“But I don’t have the time”: A lesson in priorities

As you might’ve noticed, I took a bit of a hiatus from the blog in May. Between work picking up, travel for #AIAcon16, and #AREsketches stuff…my metaphorical candle was feeling the flames of a bonfire and I was running low on time and energy. I let the blog slip down the list of priorities. But I’m back with a lesson and reminder as much for my benefit as it is yours: we all have the same amount of time, it’s how you prioritize it.

Through the #AREsketches study crew (you can join by subscribing to the newsletter here), I get a lot of questions about tips on making time to study for and take the tests. I also get questions from other architect friends, local and online, as to how I make time for all the various projects I juggle. The answer is the same: it’s a lesson in priorities.

I don’t say that to sound holier-than-thou…because I definitely hit moments where I have so many irons in the fire that I burn myself. But I say it as a reminder that you are the master of your time and your destiny. It’s a reminder that I give myself regularly, too. The things that you do most are things you prioritize. And just like an Olympic athlete or anyone else becoming a master at their skill by clocking time towards their 10,000 hours…you get good at the things you do the most. If that’s binging Netflix….well, you have to decide if that’s something you actually want to be good at while studying or other projects fall to the wayside. Yes – that’s a very specific and hopefully rare instance of priorities. And yes – there are times where you need a mental break from life, studying, work, etc. Believe me – your candle can take a direct bonfire for only so long. But if you’re watching Netflix (or any other hobby that doesn’t help you hone your craft – whatever that may be – in some way) so frequently that you’re creating a permanent dent in the couch and dead butt syndrome on your backside…it’s time to sit down and prioritize.

Let’s check that lesson in priorities now.

Grab a piece of paper. Write down the top 3 things you want to accomplish this week. And the top 3 for this month. And the top 3 for the rest of the year.

Now draw a line and take a couple minutes to reflect back on your week(s) prior. How much time out of those 112 hours (taking out 8hrs/night for sleep) did you spend working on each of those three things? None? A couple? More than 10? How much time did you spend on things that won’t get you anywhere? Things that get a free pass from me include gym/workout time, church/meditation time, and cooking homemade meals. Those things may seem like they don’t have a “future payoff”, but I’m here to tell you if one of those things gets out of whack, you quickly upset the apple cart. All three of those feed into (sometimes literally) your mental and physical well-being. It’s kind of like the “change your oil every 10,000 miles” requirement. If you don’t respect the personal temple, it won’t perform as well as it could.

Time with friends and family can also be beneficial, but that doesn’t mean ALL of your free/non-working time should go to that. If you’re calling/texting every friend in your contacts trying to find/make plans every night…that’s procrastination, not prioritization.

Here’s the thing

Priorities? They ebb and flow. You have a new baby? That’s going to be an extra bump in time for awhile. You want to level up in karate? It’s going to take more hours. You want to pass your next test?… Same deal.

Sometimes priorities require an intensive amount of time for a short period of time. Sometimes priorities require smaller, but consistent, amounts of time over a much longer period of time. The lesson in priorities is to know which of those two your goal requires and TO MAKE ROOM FOR IT. Wanting to do something and setting aside time to make yourself do something are two different things. One is intention, the other is action. Intention means a lot, but it won’t get you licensed. It won’t get you that new job, piece of side work, software proficiency, etc. Only action does that. And making things a priority requires action…and lots of it.

This is not something that comes easy to anyone. Yes nature and nurture can make some people predisposed to understanding how to prioritize time and goals. Example:

As a child of divorce that switched houses every week, played more than one sport year-round, and was busy at a school in a town where one of my two parents didn’t live…my “nurture” side of life predisposed me to be good at time management and priorities. I got to pack one bag. When I was little, that meant prioritizing which of my favorite stuffed animals made the weekly trek with me. When I got older, it meant prioritizing which of my clothes I wanted to haul back and forth – much to my mom’s chagrin. Where was the game for the week? When were practices? Add in travel time, dinner, homework, shower, etc and I had to prioritize my day and what little “free” time I had left. In junior high, a teacher had us make a schedule of our week. I don’t remember what caused it, but you can bet she wasn’t expecting a daily schedule detailed out to the 15 minute mark, packed full with things to do. But I knew my priorities.

Guess what?

You made it through, or are making it through, architecture school. That means you know and are honing your priority skills, too. You are capable of making time to study for your tests or learn Revit….or whatever you want to do….because whatever architecture program you are or were in has already laid the foundation for that lesson in priorities through studios and other courses vying for your time.

So take that list of 3 things you want to do. What ACTIONABLE item(s) do you need to perform to meet that goal this week/month/year? Make those a priority. When I was studying for my tests, I was setting aside an hour every night and 6-8 hours every Saturday and Sunday. Yeah…I didn’t have much of a social life. But I studied, passed my tests, and put that chapter of my life behind me. I made it a priority and saw it through. And now I can go grab a drink with friends or check out a new place for dinner without worrying about time lost towards a goal of getting licensed. I sacrificed for a priority, knowing the end result outweighed the temporary interest. You can do this too. I know you can. You’ll be a young architect yet, making the world better one design at a time. You just have to make it a priority.

Feed the fire,