Time Management advice

Usually "I don´t have time" is an excuse. You have time, but you prioritize other things above your hobby. Are you sure that all the things you do (especially on the weekends) are defenitely non negotiable? I know some people who took a year where they cut down almost everything in order to really grind something.

Work - grind - sleep - repeat. Yes, they also cut down social stuff, gaming,... to a minimum (not entirely obviously) If you really want to, you will make time for it.

Or just do it like me and ignore your bodys request for sleep until 3-5am or pull all-nighters (while still going to work the next day). The tradeoff is your health and your sleep schedule will suffer (possibly also your performance at the workplace), I honestly can´t recommend :V

Hello WackyToaster and Mumu64,

Thank you both for your advice, which I do appreciate very much.

It is true, because it is a hobby I prioritize other professional tasks above it. I have to set a certain time every week apart for my hobby.

I already worked in the past with only 2 to 3 hours sleep a night. It is indeed not advisable because it is very bad for your health. After my heart attach on the 9th of June this year, I changed my life dramatically.

I am going to set one evening in the week apart for game development and also Sunday mornings.

Thank you again for your replies.

Enjoy game development with Construct 3.

Chris

I can sympathize with your situation.

One thing to be wary of is stagnating, its possible you will get tired of doing the same thing with little or no results. I'd recommend also scheduling, but also using a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure).

List your tasks along with subtasks into manageable time blocks. Then you can try and schedule those blocks when you know time will be available.

As a simple example, a high score table.

Many will just list "-Create High Score Table"

This you can breakdown into:

-Create High Score Table

1) Get graphic assets for display 2hr

2) Get font for display 1hr

3) Prototype display layout 2h

4) Write save score event 1h

5) Write Load score event 1h

6) Write display score event (*MILESTONE) 2h

7) Clean up display prototype 2h

8) Source audio 1h

9) Add audio 1h

10) Test 1h

11) Fix/Test cycle 2h

12) High Score Table complete

So, some will say you dont need the detail, but if you only have an hour, go get assets. You can then keep track as to what task you are up to which will make continuing easier.

graham-s thats exactly what i do

its a great way of being able to just get on with something when you have a bit of spare time.

Hi Graham-s and Frozen Well Studios,

Thank you very much for your very useful advice. Planning when and how much time I set aside will be the way to go.

Your replies are very much appreciated.

Chris

Everything above is excellent advice. And just to add my 10c:

I have tried various things and the one most important main thing I have learnt is…

Do not compromise sleep to work on your game. If you get into a sleep deprived cycle everything in your life starts to suffer including your game.

You will literally be able to achieve 10 x more productivity in 1 or 2 hours in the morning if you are well rested and able to process properly and focus on solutions than in a whole week of late nights exhausted after work when you will be just staring aimlessly at the screen.

If I do anything game related In evenings now it will be chilled and enjoyable stuff like watching some youtube videos on an art processes or tools I am interested in, or watching 1CC shmup runs of the best payers (I am making a shmup) , or literally just playing the best games in the shmup genre that I can find. Or playing other games to study why they are so good or bad. I would never directly try to work in construct on the game any more late at night. It is just insanity. I have come back to my project after working in the evening /early mornings and saw what I did and it was so ridiculously lazy and hacked it had to be scrapped, was like a whole different person had attempted it.