If not you, then who?
Note 020: Anxiety and Perspective
I had a semi-stressed SMS from a friend, colleague, reader of these notes and early practitioner this morning.
He was fence sitting on going through with the architectural registration process in NSW, freaked out by the weighty issues in the foreground in any of the ‘Rego-Ready’ courses out there.
Any one who knows me knows I talk about my concept of productive procrastination a lot, to myself, to staff in my practice studio, to students in my university studios, to my kids at home.
That is because it is rock solid, and effective.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by urgent conflicting tasks?
Multiple deadlines?
Unsolvable design problems?
Hours in the Day?
Cognitive load?
Those pesky needier clients?
If you don't, Congratulations! But I think you've subscribed to the wrong newsletter.
This is for young architects or architects to be, considering jumping ship, or early into the fire of supporting themselves in the wonderful world of creative practice :)
So for the rest of us who answered yes, productive procrastination is the key.
It is not procrastination at all; it is a method of switching to a cognitively diametrically-opposed (but still critical) task to give the brain a rest.
Multitasking is Bogus
This is not multitasking. (as that doesn't actually exist, in essence multitasking is feeling busy while you very ineffectively chip away at many things and let your short attention span get the better of you!)
Foundations - Best Daily Practice
Fully committing to your hardest, most essential task 1st and fully:
nutting out a concept design (see Wicked Problem next point)
sorting out payroll
assessing and Issuing a progress certificate
client / council / site meeting
The Wicked Problem
The challenges in the design world are those open ended, wonderful, creative unknown wicked problems, where it cannot be estimated how long it will take. And once in the zone, should not be tempered with for anything.
The Zone
I allow 4 hours for design creation of new ideas, or early concept ideas.
(I personally have 4 or 5 key points where I need this creation in different modes over the life of an ADAD project realisation, part of which I am unpacking in my Practice Research PhD…. which I wont bore you all with here)
The issue with this is that you are not guaranteed anything from that time, you might nail it immediately (rare), more than likely you will need a few hours uninterrupted, but as a rule of thumb:
4 hours should ensure at least 1 hour of good design “good painting” (to paraphrase David Lynch in Catching the Big Fish; himself paraphrasing Robert Henri in earlier bookThe Art Spirit)
All well and good.
But what about when I cant get in the Zone?
Enter Productive Procrastination…
Productive Procrastination
Let’s be real, sometimes the magic just does not happen.
Not feeling it.
You’ve called the muse, but she’s not available!
Rubbish ideas.
You need to switch.
If it is such a creative task, I like to switch from Right Brain Imagination Mode, to Left Brain Analytic Mode (switch to that specification you've been avoiding. Timesheets. Opinion of Probable cost Prep. Invoicing)
The beauty is, those boring essential tasks that need to be done (note: I said need, don't slide into an instagram vortex), will get done.
The second beauty is… you are right. They are boring!
But within this productive procrastination, while your logical mind is toiling away at things that are essential, your subconscious is toiling away at your design problem.
The second beauty is that through the act of completing this essential tasks you’ll be energised and desperate to switch back to Left Land – and likely nail that design!
Double win. Go you!
This works just as well in the opposite direction. Which brings us to our friend…
Triple-Whammy
I was buried in scheduling, programming, invoice prep, accountancy EOFY tasks, on a fluke day where literally the whole ADAD team are either:
Overseas
Snowboarding, or
working on their side hustles
Which they have all earn’t and I actively encourage :) Enjoy Legends!
… Which brings us back to our sms this morning.
When our dear readers text came in, I was feeling the pay it forward need which I usually get my fix:
daily mentoring the dream team
through providing this to you guys when time permits
He had real anxiety over liability as approaching architect-hood, and I had a need to get my mentoring on, was keen to get outside and move for a while.
So I put on my airpods, walked in the rain and had a good hour conversation.
Mind, Boy, Soul.
Productive Procrastination.
Paying it Forward.
Triple whammy.
Perspective makes the heart chillax
This is getting quite long, so I will only briefly cover what was a private conversation, but as this is something a few of you may come up against as you progress towards registration, nad may be spooked by the doom and gloom of looming liabilities…
Reader Question: I am genuinely really anxious about the liabilities and risks of registering, what can I do?
Don't be! Easier said than done though I know.
99% of the world (it seems) has constant low level anxiety – a terrible post-pandemic affliction – so don't feel like it is just you.
I remember being really spooked by the ‘old guard’ at the time running registration courses; believe it or not they are doing it for your own good. There are only tiny points of potential liability, infinitely small, but very impactful and serious, so we do need to ensure you are aware of these prior to stepping up.
My problems the overall ‘diagram’ within which it is presented.
Day to day, in reality it’s like:
5%, a few critical and yes serious tiny key checkpoints along a prolonged, enjoyable, creative 95% design and construction journey!
Much like if you only watched something like Fox News, a 0.0000001% reflection of this wonderful world as a whole, you’d be horrified by the state of humanity!
So I did my thing. I told a few war stories from the battlefield.
Spooked
I remember asking Sam Marshall when I was a whippersnapper in the office why a senior ‘designer’ in the office never registered, as she was also liability spooked – he said (my paraphrased memory):
“You would never even get out of bed if you calculated every tiny risk in every single aspect of life. You want to be an architect. Go for it Andrew!”
P Plates
Its like before you buy your first car as a P plater. What happens if I crash? Do I need insurance? Do I need to call before leaving? Who fixes it? How does it work?
You don't need to worry. You know how to drive. When you get one, you will need to get it registered. The mechanic will let you know what is right or wrong. Send you to the RTA. They will make you fill out a form. Tick - you need insurance. You will get it.
Architectural P Plates
You know what you are doing. That's why you have the hours logged to be able to begin your registration journey!
Professional Indemnity Insurance may sound scary, but its not.
Once you register, you have to get it.
And like your first car, You’ll shop around, and the forms you fill out will lead you gently where you need to go.
Questions you’ll be asked on your first PI insurance policy (and each year after that):
Put in your ABN (oops! Forgotten to set up? Do that 1st! You are now in business…)
What work do you do, which sector? (none yet? Awesome! Pick. Welcome to your first mini business plan…)
Estimated fees? (none? Awesome! Estimate it. Welcome to your first visualisation task… :)
Registration Number?
Now that you have!
The premium should not be too bad at all to start, and you’ll feel a little confident.
Also, they are on you side, your interests are aligned.
My big advice here is to refer to the little ‘previous action’ box. More to the point, the ‘OR have any previous circumstances…” Box. To paraphrase:
Anything that may even possibly give rise to a future claim needs to be notified to your insurer.
You’ll tick no – but this is very important to let your insurer know any point you get rumblings of possible discontent, they will assist and guide you through next steps. I have had to do this (once ever). No actual claim arose, but it meant I did need to check that box the next three years, and could refer back to the item.
Heart pounding at the time – as any growth is, but great success, a great learning experience. This gave me total confidence to walk our dear reader through a potential worst case scenario and how to alleviate it stress free.
That's it. Breath easy!
1. You’ve got your vehicle - (your hard earned design, doc, and construction skills)
2. You’ve seen your mechanic - (these notes)
3. They’ve led you to the RTA - (NSWARB - or your Rego body)
4. They’ve led you to the necessary Green Slip - (PI Insurance)
5. The questions there, upon answering, will give you peace of mind
A more fundamental philosophical point that I started, and left our dear reader with 1 hour later was this.
We need you as an architect.
The world needs empathetic, emotionally intelligent, climate active young people to step up to the plate, do the hard things, deliver these projects, and eventually create a workplace that further fosters this change.
Or, to continue my ridiculous 1st car metaphor to completion: My son doesn't want my little Audi when he’s old enough for P plates. I was shocked! I would have loved it over the rusty old Corolla I had!
But it was the look. Why not?
He looked at me with an ‘are you serious?’ face.
“Dad, petrol cars won’t exist when I’m 16. Electric or Greener. The world needs saving.”
Too right. He is 12 years old.
So to you, get registered.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
If not you, then who?
See you soon,
Andrew Donaldson