Discover how urban planners can boost productivity by managing energy levels for enhanced efficiency and better city planning outcomes.

Be aware that urban design and planning needs a “success thru failures” mentality. Trial and error learning is absolutely your best friend in this design discipline. Baseball great Ichiro Suzuki once remarked that hitting .300 means you are still failing to reach your goal 7/10. My experience with ZGF Architects on Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway took many years and multiple scenarios to reach a winning solution. The exhausting efforts to develop and test scheme after scheme while bolstering the design rationale was the winning attitude. Our team had to embrace the sobering reality that a high percentage of the work had to be done to hit a waste can and thus lead the City to a final solution. Patience and Tenacity.

Last updated on Jul 20, 2024

Here's how you can optimize productivity as an urban planner by effectively managing your energy levels.

As an urban planner, your role is crucial in shaping cities to be more efficient, livable, and sustainable. However, the complexity of this task can be overwhelming without proper management of your personal energy levels. Urban planning involves long hours, intricate projects, and constant collaboration, which can drain your energy if not managed wisely. To maintain high productivity, it's important to adopt strategies that optimize your energy throughout the day. By doing so, you'll not only be able to tackle your workload more effectively but also contribute to the creation of better urban environments.

1 Energy Audit

To begin optimizing your productivity, conduct an energy audit to understand where your energy dips and peaks during the day. As an urban planner, you may find that certain tasks, like drafting proposals or attending stakeholder meetings, require more mental stamina than others. By tracking your energy levels in relation to your daily activities, you can schedule the most demanding tasks during your peak energy times. This alignment ensures you're working smarter, not harder, and helps prevent burnout.

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2 Prioritize Tasks

Prioritizing your tasks is crucial for effective energy management. As an urban planner, you are often juggling multiple projects with varying deadlines and importance. Start your day by identifying the tasks that will have the greatest impact on your projects and tackle them when your energy is at its highest. This approach ensures that you're dedicating your best hours to the most critical work, which can lead to more innovative solutions and efficient planning outcomes.

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3 Break Smart

Taking regular breaks is essential for maintaining high energy levels throughout the workday. However, the key is to break smart. As an urban planner, use your breaks to step away from screens and blueprints to refresh your mind. Engage in activities that rejuvenate you, like a short walk or meditation. These breaks can help prevent decision fatigue and keep your cognitive abilities sharp for complex urban planning tasks.

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4 Healthy Habits

Incorporating healthy habits into your routine can have a profound impact on your energy levels. As an urban planner, this means ensuring you get enough sleep, eat nutritious meals, and engage in regular physical activity. Sleep is particularly important as it affects your cognitive functions and decision-making abilities. By taking care of your physical health, you'll be better equipped to handle the rigorous demands of urban planning.

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Ron Harpel

Architect / Retired
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Be aware that urban design and planning needs a “success thru failures” mentality. Trial and error learning is absolutely your best friend in this design discipline. Baseball great Ichiro Suzuki once remarked that hitting .300 means you are still failing to reach your goal 7/10. My experience with ZGF Architects on Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway took many years and multiple scenarios to reach a winning solution. The exhausting efforts to develop and test scheme after scheme while bolstering the design rationale was the winning attitude. Our team had to embrace the sobering reality that a high percentage of the work had to be done to hit a waste can and thus lead the City to a final solution. Patience and Tenacity.

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5 Delegate Effectively

Delegating effectively is a skill that can significantly boost your productivity by optimizing energy expenditure. Recognize the strengths of your team members and assign tasks accordingly. This not only conserves your energy for high-priority planning activities but also empowers your colleagues and fosters a collaborative work environment. Effective delegation can lead to more comprehensive urban solutions and a more productive planning process.

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Mozhgan Hassani Kouchaki

PhD Scholar @IIT Kharagpur, Urbanist | University Instructor| Karate Coach
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To delegate efficiently conduct a thorough assessment of your team members’ skills, expertise, and areas of interest. Assign tasks that align with their strengths to ensure high-quality outcomes. This will save time and energy and you do not need to redo the job yourself.

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6 Mindful Technology

In today's digital age, technology can be both a boon and a bane for productivity. As an urban planner, use technology mindfully to enhance your efficiency without draining your energy. Utilize planning software to streamline tasks but be cautious of digital distractions. Setting specific times to check emails or messages can help you maintain focus on your work and manage your energy better throughout the day.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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John Zakian, CEcD

Federal Grant and Long Term Disaster Recovery Subject Matter Expert Focused on Economic, Housing and Infrastructure Strategic planning and Development
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Likely the biggest challenge is handling criticism and negative push back when it comes to engaging public and stakeholders during the planning project process. It can be draining on focus and energy if you allow it to become personal and/or discouraging. To avoid such feelings it is always of value to keep in mind that planning represents change. For many affected by planning efforts, change is uncertainty which causes fear, discomfort, and concern which translate into pushback and criticism. Your response and reaction should be a positive reaction because it is a sign of willingness to engage and creates an opportunity to demonstrate that the proposed change will be good.

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Here's how you can optimize productivity as an urban planner by effectively managing your energy levels.

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2

3

4

5

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1 Energy Audit

2 Prioritize Tasks

3 Break Smart

4 Healthy Habits

5 Delegate Effectively

6 Mindful Technology

7 Here’s what else to consider

Urban Planning

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Here's how you can optimize productivity as an urban planner by effectively managing your energy levels.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Energy Audit

2 Prioritize Tasks

3 Break Smart

4 Healthy Habits

5 Delegate Effectively

6 Mindful Technology

7 Here’s what else to consider

Urban Planning

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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