Finding Time to Make Games
Everyone seems to have their own tips and tricks regarding how to make and finish a game. Derek Yu has a totally awesome list on his Make Games blog, which is required reading for anyone now reading this. Seriously, go read it now, then come back if you want to. Cliff Harris also had a short list entitled "Why Your Indie Game Isn't Done." These lists are great to read and keep in mind to help keep you motivated and on track. However, they don't give much advice on the topic of finding time to make games.
It can be pretty difficult to carve out a chunk of time for game making, especially when most of us have lots of other responsibilities. Myself, I have a wife and 6 month-old daughter that I like to spend time with, plus a full-time job. I'm involved in a small group Bible study each week, and I also spend time with my friends now and again. On top of all this, I actually like to play games as well. Where do I find time to make 'em?
Well, here's my secret: I only sleep for 6 hours a night. Doesn't seem like rocket science, but it works for me. My wife and daughter both love to sleep (well, the daughter not quite as much yet), so I wake up at 5AM and get some work done while the house is quiet. It's hard for me to do game making after work or late at night, since I've been in front of the computer screen for 8+ hours at that point. Working in the morning means that I'm still motivated to develop.
Of course, waking up early is difficult. I like to sleep as much as the next person, but here are some tips that help me get out of bed each day.
- Prepare the night before. When you get up at an ungodly hour, your mind is mush. Anything you can do to streamline the process of getting out of bed and into gear is something you should do. What's really helpful is to prepare before you go to sleep. For example, lay out your clothes so you don't have to fumble around in the dark for what you're going to wear. Fill up the kettle with water and put out a cup with the bag of tea already in it, or grind your coffee and put it in the French press. These simple tasks will help you get up and get moving more quickly in the morning. This article from Wired inspired me with "night before" prep.
- Keep a to-do list. Again, this tip attempts to help your mushy morning mind. When a bit bleary, it's hard to be super cognitive and get back into your workflow immediately. You'll think, "What am I supposed to be doing again?" and waste quite a bit of time figuring out where you left off the day before. A to-do list can really help you jump in and start being productive, especially if you remember to make the first few tasks for the day no-brainers — you can cross off some items on your list, and get into "work mode" more quickly.
- Turn off the internet. It's easy to fire up the browser and follow rabbit trails around the internet, especially when a bit tired. The problem with this is that before you know it, you've wasted half an hour of your precious game dev time, with absolutely nothing to show for it. If you work on computers during the day, it's easy to defer checking your RSS reader until some downtime later in the day; it's much harder to program your game when you're supposed to be working.
- Do it every day. Working on games part-time means that your projects will take a lot longer to be finished. It's tough to stay motivated when you seem to be making so little progress each day. However, that time each day adds up before you know it. Plus, doing work each day means that you'll form that as a habit, which in turn makes the decision to do work easier. Apparently Jerry Seinfeld had a trick to help him work every day... maybe it would be helpful for you?
- Really want to. I guess this goes without saying. You have to decide what you love more, and cut out other things that can be cut. For me, time with my family and other social obligations aren't options to give up, so I cut out a little bit of physical comfort. In return, I get to pursue an activity that's more rewarding than the mindless development I do during the day. What's important to you?
Comments
Hellopaulfan wrote on :
thanks for your advice.