How To Set Priorities for Architectural Projects
The Four Priorities
Priorities Are Good
Here is a general rule of thumb for setting priorities when you are working on a project. I find that it is the best way to move a project ahead effectively during the design phases. It is ideal to tackle design issues in this order:
First - Resolve Decisions
Resolve decisions that others need from you so they can keep on schedule, too. Also, ask your client for all the information that “you are waiting on to get started”.
Second - Resolve The Unknowns
Resolve the unknowns so they don't come back to make you change things or re-design. This is really critical. It will seem like your time could be better-spent ’putting lines down’. It’s not. You will waste more time later accommodating the unknowns than it takes to resolve them up front.
Third - Tackle The Hard Stuff
Tackle the hard, messy, complicated stuff so you aren't swamped at the deadline with what will probably take longer than you think.
Last - The Easy Stuff
Last - Wrap up with the easy stuff because nothing else depends on it and it will go quickly.
Fight the temptation to assign the easy stuff to your helpers when they need something to do. Either get them researching some unknown stuff, or throw them in the ’deep end’ on some messy, complicated stuff (after setting expectations and offering “this is how I was planning to tackle that issue” advice).
Don’t expect this rule-of-thumb to be easy to implement. Your interests and past work habits will push you off course repeatedly. Just get back on track as soon as you notice that you have drifted away from the plan. Work on making it second nature. I find it helps to group your tasks under these four headings. It is a great feeling to be heading for the project finish line with a list of simple stuff that you can bat out - or better yet - delegate.
This video explains the idea a bit better.
A Counter-intuitive Guide to Project Priorities
Below is a transcript of the video, “A Counter-intuitive Guide to Project Priorities”
You know that feeling when a project is almost done, but then it just stalls? And that home stretch turns into this insane last-minute scramble? Well, today, we're going to look at a simple, but honestly, pretty powerful rule of thumb that just flips that whole idea on its head. It's all about getting things done without all that stress.
So first, we need to talk about something I think we've all experienced, the productivity trap. It's this cycle that so many of us fall into, and half the time, we don't even see it happening.
I mean, why does this happen, right? You start a project, you're flying, you feel like you're making all this progress, and then bam, the finish line is right there, and everything just slows to a crawl and gets super complicated. It's so frustrating. But it turns out, it all comes down to our own instincts.
Yeah, it's really just a simple instinct. Think about it. When you look at a huge to-do list, what do you do? You go for the easy wins, right? The quick stuff. We just love that little dopamine hit of checking things off the list. It feels like we're making progress. But here's the catch. That feeling, it can be a total illusion, and it's actually setting us up for a big headache later on.
So okay, let's get into the solution. And it comes from a pretty unexpected place actually. It's a framework from a resource for architects called Architek Wiki. And what they offer is this, well, it's a completely counterintuitive rule book for how to actually get stuff done.
So check this out. On the left, you've got our temptation, our gut instinct. Do the easy stuff, then the hard stuff, and save those big, scary decisions for last. But the effective way, it's literally the complete opposite. You start with the decisions. You leave the easy stuff for the very, very end. And this one little flip, honestly, it's the key to the whole thing.
All right, so let's break this down. This whole method is built on four really clear priorities, and they will totally change how you approach a project.
The Four Priorities
And here they are. Number one, resolve decisions. Two, resolve unknowns. Three, tackle the hard stuff. And then, and only then, do you get to the easy stuff. See the logic here? It's all about clearing the road ahead and hitting the most complex parts when you've got the most time and frankly, the most energy.
No. 1 Resolve Decisions
Okay, let's dig into number one, resolve decisions. This is a huge mental shift. This isn't about your personal to-do list. This is about unblocking everyone else. If anybody on your team is waiting on you for an answer, for a decision, for some piece of info, that is your new top priority, period. Because if you're the bottleneck, the whole project just stops.
No. 2 Resolve Unknowns
All right, next up is resolving the unknowns. And honestly, this one is absolutely critical. This is all that front-loaded work, the research, the annoying questions, clarifying all those fuzzy parts of the plan before you dive in. I know, I know, it feels way less productive than actually, you know, doing the work. But trust me, this is what saves you from having to tear everything up and redo it later.
And this really gets to the core of that mental battle, doesn't it? The source material puts it perfectly. It says, it will seem like your time could be better spent putting lines down. It's not. You're going to feel that pull to just start, to make something tangible, but you have to fight it. Because clearing up that uncertainty first, that is always a better use of your time.
No. 3 Do The Hard Stuff
Okay, so you've unblocked your team, you've hunted down the unknowns. Now it's time for the heavy lifting. Now you get to tackle the hard stuff, the messy, complicated problems. And you do it now, when the deadline is way off in the distance. And why? Well, because we all know, these are the things that always take way longer than we think they will. You want to give them all the time and space they need.
No. 4 Do The Easy Stuff
And at last, we get to the good part, the easy stuff. You save these little gems for the very end. Why? Because nothing else is waiting on them, and you can just tear through that list super fast. Honestly, you should think of this as your reward for getting through all the tough parts first. It lets you just cruise to the finish line with a ton of momentum.
Now, this all sounds great in theory, right? But knowing the rule, that's the easy part. Actually doing it, that's a whole different story, because you're literally fighting against years and years of habit.
And even the source material is really straight up about this. It's not going to be easy. Your brain is just wired to want that quick hit of satisfaction from the easy tasks. So when you start this, it's going to feel weird. It's going to feel unnatural, and you're absolutely going to find yourself drifting back to the old way of doing things.
So, how do you stay on track? Well, it really just starts with paying attention. Just notice when you've drifted. And don't beat yourself up about it, just gently nudge yourself back on course. Here's a super practical tip. Literally organize your to-do list under these four headings: decisions, unknowns, hard stuff, easy stuff. If you keep doing that, over time, this whole process is going to start to feel like second nature.
So, what's the big payoff here? Why go through all this trouble of fighting your own instincts? Well, the reward is a total transformation of how you finish a project.
It's that feeling, that amazing feeling of heading towards a deadline. And instead of staring down a mountain of stressful, complicated problems, you've just got a nice little list of simple stuff, stuff you can just bat out one after the other, or even better, delegate. It completely changes the end of a project from total chaos to this calm, controlled, satisfying finish.
So, I'll leave you with this one thought to kind of put this into action right now. Take a look at whatever you're working on. What is the one unknown you can tackle today? You know that one fuzzy detail, that one question you haven't gotten an answer to yet? What's the one thing you can resolve right now to make tomorrow just a little bit easier?