Week 6: Final PDP, evidence and reflective journal(week 1-7)
- Final Draft:
- Evidence:
+ Quick sketching skills:
These are my sketching exercises, which I started doing in week 4. I’ve been practicing stroke exercises based on the book I’ve been using this week, and it’s not as good as I thought it would be. Practicing strokes helps my hand get used to it when I start sketching, and this helps me sketch faster and generate ideas more quickly. Since I am just starting out, my strokes were not perfect yet, but with more practice, I will become more proficient at quick sketching.
+ Work-life balence
I booked a meeting with Bhavik for this session, to balance my worklife more better. I listed every tasks which I need to do then highlight important tasks had a near deadline. Then I organize tasks on Google Calender to help me set the time limit for each task.
+ Multidimensional Thinking:
I used 6 hats thinking for my project on my Art Workshop.
+ Better Presentation Skills
I prepare my presentation by using Gradute+ : Presentation skills session and using 4P method.
+ Photoshop skills:
I used many other tools in Photoshop that I didnt use last semester.
Reflective Journal:
Evaluation:
The first seven weeks of this module is a journey for me to develop myself not only my personal skills, but also my mindset. Through many different works from other modules or a simple time plan to balance my work life, they can show my development. For an art student like me, work-life balance is incredibly important. Failing to achieve this balance can lead to very serious problems.
One of the difficult parts is time management. My work-life balance in the previous weeks was unhealthy. For example, I stayed up for three nights trying to do as much work as possible. It took a toll on my overall health and also on my ability to concentrate. I put too much pressure on myself trying to work. It overwhelmed me and drained my energy in the following days, making it impossible for me to continue working. To address this issue, I set higher priority tasks to complete before the deadline. I also scheduled breaks during long work sessions to avoid exhausting myself. Everything I did was organized using Google Calendar. This offers many benefits. It allows me to maintain a high average energy level on school days so I can concentrate better, and to recharge properly and adequately on days off. It helps me distribute my work evenly across the days and avoid becoming overwhelmed quickly. Besides, maintaining it as a habit is difficult. It takes a long time to form a habit, but since my ultimate goal is to improve my time management skills, I put more effort into it.
Throughout my work-life improvement journey, the area I excelled at was listing what needed to be done and prioritizing what was most important. With my previous approach, I always listed things and tried to accomplish as much as possible, especially this semester when I felt overwhelmed by the workload. This only fueled burnout. However, I became quite good at organizing those tasks efficiently. It gave me peace of mind and satisfaction knowing everything was planned. But my biggest weakness was consistency. Because I expended so much energy in previous weeks, I felt easily discouraged and exhausted in recent weeks. This made maintaining my schedule exactly as planned incredibly difficult. I am not entirely satisfied with myself regarding this, but I have tried to overcome it by completing whatever tasks I can as quickly as possible first to get in the mood to work, and then moving on to more essential tasks which I find quite effective. I think I need to learn more about how to make the most of my valuable time. This could help me improve my work performance.I also need to set alarms to remind myself to do things because sometimes I procrastinate not because I do not want to do them, but because I forget to do them. This usually happens after I have had a long sleep.
To help me focus and reduce procrastination while working according to my schedule, I have developed my own method to concentrate well by listening to music that helps me concentrate better. I have selected instrumental or classical piano music for writing tasks that require a lot of brainstorming and intense focus. Additionally, I choose my favourite songs with lyrics that I enjoy listening to for creative tasks like sketching. This is how I build a consistent work habit over the long term. Furthermore, some long-term solutions for maintaining work-life balance include practicing it on days off. I consider this extremely necessary, not only in my learning and creative journey, but also for my future. Starting to implement work-life balance completely changed my mindset, making me realize that I also need breaks because I was always trying to work at full capacity throughout my studies. I realized that my inability to balance this was one of the core issues preventing me from achieving more than I hoped. I want to develop myself further in the near and distant future, so I do not want this unhealthy lifestyle to hinder me.
Reference :
- Birmingham City University, 2026. Summary Report: Birmingham City University Indicator for Phuong Vi Nguyen. Birmingham: Birmingham City University
- Richards, J. (2013) Freehand drawing and discovery: urban sketching and concept drawing for designers. 1st edition. Hoboken, NJ: WILEY.
- The De Bono Group (2019). Six thinking hats. [online] The De Bono Group. Available at: https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/.
- Sun, S. (2024). The Role of Landscape Architecture in Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Challenges. Global Journal of Engineering, Design & Technology, [online] 13(2), pp.1–2. doi:https://doi.org/10.35248/2319-7293.24.13.219.
- Landscape Institute (2021) Landscape for 2030: How landscape practice can respond to the climate crisis. London: Landscape Institute.
- American Society of Landscape Architects (2025) Landscape Architecture 2040: Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan – Executive Summary for ASLA Members (2026-2030). Washington, D.C.: ASLA Fund.
Phuong Vi Nguyen 