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I pay my respects and acknowledge all Traditional Custodians of Country and on whose land I live and work. I recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

Hi reader

I hope you had a wonderful and restful break over the holidays.

There's a lot going on in the world right now, and I'll keep this "c-word" free. I want to let you know that you're doing an amazing job in these challenging circumstances. Stay courageous. reader you are loved and you are enough.

This fortnight let's focus on the parts of our life we can control. Most of us are now starting to get our year moving, in spite of circumstances outside. One of the keys to doing good work is the intention we bring to what we're doing. This intention might be with regard to what we choose to do or how we choose to do it. It's about the choices we make. So how might we develop good choices around how we do our work? One of the things we can do is work on developing a good rhythm to our work (no drums required). Let's explore it a little...

I got you

Michael

got rhythm

Finding good work rhythm improves productivity. Identifying the times we're at our most productive and working to that rhythm. In architecture the varied demands and multiple projects can make this challenging - you may also not be one for a structured schedule. Nevertheless most people have a natural rhythm to when they work best, without having to stick to a rigid structure. You'll find if can identify the rhythm that works for you that you'll be more productive, need less time for your work and feel more energetic.

A number of authors I know of, for example, get up early and knock of 2-3 hours of writing before breakfast. That's when they're at their best. It also means that no matter what happens across the rest of the day, they've done a solid block of unfettered productive writing. The key is to understand when you do your best work, on a daily and weekly basis. Mondayitis is real for some and so is the Friday arvo malaise, those times, for example, might be best to work on mindless admin, basic emails, or something else when you don't need to be at your sparky best. Maybe you do your best most focussed work after your morning coffee Tuesday to Thursday, keep that time free of meetings, emails and phone calls, and use it for your most important work.

It's important to experiment with this through trial and error. Take the time to explore your best monthly, weekly and daily cadences, and the best time to do particular work. Find the rhythm that's right for you. It's not about blocking out the entire day, just noting the times when you perform best and perhaps block out only that 1.5 to 2 hours of your day. Make this process as manageable and frictionless as possible. Start small, try out 1 to 2 blocks max a week. Review, iterate and/or move to a more defined rhythm across the days, weeks and months.

We all march to the beat of a different drum and I acknowledge that when working with others in an office the syncopation of rhythms may or may not work. Again the trick is to experiment across the office, with everyone considering and establishing their own rhythm. Trial and error. The important thing is to commit to trying it out.

I'm sure everyone has their own ideas and insights on working to a rhythm. I'd love to hear your thoughts. This year I'm also committed to seeking out feedback, to do better work. I'm encouraging feedback on anything I'm doing. Keen to hear from you.

Wishing you the best with finding your rhythm. 🥁

You got this.