Writing as an Architect
In my last post, I talked about writing as a sentinel, the first of the archetypes we considered. Again, you might be wondering how this concerns me as an author. Research has shown that knowing your personality types and corresponding archetypes helps give you a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. In this case, specifically helping you know how it relates to your writing and productivity.
So, what are architects, what hangs them up and what do they do best?
Architects (introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging) are thinkers and system designers. They believe in making choices based on facts and research rather than feelings. Their intuitive nature powers their imagination. They are highly creative individuals and usually have an abundance of ideas for implementation. They are curious, independent-minded, and believe in their problem-solving abilities. Hence, research comes to them easily. A huge advantage for authors with this personality type.
Key attributes of an architect writer.
- – Research-oriented
- – Highly Creative
- – Healthy Imagination
One weakness of the architect that impacts their writing is dwelling so much on their thought process and not taking action. They want their books to be perfect and so they will over-edit or over-research, anything to keep them from going over that final finish line. Often, they are caught in the web of thinking and forget that writing the book is what gives meaning to all of the thinking.
I know. I’ve been there. Done that. I’ve got a drawer full of t-shirts aaaaaall about that.
So how do you overcome this obstacle and become more creative as an architect?
How to be a Productive Creative as an Architect
For architects, ideas and creativity have never been the problem. This they have in abundance. Have you ever had an idea for a chapter of your book laid out beautifully in your head? On your way to the grocery store, you are so excited about the formation of this new chapter. Then you get home, you have to take care of your family, make dinner, clean the house. By the time you are set to do some writing, you have lost the idea and are blank. Does that sound like you? Well, there’s a solution for you. Come along.
Often times, the problem lies in their ability to effectively replicate their thought process in black and white. So, the hack for architect writers is to find practical steps to guide their thoughts into reality.
Collate your Thoughts
As I mentioned before, with the architects there needs to be a bit more practicality, because you are more inclined to have ingenious ideas randomly. You must devise a means to immediately take down your thoughts. This would help you develop the idea at later times with ease. Here’s how you can collate your thoughts:
- Always have a pen and notepad handy.
- Or use apps that share the same information on any device you have: computer, tablet, phone.
- Use your device to take notes.
- Record ideas on your device as they come.
The importance of collating your thoughts through deliberate action cannot be overemphasized for an architect.
Create a To-Do List
Often, with the nature of their schedules, things can become cumbersome and frustrating. When you are all worked up and restless, it becomes difficult to be productive. A to-do-list helps you organize your activities and channel your energy to the activities that matter and not just anything that arises. It has been proven to reduce stress, help you feel more relaxed, and gives you more control of your life. You couldn’t ask for more as a writer.
Tools Make What’s Hard For You Easier
These tools will help you achieve more, stay focused, and be more productive. For an architect writer, the tools needed to be more productive include task managers, reminder applications, and note applications. These tools will enable you quickly add and organize tasks, offer different ways, and remind you about deadlines. Interestingly, they can be used across platforms and devices.
And don’t be discouraged if you go through many of them. What works for you one month will not work the next month because Architects are constantly in search of making their processes smoother, easier, and more effective.
However, once they discover the one thing to rule them all, good luck getting them to stop using it. You will have to pry it out of their cold, dead fingers.
Evernote
Evernote solves a lot of your problems as an architect. It helps you save your thoughts on the go and can be synced across different platforms. Once you pen down your thoughts on your phone, you are good to go anytime on your laptop. Now you don’t have to worry about losing that idea.
OneNote
OneNote was my absolute favorite and it still is for my personal projects. I no longer use it for Real Indie Author or shared world experiences. It’s included in Microsoft Office, but in order to use it, everyone on your team has to have it and they have to be able to sign in with their Microsoft email, which is a hassle. Why? Because most of us created our Microsoft accounts a decade ago, don’t have access to the email we used back then, or we’re using our partner’s work account. Signing in is the hardest thing ever with OneNote.
But! You have access to your notes on your phone, on your tablet, on your design computer, and your writing computer. You have access when you’re at home or in a mountain meadow waiting for a moose to show up. OneNote is amazing. For personal projects. If you use Microsoft Office.
Trello
Trello is a great task manager. It is specifically designed with the architects in mind. It helps you go from ideas to actionable plans. It helps you structure your ideas into lists, boards, and cards that will easily trigger the required memory.
Todoist
Architects often tend to be lost in their thoughts and often need a jolt to reality. This is where Todoist comes in. it is a reminder and task manager application built with machine learning that helps it to learn your recurring reminders. It also helps you prioritize your reminders. It allows you to delegate tasks and add a comment as well. It can be used across any platform and integrates well with other applications.
Other notable mentions include TickTick, Things, OmniFocus. These help you to organize your schedule and improve your efficiency.
Conclusion
All personality types have their strengths and weaknesses. A proper understanding of this helps you improve your productivity irrespective of your shortcomings. You will observe that the personalities have peculiarities and a hasty generalization could hurt more than you expect.
Haven’t found your personality type yet? I’ve got you covered. Next week, we would highlight another personality. And it could just be yours.
