Three days.
I spent days working on this helicopter, and now that it was in the scene, you could barely even see it.
Being a dad, husband, full-time employee, and free-time game dev, time is short, so I need to make every minute count.
I used that short time to model, UV unwrap, texture, and place a Huey helicopter for a scene that would ultimately become card art for an Action card in Atomic Edge.
After all that work, the helicopter appeared to be a small speck in the distance of the scene.
The scene looked good, but the helicopter? Lost in the distance.
The effort I put into the helicopter? Enjoyable, but ultimately fruitless.
Like all things in life, a “dropped ball” is just an opportunity to learn. After some initial frustration, I took a step back and became introspective. What could I do differently? I have always been good at giving myself goals and deadlines, but in the past I have not been great at following through with those deadlines. I get bogged down in perfectionism and not feeling like my work is “good enough”. So how do you balance having a high standard for your work, while also avoiding getting bogged down working on the minutiae as well as avoiding the infinite distractions that have overrun our world?
Systematize Your Work
I have found that it can be very beneficial to start big, think about the full project, then break it down into smaller and smaller chunks until you have nice little bite size pieces. Once you have a good idea of the component that will come together to form the bigger vision (keeping in mind that you will likely not cover everything, and unforeseen things may come up) you can start to plan out your tasks little by little.
Here are the simple steps I follow when working on any project – game development or otherwise:
- List
- Prioritize
- Timer
- Concentration
- Reevaluate
- Rest
List
Start at the end.
It sounds counterintuitive, but start the race at the finish line.
Work backwards from your end goal and think through all the steps you need to take to get there.
This could be a whole project or just a lengthy piece of a larger task.
Break down each step into smaller and smaller chunks to map out the path to the finish line, then start at the beginning with one bite-sized chunk at a time.
“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable”. Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Prioritize
Now you have a huge list of what needs to be done. That’s great! …and overwhelming. Now you need to prioritize. What is the most important, needle-pushing task? What turned out to be less important and can slide to the back burner for a while? Be brutally honest with yourself.
“The ability to concentrate and to use time will is everything.” Lee Iacocca
Timer
Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
Take the prioritized task at hand, and estimate how much time it’ll take you.
Aim to have it done in less time.
I love the Pomodoro Technique: start a 25-minute timer. Go all-out during that time. When the 25 minutes are done, take a 5-minute break.
I use my 5 minutes to get up, stretch, and take a quick walk. This gets the blood flowing and physically moves me from my desk or computer. A change of scenery always helps the brain.
“Success is the sum of small efforts.” Robert Collier
Concentration
This overlaps with the Timer. During those 25-minute Pomodoro “sprints”, work with maximum effort.
Put every ounce of concentration into your singular task. Let that 25-minute stretch become your tunnel vision. You have one single task and 25 ticking minutes to get it done.
Sprint.
“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” Alexander Graham Bell
Reevaluate
When the timer is up, take a step back and evaluate where you are at. Are you making progress? Do you still feel bogged down? Is your task to a point where you can call it “good enough to move on”? Be brutally honest with yourself and ask, “Is this really the most effective use of my time?”
Maybe you are making progress and just need to keep going.
Maybe you need to reprioritize.
“Experience isn’t the best teacher; evaluated experience is.” John C. Maxwell
Rest
Your brain needs a break.
Like lifting weights at the gym, there is a time to push hard and put all your effort into the task at hand, and there are times when you need to take a breath.
You can’t be under the barbell non-stop. Muscles require both stress and rest to grow effectively.
Your brain is the same. Avoiding rest is asking for burnout.
Personally, I enjoy a good, long, quiet walk with my dog. I have found it is one of the best ways to clear my head.
“Work and rest are not opposites; they are complementary.” Dan Koe
The most important thing in any project is momentum.
Make sure you keep moving the ball forward. Remember your high school physics class – an object in motion stays in motion.
Momentum builds on itself. The hardest part is getting it started.