Ever since I was in architecture school, I knew that architecture was not going to be an easy field to work in. It is, indeed, a career that demands many sacrifices. However, when I entered professional life, the reality shock was very strong. Work absorbed my life completely, and I stopped seeing my family. My wife even considered divorcing me as we slowly drifted apart due to my workload.

At my age, I experienced some heart problems due to stress and lack of sleep. Initially, I didn't pay much attention to these issues, but sooner or later, you have to pay for all the damage you do to your body. I started suffering from heart problems in my thirties, followed by anxiety attacks when I was running late. It was then that I realized something was not right. Although we are accustomed to working hard, the lifestyle I was leading was unhealthy. I decided to find a solution to completely transform my life.

The secret key to productivity

I decided to find a solution to the lifestyle I was leading, since architecture is my passion and I couldn't simply stop pursuing it. Firstly, I attempted to identify the source of my stress, which was primarily related to time management. Time is a crucial aspect that can induce stress in the field of architecture. Being late for meetings or deadlines can result in additional expenses, erode client trust, and create other issues. In my case, I was constantly pressed for time.

To address the time management issue, I found work automation to be a key solution. This is not entirely untrue. Automating tasks can increase productivity, improve coordination within the company, and enhance efficiency in completing tasks. In fact, work automation is the foundation of success for companies across all industries. By automating tasks, you can reduce errors, speed up employee work times, and establish an organized work environment in the company.

The key is to view an architectural project as a product that is manufactured and sold like in large companies. These companies commonly automate their production processes for their products. Applying this approach to architecture can be a game changer, completely transforming the productivity of your office.

It's unfortunate that we are not taught these things in school. Nobody teaches you how to become an entrepreneurial architect. It's something that you can only discover through practice, and I had to learn it at a very high cost.

But how did you achieve automation? 

Surely, you might be wondering: how exactly can I change my work to automate it?

The answer is simple: Which task does an architect spend the most time on when designing a project? Well, it is the drawing phase, which takes up about 40% of the time spent on average when working on a project. Therefore, we must streamline this process.

One way to achieve this is by creating a guideline for drawing plans, whether you work with AutoCAD or BIM. This can be accomplished by creating a template.

A template will save you time in the technical aspects of drawing creation. Everything is essentially parameterized, allowing you to print your drawings without worrying about wasting time on the graphic aspects of your drawings. After all, our goal is to create plans that are not only visually appealing but also easily understandable by everyone. Using a template enables you to work on drawings that are always presentable, without any extra effort.

In our office, we had to pause all other work and dedicate two months to creating a clear and proper template from scratch to improve our graphic image. Although it took us a long time to complete this task, we do not regret it. The productivity we gained from the day we implemented our new parameterized system has made our work much more efficient and fluid.

While this experience was a long time ago, today there are architectural firms and BIM professionals who can provide this service for you. I wish I had found a similar service seven years ago.

Get a professionnal template

If you are facing the same problem we encountered, do not hesitate to use a template to save time. I can recommend the template created by the team at Architecture Paradise. The best thing about it is that it is modular and can be customized, and you also receive monthly updates to ensure that you have the latest blocks and parameters to use in your work.

You can get it here at a discount: the template