This article highlights 6 thrilling ways Nigerian architects can fight boredom as they work from home. A lot of Nigerian architects are going to fight boredom either because of the general shutdown occasioned by the global pandemic or because working from home has been their regular programme.
The issue with engaging in work from home is boredom and isolation from your colleagues and clients. Prolong isolation can keep you out of touch with architectural trends, connections, friends and clients unless you make deliberate efforts to stay engaged.
6 Ways to fight boredom as you work from home
These are some trusted ways to get your mind and body engaged as you work from home as a Nigerian architect;
No. 1: Take a short online course, or certification or learn online.
While you work from home, you want to keep your knowledge fresh, and updated and fight boredom. Certification and online courses are the easiest ways to accomplish this. There are various types and durations of online courses available. Check out LinkedIn Learning – Lynda.com (note: the courses here arent free except if you have a library card). Areas to improve yourself may include business communication, LEED, oral presentation, public speaking, PMP, blogging for business etc. Pick the duration that fits your schedule.
Also, visit TED to learn online from passionate experts on various topics including architecture.
One certification I will recommend for every Nigerian architect, engineer and builder is the LEED credential. It is administered by the USGBC to aid Green Building Certification. Interestingly, anyone 18 years or older is qualified to take the examination.
No. 2: Read a good book
Reading books should be a lifelong habit, it does wonders for the mind and should be seriously considered as you work from home. This alone can fight the burden because books keep your mind active and flowing with new ideas, opinions and viewpoints. However, if you are like me who easily gets tired and falls asleep while reading a book, then you could try an audiobook.
I will recommend two books – “The Business of Creativity – How to build the right team for success by Keith Granet” and “The Business of Design – Balancing Creativity and Profitability by Keith Granet” It’s a good book for every Nigerian architect and designer. It discusses the nitty-gritty of running a creative-based business.
No. 3: Be active on social media – LinkedIn
Another way to fight boredom as you work from home is through social media, though it has its pros and cons. Most are targeted at the dental public but LinkedIn is targeted at professionals. LinkedIn stands out because of this. If you are trying to build a professional brand, reputation and audience. This is a good time to start building a profile.
It’s often not enough for Nigerian architects to just have a LinkedIn profile, you need to be actively engaged by posting and commenting on relevant content regularly. There are numerous benefits.
No. 4: keep the connection with your clients active
After all, is said and done, our clients and customers are very important to our businesses. So, as you work from home you want to keep in touch as frequently as possible as this will keep you busy, refresh your relationship with your client and help you fight boredom.
Call and discuss their projects or project you are currently handling and how your newly acquired knowledge or architectural software skill can serve them. Also, every Nigerian architect should make out time to connect with new clients and keep connecting. Read how to connect effectively with your clients.
No. 5: Rekindle old passions
Another very essential way to fight boredom as you work from home, if not the best way, is to rekindle an old passion. Every Nigerian architect has a hobby or passion that makes them fulfilled when they are engaged with it. Do you know your passions, check out this list of passions. This is the time to research and plan to start them. If they are things you can start right away, by all means, start them. You will be surprised by how driven and engaged you will be. You may need to take a couple of courses to sharpen your skill at it.
I personally enjoy sharing ideas and I do it by blogging. What is it that you enjoy doing, plan to start them as soon as possible?
No. 6: Learn a software
This is a good time to learn architectural software as you work from home. There are many new and better software out there for Nigerian architects. It doesn’t have to be the major ones like Revit, SketchUp, Lumion or Rhino. It could simply be brushing up on AutoCAD or moving from CAD to Revit through an online course or learning how to use V-ray/or any new plugin with SketchUp.
Do you enjoy working from home? What are your favourite software or books? Do you think we should forgo architecture for our passions? I will like to hear from you, connect with me on LinkedIn or comment below.
