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Good Ways to Fight Distractions?


TacoBell_Lord
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I got a problem, any tips would be awesome because it has become my downfall consistently. Everytime I start up a tutorial or start reading one of the books I have on game dev whatever engine im using be it phaser or unity or recently unreal I start yawning like hell and become unable to focus. Im not actually tired but I just start yawning. I am really trying to learn but it gets seriously distracting and I cant help it :(

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3 hours ago, WaywardSpirit said:

I got a problem, any tips would be awesome because it has become my downfall consistently. Everytime I start up a tutorial or start reading one of the books I have on game dev whatever engine im using be it phaser or unity or recently unreal I start yawning like hell and become unable to focus. Im not actually tired but I just start yawning. I am really trying to learn but it gets seriously distracting and I cant help it :(

Might be your brain trying to get oxygen? Try a little exercise first to get the blood pumping...

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4 hours ago, WaywardSpirit said:

I got a problem, any tips would be awesome because it has become my downfall consistently. Everytime I start up a tutorial or start reading one of the books I have on game dev whatever engine im using be it phaser or unity or recently unreal I start yawning like hell and become unable to focus. Im not actually tired but I just start yawning. I am really trying to learn but it gets seriously distracting and I cant help it :(

I guess you tried caffeine already?

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4 hours ago, ArcticArcade said:

I've been the most productive I've ever been, the same year I stopped drinking caffeine ;)

That may be true but its still a useful way to combat yawning for most people. 

And it's cheaper than cocaine.

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11 hours ago, WaywardSpirit said:

I got a problem, any tips would be awesome because it has become my downfall consistently. Everytime I start up a tutorial or start reading one of the books I have on game dev whatever engine im using be it phaser or unity or recently unreal I start yawning like hell and become unable to focus. Im not actually tired but I just start yawning. I am really trying to learn but it gets seriously distracting and I cant help it :(

 

Try coding while you read - put to use whatever you are reading, that's the best way to understand and remember anyway. Or just start making the game you want to make and only read the chapter that is relevant to your immediate problem.

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Lately, it really helps me to make a list of things I need to do - I write even small things that I need to work on. I number them and when I work on one of these I just remove it from the list, it's surprisingly helpful although it doesn't change a thing overall.

I type it the same way I would explain it to a five years kid so it looks ridiculous how simply written it is but oh god it saves so much time even if I'm not in a mood it's really easy to have some short term goals set up and finish them.

Apart from that I take frequent walks outside just to get some blood flowing, so I leave for an hour every day to just get out and walk. It really refreshes me.

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Looking through the daily routines of some of the most creative and productive people from history (e.g. in infographic form) there is one thing that they have in common that is having a bit of resurgence recently which is 'down-time'. From that infographic and ones like it, specifically that means exercise (blue) and social (yellow).

Don't underestimate the importance of time away from your obsession.

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On 16/10/2016 at 9:41 PM, TacoBell_Lord said:

how do fight real world distractions or keep yourself from procrastinating?

a good approach is to physically isolate yourself from the source of distraction. This can mean working in a different location, or even just turning off the wifi to stop yourself from checking facebook every 10 minutes.

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I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet but the "Pomodoro technique" (http://pomodorotechnique.com/get-started/) has saved my butt so many times that I now build my entire workday around it. It adds structure to the idea of working in small focused increments.

You work in 25 minute intervals (a "pomodoro"), in which you are focused solely on the task at hand. No e-mail, no grabbing a snack and no interruptions. In fact if someone comes in and starts talking to you, that pomodoro has failed and you're supposed to reset the timer and start over again. It's as much about training the people around you to respect your focus as it is about training yourself. After 25 minutes, you break for 5 minutes and engage in something other than your work (preferably get up and move around). Every third or fourth pomodoro you take a longer 25 minute break.

It sounds like it shouldn't work, such small increments of productivity but once you get used to short bursts of intense focus you can be insanely productive. I get more done in a 6 pomodoro day (technically only 3 hours of work) than I used to in an entire 8 hour workday. I've also found it helps me schedule better since I've gotten pretty good at breaking projects down into 25 minute tasks / chunks.

Lastly, I've noticed it helps fight procrastination. No matter how stuck I'm feeling I can always take 25 minutes to at least get started. Sometimes I break the task down as small as "This pomodoro I'm just going to set up the file folders for my new project". By the time I'm done that small task I'm "engaged" and ready to do more work.

Anyways, hopefully I didn't oversell it too hard. Just Google Pomodoro, there are plenty of timer apps for iPhone and Android. I used a web based one:

https://tomato-timer.com/

 

 

 

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  • 4 months later...
On 10/19/2016 at 2:04 PM, alex_h said:

a good approach is to physically isolate yourself from the source of distraction. This can mean working in a different location, or even just turning off the wifi to stop yourself from checking facebook every 10 minutes.

How to Google if Wifi is turned off?

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The best thing to do is simple. Do not quit. Even if it is just a small thing, just do it. Never do nothing, do each day at least something. Progress is progress after all. That being said I need to ask you something. How do you feel in real life right now? Do you have a shit life or a happy one?

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