Topic: What is your recipe for productivity?

[milkanannan]

OK so this thread is inspired by that recent Yahtzee interview (see here: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57003.msg636603172#msg636603172), a guy that seems to create a superhuman amount of material in any given year.

I'm just curious what others do to stay productive in their work, private life, game design, writing, artwork, audio recording, film making, etc? How do you keep yourself organised and ensure every day pushes incrementally towards your goals? What programs/apps do you use? What music? What stimulants? What sources of inspiration?

Basically: what is your recipe for productivity?

Me? I use a program called 'Scrivener' (it's a word processor geared towards writers; really structured) to sort of file everything I do, and I save this file to DropBox so I can access it from anywhere. I keep lots and lots of physical pocket notebooks of just general ideas, doodles and the like, and I find it helpful to add to these books while I'm in public somewhere (i.e. doctor's office or waiting for my wife to do some shopping or whatever). I'm completing a graduate program while also trying to write and record videos for a small YouTube series while also holding down a day job while also being a dad. I would love to write a book or make another game, but it's unfortunately something I need to put off for the time being.

I get into 'the zone' through lots of homemade Starbucks coffee (yes! it's good!) in a French press with milk and sometimes I'll put on some background music that I'm unfamiliar with, such as the softer tracks shared at this thread: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=48569.0 When not at my day job, I'm up at 4:30am cranking as much work as I can. I really enjoy just generally working on something, but I sometimes feel like I'm not being as productive as I could be.

Anyway, would love to hear how others keep themselves productive. Maybe we can learn a few things from each other!

[Danvzare]

There are recipes for productivity?
I just attempt to do it when I'm in the mood.
Or if it's something I have to do, as in the case of my comics. I just do it on a scheduled day every week (currently Sunday).

[TheFrighter]

Usually when I have to write a new monologue the day before I avoid to watch other comedians on tv or online, in movies or live show... Even avoid talking with my friends about satire... Sometimes they think I'm the unsocial type. 

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[milkanannan]

Usually when I have to write a new monologue the day before I avoid to watch other comedians on tv or online, in movies or live show... Even avoid talking with my friends about satire... Sometimes they think I'm the unsocial type. 

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Interesting. Monologue for what?

[TheFrighter]

Satire for stand-up.

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[VampireWombat]

For programming, the thing that works best for me is to use my laptop with wifi off and my tv on with a sitcom or something else that I don't care if I actually watch or not.

For anything else, it always seems to be trial and error...

[milkanannan]

For programming, the thing that works best for me is to use my laptop with wifi off and my tv on with a sitcom or something else that I don't care if I actually watch or not.

For anything else, it always seems to be trial and error...

You're one of those rare breeds that can be productive while something with plot is going on in the background. I wonder why that helps you? Even if I had zero interesting in the show, I would find the movement and/or audio distracting as hell. I can work in a coffeeshop or a mall food court no problem, but anything in my vicinity with a narrative just throws me off, including the odd time someone near me tells a story loud enough to be heard and followed.

[VampireWombat]

Only sitcoms or something else with a simple and/or stupid plot works. Sitcoms tend to have a plot minimal enough that you can miss several minutes at a time and still be able to pick back up on what's going on. I'd find a coffee shop or food court much harder to concentrate in due to the numerous conversations and different machinery.

[Blondbraid]

For programming, the thing that works best for me is to use my laptop with wifi off and my tv on with a sitcom or something else that I don't care if I actually watch or not.

For anything else, it always seems to be trial and error...

I usually have a podcast or lengthy YouTube video on when I'm drawing, because I feel it helps me keep my brain occupied enough to work properly, but I've noticed that it only works when I'm either drawing or doing tasks that don't require language, because I cant get any writing or coding done right whilst also listening to someone else's words.

[VampireWombat]

I usually have a podcast or lengthy YouTube video on when I'm drawing, because I feel it helps me keep my brain occupied enough to work properly, but I've noticed that it only works when I'm either drawing or doing tasks that don't require language, because I cant get any writing or coding done right whilst also listening to someone else's words.

Interesting. When doing any kind of drawing for more than a couple of minutes I tend to get lost in it, so neither of those would work for me. So I almost always have music playing.
Coding is still foreign enough for me that I never get lost in it. And normally I do dialog one piece at a time. Of course when I've tried writing anything longer I've gone with music.