which aren’t
- Time spent on a project
- Time spent on meetings
- Assign projects to the right people
- Invoice projects
- Identify inefficiencies and adjust accordingly
- Ensure costs are accurate and appropriate for each project
Monitor unbillable time
The more you use tracking software like TallyPro, the more you’ll be able to identify which activities are draining time and money from your business.
For example, TallyPro helps you to track the amount of time spent answering emails, surfing the internet, attending meetings, and so on. This helps pinpoint inefficiencies in your company which can be addressed and changed effectively. After all, time is money.
Make a to-do list
To-do lists help you know exactly what needs to be done in your day. With a to-do list, your mind has a clear direction and focus on how to approach the day thus helping you to be more efficient with your time. Here are some tips to creating an effective to-do list
- Assess what you need to get done in the day and which tasks are a top priority vs the more everyday tasks.
- With clarity, write down all the tasks you need to be completed by the end of the day
- Work out how to flow from one task into the next by building a sequence of steps
- Smaller tasks can fit between bigger tasks – rocks to pebbles analogy
- Keep it manageable by not adding to your list
Finally
Take the time to rest, recoup, and reward yourself for a day well done. By taking care of yourself, you are able to time manage another day effectively and efficiently. Continue to assess and reassess how you can optimize your day through the use of tools like TallyPro.
Commercial Software Limited