ARTICLES
Studying Architecture in times of Coronavirus: 8 helpful habits to stay productive at home
20/04/2020
By BAM Team
It’s well known that our daily lives have changed significantly due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the world. The isolation policy applied in many of our countries has been a radical change that affects us in many ways, and those who are used to have a constant rhythm of study are now experiencing a new way of living that affects both productivity and creativity.
The amount of time we spend at home, the isolation and the high levels of anxiety generated by uncertainty, prevent us from developing our projects in the way we are used to, and that’s why we need to create new strategies to recover our most productive modality and become the architects we want to be.
That is why the BAM Team wants to give you some tips that can improve your study- rhythm in these difficult times.
8 Habits to improve in your studies from home
1. Get out of bed
An essential habit is getting out of bed to be productive. This is not about going from bed to the couch, but set up a comfortable space in your house (table/chair, preferably), where you can sit and watch your online lessons and work on your projects. Our brain unconsciously associates places with the activities we do, so you have to try to avoid forcing your body to do productive activities in places where you would not normally be doing anything productive. Would you be working on architectural blueprints while you’re in the middle of a tennis court?
2. Suit-up
It seems somewhat insignificant, but it is extremely important that you bathe and dress appropriately for your online lessons. That is, trying to use clothes that you would normally wear at your University because your body is used to wearing them while you are being productive. Again, your brain unconsciously associates wearing shoes and “street” clothes to study, so you should try not to give your body contradictory signals that would represent a lack of productivity at the end of the day.
3. Create a schedule of lessons and submissions
Time is one of the most distorted elements these days. Sometimes it’s hard to know if it is Monday, or Thursday, or what time of day it is. Basically, we are in a constant disorientation that prevents our activities from ending as expected. Although there are many applications available for calendaring, Google Calendar stands out because it is an interface that we are used to. It also has a reminder system that works very well. Try to plan your daily lessons and submissions on the calendar, as well as the meetings and other activities you have planned. This habit will help you push yourself in some way to finish tasks on time and be more productive to do the following. Another good app for this is Asana.
4. Eat properly and on-time
As architects, we don’t usually have healthy eating habits. However, it is important that we keep a good diet in these times where anxiety is a determining factor in our productivity. Take advantage of this time at home to finally improve your eating habits and try to make your 3 meals a day to stay strong and active. If possible, include your meal times in your daily calendar.
5. Less Netflix, more Architecture
One of the highlights about going to University every day is that we are surrounded by prestigious professors and architects who motivate us to be better. In times of quarantine, we lose that experience and it can affect us without realizing it. To keep the motivation awake, try watching key architecture conferences available from TED Talks, Archdaily, Dezeen, or Louisiana Channel. We encourage you to watch at least one interview or lecture a day.
6. Do non-architecture activities to control your anxiety
As we already said, on days like these the anxiety is an important enemy to deal with. To beat it, you should try activities that relax you to tell your body that you’re okay. Normally, these activities would be running at the park, hang out with friends, among others, but we have to find new ways on these days.
You can prepare something you’ve never cooked before, play some music if you know any instrument, or read a book that has nothing to do with architecture. You can even do some exercise indoors, as many are doing. These kinds of activities will allow you to drain anxiety in order to continue with your work rhythm.
7. Create something useful on the web
Now that we spend much more time at home, we should be able to do those things that were hidden in the box of things to do. This is the perfect time to update your architecture portfolio, update your CV, or update your Linkedin profile. Or why not, make your own website with your most relevant architecture projects. You have online platforms like WIX to create your website, or Behance to build your online portfolio, both FOR FREE.
8. Learn a new architecture software
Another way to spend the extra-time at home is to learn new architecture software that helps us develop our architecture projects in a better way. If you have had the need to learn Revit, Rhino, or any rendering software like 3DsMax and Vray, now is the time to go for it. You can start by downloading the free trial version from Autodesk or Adobe of the software you need. Once you have the software installed, you can watch tutorials on YouTube or take lessons online for a very low cost on pages like Domestika, Udemi, Skillshare, or Crehana.
