為什么長時間工作并不能讓你成為一名“優(yōu)秀”建筑師？
Why Working Long Hours Won't Make You A 'Better' Architect
這篇文章最初發(fā)表于Brandon Hubbard的博客“建筑師指南”上。
在前面的文章中“你應(yīng)該成為一個建筑師嗎？”我談到了行業(yè)內(nèi)長時間工作的問題。因?yàn)檫@是建筑師們經(jīng)常談?wù)摰脑掝}，所以我決定重新來聊一下這個話題。
首先，讓我們來定義什么是“更好的建筑師”，是否更有效率？定期晉升嗎？高薪嗎？是否具有優(yōu)秀的設(shè)計方案能力？
通常，所有這些問題都有共同的特性。如果你是一個熟練的建筑師，那么你也許會有相應(yīng)的補(bǔ)償和提升。因此，如果你的工作為你帶來優(yōu)越的名聲和財富，那么生產(chǎn)力是其中的關(guān)鍵因素嗎？
一般來說，生產(chǎn)力與設(shè)計能力成反比，這里的“生產(chǎn)力”的含義是盡可能快地出圖。
這是生產(chǎn)的基本定義：adjective1，生產(chǎn)或有能力生產(chǎn)大量貨物、作物或其他商品。
嗯，聽起來真的像是一份理想的工作嗎？
正如你看到的基本定義以及一般大眾對于生產(chǎn)力的固有觀念，這個詞主要關(guān)于數(shù)量，而非質(zhì)量。顯然，建筑等各行業(yè)都有最后期限的說法，而學(xué)生們在學(xué)校里也受到這樣的教育，應(yīng)當(dāng)提高出圖的效率。
This article was originally published on Brandon Hubbard's blog, The Architect's Guide.
In a previous article, Should You Become An Architect?, I touched on the issue of long working hours within the profession. Since this is such a common talking point for architects, I decided to expand on the topic.
First, let's define what is a 'better architect.' Is it being more productive? Regularly promoted? Highly paid? Someone who produces excellent design solutions?
Usually, all of these characteristics tend to flow together. If you are a skilled designer you are likely to be compensated and promoted accordingly. So if being good at your job leads to fame and fortune, is productivity the key to excellence?
Often the idea of productivity contrasts with the design world. The word 'productive' congers up images of a production line stamping out widgets as fast as possible.
Here is the basic definition of productive:adjective1. producing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops, or other commodities.
Hmmm, doesn't really sound like a dream job does it?
As you can see the definition and the general public view of being productive revolve around the idea of production. It is all about quantity over quality. Obviously, architecture has deadlines like every profession. However, the architecture school culture leans toward the idea that if there is an hour left, it should be used.
最后期限
最后一分鐘能夠創(chuàng)造出更好的產(chǎn)品嗎？
熬夜能夠設(shè)計出更加細(xì)致的成果嗎？
工作到最后一刻只會帶來更多的心理安慰而已。“好吧，我不能再做了，因?yàn)槲业臅r間用完了”，這種心態(tài)只是用來安慰自己，因?yàn)闆]有時間了，所以并沒有很多遺憾。
從個人經(jīng)驗(yàn)來看，長時間連續(xù)工作，無論在身體上還是精神上都很折磨人。因?yàn)槟愕臅r間成本并不一定能完全轉(zhuǎn)化為工作效益。
已經(jīng)是周末了嗎？
在集中的8個小時或斷斷續(xù)續(xù)的12個小時當(dāng)中，你可以做更多的工作嗎？你了解一天6小時的工作時間嗎？
瑞典最近宣布，將工作日規(guī)定為每天6個小時。CEO Linus Feldt解釋了其中的原因。
“我認(rèn)為，每天8小時的工作效率并不高。8小時專注于特定的工作任務(wù)是一個巨大的挑戰(zhàn)。為了應(yīng)對這些挑戰(zhàn)，我們把各項(xiàng)任務(wù)都結(jié)合在一起，讓工作日更加輕松。同時，我們也很難管理員工們工作之外的私人生活。”
為了應(yīng)付工作時間顯著減少的問題，F(xiàn)eldt說，公司不允許工作人員使用社交媒體和其他會導(dǎo)致分心的生活物品，并且盡量少開會。“我認(rèn)為，這樣更容易集中精力在需要完成的工作上，并且你有足夠的精力去完成任務(wù)，甚至到了下班時也不會頭昏腦漲。”
雖然我可以繼續(xù)討論健康的影響或工作與生活的平衡問題，但這篇文章的重點(diǎn)是在于最后期限的工作質(zhì)量。
辦公室文化
在“大師事務(wù)所”工作的許多員工常常對于自己通宵熬夜的成果十分自豪。雖然這可能是一種辦公室文化，但工作到午夜真的能取得良好的結(jié)果嗎？我不是說偶爾的長時間工作，而是持續(xù)幾個星期的60個小時以上的連續(xù)工作時間。
就我個人而言，我所能完成的工作量，也許并不需要傳統(tǒng)的8個小時。當(dāng)你疲勞和精神枯竭時，創(chuàng)作過程則顯得更為艱辛。
這就形成了惡性循環(huán)。因?yàn)槲移冢晕夜ぷ鞅容^慢，也導(dǎo)致工作成果減少，所以我不得不花更多時間去工作，這讓我變得更加疲勞。
“建筑師是藝術(shù)家”
沒有人能明確說出藝術(shù)家應(yīng)當(dāng)怎么做。建筑設(shè)計無疑是一項(xiàng)復(fù)雜的任務(wù)，由不同的部分組成，而且和其他行業(yè)一樣，時常效率低下。
Salary.com的調(diào)查顯示，69%的受訪者表示，他們感到每一天的工作時間都十分浪費(fèi)。
“大多數(shù)人（34%）說他們每天所浪費(fèi)的時間在半個小時以內(nèi)，近1/4（24%）說他們每天浪費(fèi)的時間約為30-60分鐘，有11%的人們聲稱他們每天會在非工作相關(guān)的事務(wù)上浪費(fèi)幾個小時。”
近年來，長時間工作似乎成為了一種趨勢。我認(rèn)為這不是因?yàn)楣ぷ髁康脑黾樱且驗(yàn)楦鞣N應(yīng)用程序、網(wǎng)站和社交媒體分散了人們的注意力。這與繪圖完全無關(guān)。
我這一代的建筑師似乎就工作分心的問題受到了眾多的批判。然而，我的同事們相信，我們的工作和個人生活正變得越來越緊密。這一概念在最近的一篇文章中提到，“工作是否將成為一種新宗教？”
“他們把工作看作是自己和生活的延伸。他們更傾向于與同事建立社交關(guān)系，把工作當(dāng)做自己的家庭，然而這些人卻不怎么注意管理自己的實(shí)際生活。”
人們的工作時間似乎在增加，當(dāng)代白領(lǐng)更如此（包括建筑師）。雖然我們還處于這個問題之中，但實(shí)際問題卻是我們應(yīng)當(dāng)提高工作效率，而不是一味地考慮工作量是否太多。
為什么建筑師的工作時間特別長？
回顧我在建筑學(xué)院的經(jīng)歷，當(dāng)代的教育確實(shí)都有這樣一個通病。學(xué)生們通過合作來完成工作，雖然這樣的工作時間充滿樂趣，但人與人之間的溝通時間卻減少了。
實(shí)際的工作中卻都是這種模式。有些人可能認(rèn)為只是沒有足夠的時間，然而，這背后的問題卻在于缺乏有效的項(xiàng)目規(guī)劃。
設(shè)計天賦是其中的關(guān)鍵因素嗎？
有些人天生有設(shè)計的天賦，這并不無道理，然而，這種才能卻是一種可以發(fā)展的思維方式，只是，這需要付出努力。
我不認(rèn)為偉大的建筑師是與生俱來的優(yōu)勢，但通過多年一貫的、專注的努力也能夠培養(yǎng)出優(yōu)越的思維能力。這就是年輕建筑師常常需要長時間工作的原因。他們不僅覺得有必要“證明自己”，并且有許多的設(shè)計問題在他們之前的職業(yè)生涯中并沒有出現(xiàn)過。因此，他們需要花費(fèi)時間去了解每個解決方案。
我們應(yīng)該怎么做？
如果暫時無法提高工作效率(也許以后會有專門的文章描述這個問題)，你可以做一些事情來盡量減少你的工作時間。
1、盡快進(jìn)入狀態(tài)
這聽起來可能與直覺相違背，但包括我自己在內(nèi)的大多數(shù)人，可以在辦公室的其他地方完成更多工作。同時，提前一個小時和你的上司一起出發(fā)也是非常理想的選項(xiàng)。
2、關(guān)閉電子郵件彈出窗口
這非常分散注意力。停止你當(dāng)下的工作來回復(fù)電子郵件會對你的工作效率產(chǎn)生很大的影響。我通常會盡可能地少查看電子郵件。
3、遠(yuǎn)離你的手機(jī)
你可以在午飯或下班后查閱手機(jī)信息，也可以在那些時間查看電子郵件，因?yàn)檫@些即時的消息彈出，很容易浪費(fèi)你的時間。
4、列工作計劃表
每天上午為自己列一個當(dāng)天工作計劃表，這樣你將有的放矢，在你完成一個任務(wù)時，也會產(chǎn)生相應(yīng)的成就感。
Deadlines
Does rushing to the last minute create a better product?
Does pulling all nighters result in a more refined design?
There is the psychological benefit to working up to the last minute. 'Well, I couldn't do anymore since I ran out of time.' The belief is that you will have fewer regrets in the future when you know there was nothing more to be done.
Speaking from personal experience, working long hours for years on end can be very draining, both physically and mentally. Just because you are logging the hours does not necessarily translate to a superior final design.
Is it Friday yet?
Can you get more done in a focused 8-hour day versus a meandering 12-hour day? What about a 6-hour day?
Sweden recently announced that they are shifting to a 6-hour work day. Linus Feldt, CEO of Stockholm-based app developer Filimundus explained the reasoning.
'I think the 8-hour work day is not as effective as one would think. To stay focused on a specific work task for 8 hours is a huge challenge. In order to cope, we mix in things and pauses to make the work day more endurable. At the same time, we are having it hard to manage our private life outside of work.'
To cope with the significant cut in working hours, Feldt says staff are asked to stay off social media and other distractions while at work and meetings are kept to a minimum. 'My impression now is that it is easier to focus more intensely on the work that needs to be done and you have the stamina to do it and still have energy left when leaving the office.'
While I could go on to debate the health effects or lack of work life balance, the purpose of my article is to focus on the quality of the final work.
Office Culture
Many employees at 'starchitect' offices often pride themselves on putting in all nighters and late nights for years on end. While this may be the culture, does staying until midnight achieve consistent results? I am not speaking about the occasional long day but rather the consistent 60+ hour weeks.
Personally, I found that while I was able to get work done, it wasn't really much more than I could have done in a traditional 8-hour day. When you are tired and mentally exhausted the creative process is much more labor intensive.
This creates a vicious cycle. I am tired so I work slower, so I get less done, so I have to work more which makes me tired.
'We architects are artists'
No one can tell an artist how something should be done. Architecture design is certainly a complex task with many moving parts and is filled with inefficiencies like any other profession.
According to a Salary.com survey, 69% of the people surveyed said they waste time at work every single day.
“Most people (34%) said they routinely waste 30 minutes or less each day while on the clock. Nearly one-quarter (24%) said they waste between 30-60 minutes daily, with 11% claiming they spend several hours per day wasting time on non work-related items on a daily basis. ”
The trend in recent years seems to be longer hours, especially for salaried workers. I believe this is not because of an increase in workload but rather the increase in distracting apps, websites, and social media sites. This was obviously not an issue back in the days of drawing boards and drafting chairs.
My generation of 'millennials' seems to get the most criticism for this distracted work ethic. However, there is a belief among my peers that our work and personal lives are becoming one. This concept was covered in a recent article, Is Work Becoming The New Church?
“They see work as an extension of themselves and their lives in general. They are much more likely to socialise and build relationships with their colleagues – seeing them as part of their family, often when family can live hundreds or thousands of miles away.”
Working hours seem to be increasing, this is especially true for white collar workers (architects included). While we are still in the early stages of research on the topic, the issue seems to be more about staying focused than a result of increased workload.
Why does architecture have long hours?
Looking back on my architecture school experience, it really created a model for time-wasting. An open, collaborative space with a group of mostly friends. While this is great and is a fun time, chatting for hours rarely gets much done.
This culture ultimately carries on into the professional world. Some may argue that there just isn't enough hours in the day, usually, it is a case of misdirected focus and lack of planning.
Is pure design talent the key?
There is some truth to the fact that some people have a natural eye for design. However, it is a muscle that can be developed, it just takes more 'effort' for some than others.
I don't believe great architects are born but rather through years of consistent, focused work can develop the skills and connections required to succeed. This is why long hours are often associated with younger architects. Not only do they feel the need to 'prove themselves' but also they haven't seen many of the design problems before. Therefore they need to learn each solution for the first time.
What can be done?
Without getting into too much detail on how to be more productive (perhaps for a future article) there are a few things you can do to try and minimize your hours.
1. Come in early
This may sound completely counter-intuitive but many people, myself included, can get more done before the rest of the office is in and the phone starts ringing. Also, working out an hour early departure time with your supervisor would be ideal for this situation.
2. Turn off email pop ups
This can be very distracting. Having the urge to stop what you are doing to answer emails can be quite unproductive. I usually try to only check email once an hour or less if possible.
3. Put your phone away
You can check it at lunch or after work. Just like the email pop ups, the countless notifications on your phone will easily eat up your day.
4. Make a to-do list
Create a list of tasks for yourself each morning. This will help keep you on track and give you a sense of accomplishment when you can check each one off.
最后的建議
根據(jù)你的辦公室文化，改變工作時間幾乎不可能。然而，你要時刻記住你在工作。辦公室不是俱樂部，也不是你的起居室，過于放松地對待你的事業(yè)并不會帶來多少益處。
在需要的時候努力工作，但工作不是你唯一的生活。
Final thoughts
Depending on your office culture it may be near impossible to change your working hours. However, a simple rule to keep in mind is to work while you are at work. The office isn't a country club or your living room, treating it as such will only hurt your career in the long term.
There is nothing wrong with working hard when required, just don't make it your lifestyle.
由專筑網(wǎng)李韌，楊帆編譯
