Been doing solo gamedev since 2020, here’s my time tracking habit.
Goals: make predictable progress each day, get a feel for how long different types of tasks take, and to have guilt-free rest after a day is “done”.
So I decided I’ll aim to work just 3 hours on weekdays, 2 hours on weekends, but I must first write down my current subgoal in a text file and note every time I stop or start.
So this file is full of things like “15:03-15:20, 15:55-16:00 Make minigun emit a puff of steam when it stops”. Conveniently reused as a git commit message. GPT made me a sublime text plugin that adds up the total, and I have inserting current clocktime as a mey binding.
I’m only allowed to work towards that subgoal as fast as I can with no distractions.
The goal must lead to a
releasable update, otherwise it does not count. So in my system I’ve defined doing taxes or checking email as not work but a chore (like washing the dishes), to make sure I prioritize releasing stuff.
If I want to check HN or something, then I need to take a proper break instead of semi-working. And since I need to confront this and note it, I’m less likely to do so.
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Been doing solo gamedev since 2020, here’s my time tracking habit.
Goals: make predictable progress each day, get a feel for how long different types of tasks take, and to have guilt-free rest after a day is “done”.
So I decided I’ll aim to work just 3 hours on weekdays, 2 hours on weekends, but I must first write down my current subgoal in a text file and note every time I stop or start.
So this file is full of things like “15:03-15:20, 15:55-16:00 Make minigun emit a puff of steam when it stops”. Conveniently reused as a git commit message. GPT made me a sublime text plugin that adds up the total, and I have inserting current clocktime as a mey binding.
I’m only allowed to work towards that subgoal as fast as I can with no distractions.
The goal must lead to a releasable update, otherwise it does not count. So in my system I’ve defined doing taxes or checking email as not work but a chore (like washing the dishes), to make sure I prioritize releasing stuff.
If I want to check HN or something, then I need to take a proper break instead of semi-working. And since I need to confront this and note it, I’m less likely to do so.