Business Success and the Practice of Architecture
From inc.com:
Last year Howard Stern earned more than any other radio personality. U2 topped the list of highest-paid musicians. Leonardo DiCaprio made $77 million, more than any other actor. Tiger Woods, in spite of all his, um, problems, still made $62 million to head the list of highest-paid athletes.
As an Entrepreneur Architect I wear many hats. I’m a designer, a draftsman, a project manager, a construction manager, a book keeper, a marketing director, a salesman, a customer service representative, an IT manager, a boss, a partner, a CEO, a COO, a CFO… the list goes on and on. It can be very stressful. At times, it’s overwhelming. I have the same number of hours each day as everyone else.
How does one get it all done?
David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
For each of my responsibilities I have specific things that need to be accomplished. To make it all more manageable, I plan “projects” with a list of tasks required to complete. Breaking down the larger tasks into the smaller bits of an action plan makes it easier to see my progress and keeps stress to a minimum.
Due to the current economy, our business situation changes often, which does not lend itself to keeping “my mind clear and my thoughts organized”. In order to stay focused, I reassess my goals often to confirm they are still relevant. I remind myself what is truly important and review my action plans for each “project”.
In order to be most productive with my email, Allen suggests applying the “do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it” rule to empty your in-box. Schedule specific times each day to organize your email. Address every message. If it will take less than two minutes to complete, do it. If it can be delegated to someone else, send it down the line. If addressing the item will take more than 2 minutes, defer it and schedule a time to address items requiring more attention. If the item is not important, drop it and move on to the next.
The single most important tip to productivity is to know what NOT to do. Be comfortable with saying no and limit tasks to the “projects” that will make a difference in your business.
Whether you follow the GTD method or another system of personal productivity, you need a system. You can’t just show up each day and hope it all works out. Success is planned and will not happen without focusing on the things that matter most.
How do you get it all done?
Let’s talk…
Oklahoma State is developing a program called Architecture & Entrepreneurship. Every architecture school should be doing the same.
Do you know of any other programs teaching entrepreneurship to architects?
So today is Monday. I typically reserve Mondays for administrative work and prepping for the rest of the week. I work on business systems and schedule project interviews on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Friday is a day to wrap up loose ends and make sure clients are happy.
Obviously, in order to be successful my routine is flexible. In fact I have a project interview this evening… on a Monday.
By keeping my tasks for each day consistent, it allows me to stay focused on what I am trying to accomplish,,, and that keeps my stress levels down (see previous discussion post).
How do you organize your week?
Let’s talk.
1. Be Real. Whatever your opinion of Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, and his controversial rap music recordings, one thing cannot be denied… he is real. The stories told in his lyrics talk about a life of poverty, violence and overcoming the fear of what may come next. He is bitter, angry and aggressive. He is what he is… take him or leave him.
Who are you? Find the true you and live it to the fullest.
2. Never give up. The lyrics to the rap, Lose Yourself, describes a time in the young rapper’s life when he “choked” and failed to perform. The humiliation and embarrassment would have sent weaker men running, but Mathers regrouped, put the experience behind him and jumped right back into the mix, winning praise and success.
In order to reach the highest levels of success, you must never give up.
3. Curse…alot! Well, not really, but Eminem’s passion, anger and pain are so very clearly communicated by his controversial lyrics and foul language that there is absolutely no doubt what he is trying to say.
Mean what you say and say what you mean. Communicate clearly.
4. Collaborate. A common practice among recording artists is to collaborate and work with other talented people. Eminem has collaborated with dozens of people including Dr. Dre, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Elton John. The mix of sounds and styles results in unique opportunities for music not possibly created as individuals.
Find talented people, mentors and peers, and seek to develop new ideas, new products and new services. The results may surprise you.
5. Pay it forward. Under the Shady Records label, Mathers signs talented unknown artists, mentors them and collaborates (see above). The exposure provided by Eminem has created success for superstars 50 Cent, D12 and Royce da 5’9” of Bad Meets Evil. Mathers experienced similar mentorship from Dr. Dre of Aftermath Records when he was an unknown artist.
Once you find your own success, pay it forward and help others succeed.
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Learn more about Eminem at Wikipedia.
