What Helps You Focus?

[BENI_MARU]

So, for me it only works with a good mindset... Like I have a lot of "achievements" for myself and that helps me a lot to work. I work in the same computer that I relax, and now I am inside my house for 6 months, thanks to Covid-19....

So what I do to focus is thinking: Where I want to be in the next year?! And then I remember that I want to be successful in the game industry and live outside of my country, Brazil, and that keeps me focused a lot!

One thing that helps me a lot is: If I don't wanna do the programming now, I will draw or write some dialogues, and other things... Don't worry sometimes about the order, just go with it and enjoy the ride!

Brilliant. I can very much relate.

I'm rooting for you Gabriel - once COVID's done, go out and see the world

As an illustrator I have the hardest time focusing when I'm working on something that I'm not 100% invested in. This ranges from boring studies to creative prompts that don't have much wiggle room for injecting a personal touch. I'm at my least focused when I'm yearning to watch a particular show/movie or play a particular game. It makes me feel like I should just blow through my work to get to that reward as opposed to actually taking my time and enjoying/learning.

But that's more of a lifestyle change than anything. Day to day I find using program timers in conjunction with pomodoro to be a good combination. Only turn the timer on when you're actively working, so you're not tempted to sit there aimlessly just to burn through the time, but keep pomodoro running regardless to avoid burning yourself out. Following a schedule helps break the day into more palatable chunks and incentivizes you to still sit down and grind out the work for the reward of free time at the end of the day. If a task is feeling particularly draining you can either switch to something that requires less critical thinking, or try listening to music on the side. I find music helps me work for longer at the cost of being a little less focused on tasks that require heavy focus (like math or writing for example).

I completely feel that first statement. The beginning of my career as in game audio, I took on projects for experience's sake. My output was nowhere NEAR what I now achieve when I'm working on projects I'm passionate about.

 

[Zize48]

I really like to work with music or in silence. Everything else brings me down

 

[rux]

I usually listen to music but just hearing youtube videos helps me focus, if it a funny video I have more fun making a project.