I've been working on an indie game solo for the past four years. I've had quiet periods and I've had productive periods. But I have worked on it nearly every single day for those four years, rarely for less than an hour.
One method I did have a lot of success with was a time spent spreadsheet I created. For any given date I'd enter individual times I started and stopped working on it - so it might be 10am until 11.30am, 2pm until 5pm, and so on.
For each day I'd sum the hours spent, and then I had a target hours to hit each week - 20 at first, then 30, and eventually 40. This is while also working a day job, otherwise I'd probably have tried increasing it by 1.5-2x.
A key rule I followed was this: once I hit enough hours for the day to be on track for the weekly goal, I could then do whatever I felt like with my remaining time. Ironically I'd often keep working on it as the momentum was already going, but just as often I'd go relax.
Nice. Yeah, my rule was "after the first hour, I can do whatever I want for the rest of the day." And I too found, it was much nicer to keep going! First of all, my work was quite enjoyable. (I'm sure that helped a lot!) But also, it just feels good to be getting things done!
"Distract myself with nonsense" has some appeal... but "keep winning" has more.
Also, I "ironically" found it easier to do something every single day. In theory, every other day should be easier, because it's less work, right? But the loss of momentum and the addition of friction (is today a rest day or not?), especially in those "sleepy moments" of the day... for me it's just too risky! So I just jump into action before there is time for my brain to protest :)
Interesting. My system is that I have to-do list of things I try to do every single day to ensure my day was productive for me. The list doesn't change basically.
When I finish the list, I feel free to do whatever else I want without feeling guilty.
This matches what I have seen building solo projects -- the activation energy for failure is often lower than for success. Adding friction to the wrong path (like requiring a deliberate step to delete data) works better than willpower alone.
Hi HN! This is probably the most important thing I ever learned, so I'll repeat it here for the people who only read the comments :)
I found a way to work on my project every day, without willpower.
I just eliminated all the failure modes.
1. Skipping days breaks momentum: I can't skip days. (So I made it easy to win: I only need to show up for an hour.)
2. Delaying the work leads to missed days. I get tired, I get distracted, I forget. So I decided I need to work as soon as I wake up. Then I guarantee it gets done.
3. Distracted by stupid BS. Noticed that all my distraction came from the internet, and getting distracted would tank productivity for the remainder of the day. So I just unplug the router before bed.
That's my whole system, and I'm using it right now. (I used it to write this post!)
The deeper idea here is ... just find out what's making you fail, and see if you can't design around that. Just design it so those things do not happen. Then you will win by default.
Hope this helps! :)
---
P.S. the astute reader may observe that this describes the Q2 category in the Eisenhower Matrix[0] (Important But Not Urgent): things we want to get done "someday", but which will never get done unless we make time it.
i.e., our hopes and dreams...
For this reason, I very strongly recommend dedicating the first hour to Q2. Q1 "handles itself", by definition. Q2 is the one that needs love!
(That probably should have been the main thesis. Oh well!)
> Skipping days breaks momentum: I can't skip days
This is my most important rule. I do not believe in "rest days" anymore. They are catastrophic for my ability to stay focused on a big project. This isn't to say I advocate for a 997 working hour system. I do believe in taking it easy and sometimes putting in the bare minimum, but a day with absolutely zero progress I cannot permit anymore.
24 hours is a long time. If I can't add a tiny amount of value each day, the project is probably dead. Especially a project like a game. The workflows for things like creating 3d models and scenes are generally so complicated that if you don't exercise them ~daily they will rot quickly. I open blender after not using it for a few months and it almost feels like I've never used it before. Not because I don't know how to use it (although I am far from an expert), but because the specific workflow that adds value to my project is not a straight line through space. It's a lot of steps and menu options to click through. Good luck remembering which UV unwrap presets you prefer for UV0 vs UV1 after a week of working on something unrelated.
Just keeping the tool chain open & alive on my machine feels like 80% of the battle. If it's sitting there and in a good state to iterate with, I find myself automatically pulled toward it. If that battlefield 6 queue takes longer than 10 seconds, I will inevitably be alt-tabbed into Visual Studio or Unity.
The discipline of practice every day is essential. When I skip a day, I notice a difference in my playing. After two days, the critics notice, and after three days, so does the audience. —Jascha Heifetz
I realized a while back that when people talk about their "dreams" in life, they're actually talking about Q2. They're talking about the category of things they want to do "someday", but which, unless they actively make time for, will never happen.
Because, by definition, there is always something more urgent pressing for your attention. Q1 and Q3 "do themselves", in the sense that life will pressure you into dealing with them. There is no real pressure for Q2, except for the occasional "oh my god another year has passed and I have made no progress."
So I strongly urge everyone to figure out what your Q2 is, and to schedule it first thing every morning.
It had its own page, but nothing good lasts on Wikipedia!
I've been working on an indie game solo for the past four years. I've had quiet periods and I've had productive periods. But I have worked on it nearly every single day for those four years, rarely for less than an hour.
One method I did have a lot of success with was a time spent spreadsheet I created. For any given date I'd enter individual times I started and stopped working on it - so it might be 10am until 11.30am, 2pm until 5pm, and so on.
For each day I'd sum the hours spent, and then I had a target hours to hit each week - 20 at first, then 30, and eventually 40. This is while also working a day job, otherwise I'd probably have tried increasing it by 1.5-2x.
A key rule I followed was this: once I hit enough hours for the day to be on track for the weekly goal, I could then do whatever I felt like with my remaining time. Ironically I'd often keep working on it as the momentum was already going, but just as often I'd go relax.
Pretty good system all in all.
Nice. Yeah, my rule was "after the first hour, I can do whatever I want for the rest of the day." And I too found, it was much nicer to keep going! First of all, my work was quite enjoyable. (I'm sure that helped a lot!) But also, it just feels good to be getting things done!
"Distract myself with nonsense" has some appeal... but "keep winning" has more.
Also, I "ironically" found it easier to do something every single day. In theory, every other day should be easier, because it's less work, right? But the loss of momentum and the addition of friction (is today a rest day or not?), especially in those "sleepy moments" of the day... for me it's just too risky! So I just jump into action before there is time for my brain to protest :)
Interesting. My system is that I have to-do list of things I try to do every single day to ensure my day was productive for me. The list doesn't change basically.
When I finish the list, I feel free to do whatever else I want without feeling guilty.
"Rule 1: Work every day. No skipping days.
Rule 2: Begin working immediately, as soon as I wake up.
Rule 3: Internet and Phone stays off for the first hour. "
You have DigitalOcean because myself and a few other folks did this consistently for 5 years straight.
They're good rules for accomplishing something.
This matches what I have seen building solo projects -- the activation energy for failure is often lower than for success. Adding friction to the wrong path (like requiring a deliberate step to delete data) works better than willpower alone.
Hi HN! This is probably the most important thing I ever learned, so I'll repeat it here for the people who only read the comments :)
I found a way to work on my project every day, without willpower.
I just eliminated all the failure modes.
1. Skipping days breaks momentum: I can't skip days. (So I made it easy to win: I only need to show up for an hour.)
2. Delaying the work leads to missed days. I get tired, I get distracted, I forget. So I decided I need to work as soon as I wake up. Then I guarantee it gets done.
3. Distracted by stupid BS. Noticed that all my distraction came from the internet, and getting distracted would tank productivity for the remainder of the day. So I just unplug the router before bed.
That's my whole system, and I'm using it right now. (I used it to write this post!)
The deeper idea here is ... just find out what's making you fail, and see if you can't design around that. Just design it so those things do not happen. Then you will win by default.
Hope this helps! :)
---
P.S. the astute reader may observe that this describes the Q2 category in the Eisenhower Matrix[0] (Important But Not Urgent): things we want to get done "someday", but which will never get done unless we make time it.
i.e., our hopes and dreams...
For this reason, I very strongly recommend dedicating the first hour to Q2. Q1 "handles itself", by definition. Q2 is the one that needs love!
(That probably should have been the main thesis. Oh well!)
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47467854
> Skipping days breaks momentum: I can't skip days
This is my most important rule. I do not believe in "rest days" anymore. They are catastrophic for my ability to stay focused on a big project. This isn't to say I advocate for a 997 working hour system. I do believe in taking it easy and sometimes putting in the bare minimum, but a day with absolutely zero progress I cannot permit anymore.
24 hours is a long time. If I can't add a tiny amount of value each day, the project is probably dead. Especially a project like a game. The workflows for things like creating 3d models and scenes are generally so complicated that if you don't exercise them ~daily they will rot quickly. I open blender after not using it for a few months and it almost feels like I've never used it before. Not because I don't know how to use it (although I am far from an expert), but because the specific workflow that adds value to my project is not a straight line through space. It's a lot of steps and menu options to click through. Good luck remembering which UV unwrap presets you prefer for UV0 vs UV1 after a week of working on something unrelated.
Just keeping the tool chain open & alive on my machine feels like 80% of the battle. If it's sitting there and in a good state to iterate with, I find myself automatically pulled toward it. If that battlefield 6 queue takes longer than 10 seconds, I will inevitably be alt-tabbed into Visual Studio or Unity.
The discipline of practice every day is essential. When I skip a day, I notice a difference in my playing. After two days, the critics notice, and after three days, so does the audience. —Jascha Heifetz
> Q2 category in the Eisenhower Matrix
I thought I was in the target audience for this post, but now I'm entirely confused.
If you like not having terrible regrets, you are the target audience! I'm still getting the hang of explaining things, sorry ;)
The Eisenhower Matrix is a system for deciding how to spend your time. There are two booleans, which combine into four quadrants.
Here, I made a graph! https://files.catbox.moe/upo2zs.png
Q1: Important and Urgent
Q2: Important, not Urgent
Q3: Not important, but Urgent
Q4: Neither important nor Urgent
I realized a while back that when people talk about their "dreams" in life, they're actually talking about Q2. They're talking about the category of things they want to do "someday", but which, unless they actively make time for, will never happen.
Because, by definition, there is always something more urgent pressing for your attention. Q1 and Q3 "do themselves", in the sense that life will pressure you into dealing with them. There is no real pressure for Q2, except for the occasional "oh my god another year has passed and I have made no progress."
So I strongly urge everyone to figure out what your Q2 is, and to schedule it first thing every morning.
It had its own page, but nothing good lasts on Wikipedia!
Q2 means important, but not urgent. these tasks need to be scheduled or they don't get done
Q1 is things that are both important and urgent
it's a system popularized by Dwight D. Eisenhower