Have you ever screwed up?

I do all the time. Luckily, the vast majority of my screw ups are small and don't affect anyone else.

When you make a mistake as an architect, the ramifications can get alarming very quickly. ​

One of the ways that I attempted to establish standards in my firm that we could apply to every project was called ProjForms - shorthand for Project Forms. 

Project Forms were literally a series of forms that were to be completed at various stages of the work. 
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This sounds a bit bureaucratic, but it was a solution to some problems that we had. 
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There is a new TO-DO manager out. Well, actually it is a little over a year old, but I just found it a month ago. The app is called Sorted. 
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I would like to be more loyal to my TO-DO manager of the moment, but it is starting to look like a year is my limit. 

I describe what I have been using most recently here.
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As usual, I wasn’t looking for a change, but here’s what got my attention.

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Due to nearly a year of research, I know a lot about the problems that most firms face with their accounting systems. Those problems fall into all three major bookkeeping tasks that architect’s have - Timekeeping, Invoicing, and Expense Tracking. Those three problems often lead to difficulty with Project Accounting, too. That is another problem shared by many firms - not knowing if a project is profitable or how profitable/unprofitable. 

MyCorbu is a project-oriented, cloud-based timekeeping system designed by a retired architect for other architects and creative people. I am going to show you how you can solve your Timekeeping issues. Cheaper. Faster. Better.
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That logo above served me well for five years. I drew it in 'Paper' by FiftyThree, Inc. The artwork (I'm using the term loosely) took about 30 minutes including the first 'door' that I didn't like. Placing it in the website took about 6 hours because I didn't know what I was doing.
 
You will notice I am going for a simpler, cleaner look now; but I can't let go - so the old logo is the new footer. 

This post is mostly about where I am now, and where I am going from here. 
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Next week Architekwiki turns five years old. Part of my stock-taking is to evaluate how well I am fitting into your daily flow. As you go about your day which of these information sources do you rely upon? Check off all that apply. Add others in 'Other'.

​Please Take The Poll Below. . .
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I subscribe to Enoch Sears' website, Business of Architecture, which you can find here. One of his recent mailings featured this article on Marketing Mistakes. I thought this was very good advice, so I am repeating the article here. If you agree with me, take a look at what more he has to offer. This is link is a good overview of what Business of Architecture is all about.
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 How To Get Where You Want To Go

                             
GPS? 

Yes, but No.

I'm not talking about travel. I'm talking about how you achieve goals, objectives and non-physical stuff like that. We have all had the experience of making a plan or setting a goal that proved hard to implement or achieve. Somewhere in the process, often right at the beginning, obstacles appear. Not tasks, but real ’how am I supposed to do that’ obstacles. I am going to show you why that is a good thing and not the ’killer’ that you might suppose it is.

​Architects are not known for being realistic about costs. I don't know about you, but my Alma Mater didn't act as though cost was an issue. 

About seven years out of school, I got to do my first estimate. I estimated the construction cost of a branch library to within $7,500 of the low bid. When your first attempt is a success, you are going to think you have a 'special' talent. 

It turns out it isn't a talent. It is just easy if you follow instructions. But my pride and joy is my drawing-less Pre-Design Quantity Take Off System.
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When I first got out of college, twenty years before the internet, I searched and searched for a description of how to do project management.  I wanted a how-to. A checklist. 

I never did find one...until one day...

I am a bit of a self-help junkie. Lord knows I need it. My first architect-boss informed me that I might make a better monk than an architect. I never listen.

During my self-help bingeing years, I probably consumed two dozen books that tried to tell me how to manage time. Very little of that wisdom stuck. The real help came from the authors who talked more about goals and priorities than time-management. Folks like Steven Covey, and Dan Sullivan of The Strategic Coach. But once you set goals for yourself, how do you actually get there?

The best system I have found is 'The Three Things'. I don't know where it originates, but at least once a year I read an article that promotes the idea.

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: 
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It has been a while since I reviewed the apps that I use the most. My tools have changed a little, too, but just the model number. My phone, however, keeps growing in its percentage of my usage while my Mac is only used once or twice a week. My tools are an iPhone 7 (124GB), an iPad Pro (9.75 x 124GB x Apple Pen), and a 2014 MacBook Pro. 
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The apps I use have changed and are mostly responsible for my greater dependence on the iPhone. 
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I don't remember how I heard about Stu Rose, but everything I know about sales is due to his coaching and the technique he calls the Mandeville process. Stu has a consulting firm called Professional Development Resources, Inc. Its website is www.pdrinfo.com. I attended a couple of workshops and brought him to the firm for a day of training. It was worth every penny.  ​
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I suspect that your experience is similar to mine. Clients never do their homework. In fact they rarely realize they they have homework. 

After they hire you they just wait for you to tell them what they need. As far as budget they remember a friend telling them to count on $60/SF. Timeline? "Six months is how long it took to build my house."
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So if your experience is similar to mine, no planning has been done before you were hired to design their project. 

I have been using this free graphics tool for three years. Canva is a graphic design program that anyone can use. It is drop-dead easy. Check it out here.

Canva has proven itself to be so helpful that I recently started using the Canva For Work version that has a few bells and whistles I like. $12.95 a month saves me at least an hour a month, but you won't need that. Canva is free and really powerful.