Staying productive.
polycounter lvl 13
Hey guys,
so bit of a random question, but how do you guys keep your self productive?
I find that after 4 or 5 hours of working, getting work done becomes increasingly difficult. Eventaully it will get to the point that I'll work for 15-20 mins then get easily side tracked.. and this will usually repeat till whenever I decided to call it quits for the day.
Drugs and drinking coffee all day are not options, lol.
so bit of a random question, but how do you guys keep your self productive?
I find that after 4 or 5 hours of working, getting work done becomes increasingly difficult. Eventaully it will get to the point that I'll work for 15-20 mins then get easily side tracked.. and this will usually repeat till whenever I decided to call it quits for the day.
Drugs and drinking coffee all day are not options, lol.
Replies
Note: This doesn't work quite as well when at work.
The most important thing is planning. Do a project that you know you can do without too many hang-ups, but leave yourself some artistic freedom somewhere to keep things fresh and interesting, or think of ways to do what you've done before faster. If you're not doing something fresh and new, and not doing something faster than before, not only is the work going to be super tedious, but not very interesting either.
But seriously, I usually take care of everything around the house, take care of the emails, etc to get my head clear, make sure I'm fed and have drinks at the desk, then get some nice tunes going and just work. Like 3DLee said, if your not in the mood, your not in the mood, so don't fight it, and take a break and come back later. You may even find that wearing headphones or closing your door, even if you live alone, helps out quite a bit to lock you in.
I'm so bad with time management
The previous suggestions are good also!
well thats tough. :P
Have any of you found that your 'tolerance' for the amount of time you can work has gone up over the years? Just by working every day?
Its a word used by those who claim they don't have it. Basically the only thing that works is just getting on with it, and not think of clever ways to make it feel like you arent working. At one point it will become a habit and you wont think about it so much.
As for overcoming great big daunting projects, it can help to focus on the little things until it finally comes together. Like cleaning a really messy room, just start piece for piece and before you know it, you are done.
Oh, and putting your music in a playlist, and promising yourself you will not touch the program unless rick ashtley starts singing, really helps.
Long-term: Try to pick up other art forms, such as photography, drawing, painting, etc. Your experience in 3D will be much richer.
Motivation = I can't wait to finish this boring project/I can't wait to see the awesome final result/I can't wait for payday
Inspiration = Team members, books, movies, discussion boards.
Everyone is different when it comes to the both of these. You just need to find what works well with you.
THIS...
and as you fail to meet your goals, you get depressed and demotivated.
you can first try and find ways to cut corners in your modeling workflow.
also, try and do smaller projects that you know you'll be able to complete within a space of 5-6 hours, with a high level of quality. something like.. a medieval helmet.
it really helps to build confidence in your ability to do great art, and it also feels great to actually feel you've managed to complete something that you're satisfied with.
I also find inspiration by looking at my old work. I think 'god that stuff looks like hell, look how far I've come'. Keep some old junk pieces around, it will keep you going
Aw, crap.
Seriously, though, I have that thing where you have to check your mail compulsively, and when I realize nobody's written to me in the last five minutes, I usually check new posts here, then I end up trawling through Google images for reference.....
The internet is the sharpest of all the double-edged swords.
Oh, and everything Eraserhead said. And exercise - fresh air and time away from the monitor is essential.
Same here, sometimes id wish my internet would go down so id atleast try to get some work done.
Although procrastination has set in lately, i feel i need to push myself to beat this first.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to have a sticky thread that relates everyones tips & tricks for staying motivated.
Booyakasha!
*Edit * Post 111.. man I'm seeing that number all the time now. 11:11 on the microwave/oven/alarm clock. Anyone else seeing 11:11 frequently?
Have short term goals, things that you can achieve piece by piece that build up the whole.
Saying to yourself "ok I'll just have this modelled and ready for unwrapping by the end of the day" is better than "I'm going to have this awesome prop done by the end of the week"
The other thing which ties into above is writing a list. Seriously, I can't believe how much this helps me focus what I'm doing. It's so much easier to see the bigger picture, and crossing things off gives me a sense of achievement and productivity. I have a notepad next to my pc which is just for lists.
Having a friend constantly on your back to get things done helps too!
He never took a break what makes you think you deserve one =P
You're steam drill is in China... Try to keep up.
Productive in terms of game programming, 3d modeling, and/or sketching?
It took me about 2 months to get myself used to constantly studying all this. If I am not on my computer fooling around, doing such practicals, I am probebly reading about them. As I read on Gamedev.net that "one must sleep, eat and breathe game programming in order to become one" I am on to that. Once I've sattled a goal for myself, I must be productive. The way to keep one's self productive is self enforcement ( in other words, I keep forcing myself to atleast read and understand whatever skills I need for game programming, so I can follow up on it when I am not too tired)
And I time myself to check how much time I've spent doing that, because the time I've spent today will increase the time I will spend tomorrow, and it is practically proven.
The only times that I lifted myself off from this "being productive and self learning" part is when I had to study for my college or when I am at work and my boss is being too bossy and tells me that I can not study at work.
EDIT: Once I started forcing myself to do my personal studies of game programming 3d modeling and drawing, I found it user-friendly after a while.
Than I didnt get stressed out or considered this personal doing of mine as difficult because I knew what I was doing.
Once you learn how to do what you are suppose to do, grants you the freedom from such stress.
EDIT2: Also make a TO DO List for the day, which one of the fellow Polycount member stated already.
or masturbate more often.
then after you have a nice blister get back to work, and take a 5 min break every hour or two and look at work by other artists. always makes me want to work harder when i see some of the amazing work others do. but this could also discourage some so idk if it will work for you.
Sit down and discuss game mechanics and I'll talk your ear off...and you'll bash my face in because I. Know. Nothing.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,70878/description.html
watch him stream live almost everyday making comics, will put shame laziness label on ur face ...
Its what you can do and how long you can focus on it for. Dont neglect play/relax time either. Pick an amount of time to seriously focus on something half an hour to an hour perhaps. Then after that relax go away for a while.