Okay. I’m utilizing the time period indie developer loosely right here. I don’t think about myself to be an indie developer. However I am unbiased, principally. I run my very own enterprise the place I work on consumer apps, workshops, my books, this web site, my YouTube channel, and extra. So I feel I qualify as indie, partially.
Both manner, on this put up I’d wish to discover one thing that I don’t write or discuss a lot. How do I, as somebody that manages my very own time and work, guarantee that I keep productive (in a sustainable manner).
Plenty of people that I’ve talked to through the years have their very own methods that assist them plan, construction, and execute work. Some people are simply so wanting to at all times be working that they haven’t any issues staying busy in any respect. Others, myself included, battle with sustaining a rhythm, discovering steadiness, and keep away from procrastinating.
Over the past half 12 months or so I’ve been very actively attempting to determine what works for me, and on this weblog put up I’d wish to share among the issues that I’ve discovered in that point.
All of it begins with a plan
The standard of labor that I’ll do in a day, week, or month, all is dependent upon my plans for a given timeframe. If I go away my Friday afternoon with unfinished enterprise, and I spend my Monday on attempting to determine the place I’ve left off and I don’t make a plan for the week, it’s probably that the week is not going to be very productive.
That’s as a result of as soon as I begin working with no plan I’m in a relentless mode of attempting to determine what’s subsequent. I’ll discover one thing to do, do it, after which spend a number of time questioning about “what’s subsequent?”.
Often which means I take a break, go on social media, or watch some YouTube movies. Mainly, I begin to procrastinate.
I’ve tried to handle this by allocating each morning and afternoon to a kind of labor. I began off by separating “consumer” work and “weblog” work. This sort of labored nevertheless it was too ambiguous. I’d spend a number of time attempting to determine which consumer to work for, and what to work on. Or I’d be serious about whether or not I wished to work on an app, a YouTube video, my weblog, or one thing else.
The consequence?
I’d find yourself doing far lower than I wished to. Particularly when it got here to “weblog” work as a result of there’s just about no accountability there.
So, I solved this downside by planning in another way. As an alternative of allocating stuff to days I’d have a listing of issues to do for the week. In my calendar I might nonetheless block some occasions for sorts of work, however my checklist is main.
When it’s time to do consumer work, I take a look at my checklist. Who’s on high (the checklist is sorted by urgency)? That’s what I’ll work on. It’s easy but efficient.
I assumed that this method could be too free for me to permit me to correctly plan however I feel it’s working properly. I began doing this about three months in the past and I can undoubtedly inform that my output is getting higher. I’m additionally feeling higher about my work than I did half a 12 months in the past.
So, begin with a plan. Be sure you at all times know what’s subsequent. Understanding what you’re speculated to do makes doing it extra simple.
Discover the precise surroundings
I do know, we’re all supposed to like working from dwelling. I’m not nice at it. I like the thought of it, however I’m actually not good at it.
At any time when I earn a living from home, there’s a great deal of distractions. I can dangle round and watch TV for a bit. Do some work within the backyard. Run a fast errand. Fold laundry. Prepare dinner.
These are all issues I both get pleasure from doing, or issues that have to get accomplished a method or one other.
Focusing whereas working from dwelling could be fairly a problem for me, and I’m discovering out an increasing number of that my desk isn’t at all times the place the place I’m most efficient.
Going some place that’s not the identical desk day by day is usually a large enhance for my productiveness. I’m undecided whether or not a change of surroundings simply retains my mind energetic, or I’m higher at performing sure duties from a special location (generally it’s only a completely different place in my home), however altering it up works for me.
When you’re feeling unproductive and you are feeling such as you’ve obtained a deal with on figuring out what you’re speculated to do however doing it appears laborious, attempt to swap issues up a bit. Work from a espresso store, a co-working house, a library, or your dinner desk as a substitute of your desk and see the way it feels. Possibly it may possibly aid you give attention to various things.
Observe your work
I used to suppose that having inflexible methods for work would suck the enjoyment out of doing the work. The extra I depend on methods and routines the extra I discover that I benefit from the work I’m doing as a result of it permits me to be extra targeted, much less pressured, and really feel extra in management.
By making tickets for all the pieces I do, I’ve a extremely good sense of the place I ought to focus my consideration. I can simply measure how productive I’ve been over time simply by wanting on the tickets I’ve closed.
I’m utilizing GitHub initiatives for monitoring my work, and I’m having fun with it rather a lot. I can hyperlink my tickets to points which makes it simple to hyperlink all the pieces collectively. By ordering my tickets primarily based on their precedence I’m principally capable of run by way of my checklist from high to backside all through the week and know that I’m at all times doing the precise factor.
Along with monitoring my work by way of tickets, I’ve created a utility app for myself to trace with Chrona I can observe pomodoro timers all through my workday. Each timer will get an outline of what I’ve labored on and a score for the way properly I feel I did productivity-wise.
The concept is that Chrona will finally assist me achieve extra understanding concerning the best way I do my work, and whether or not I’ve any occasions of day the place my productiveness drops considerably. If there’s any patterns in my productiveness or the kind of work I do I can anticipate for that once I make my plans, or I may determine to construction my work week round occasions and days that work properly for me.
Chrona is certainly one of 4 apps that I intend to ship this 12 months with the principle thought being that these apps must be helpful for myself earlier than serious about easy methods to make them into merchandise. That’s why Chrona was construct to be a easy app that solely does a number of issues. It’s not configurable nor customizable and that’s on goal. I would add extra options sooner or later if sufficient people use the app.
In Abstract
Productiveness is a posh subject, and if there’s one factor I’ve discovered over time it’s that anyone that claims to have the reply for all of your productiveness woes is mendacity to you. Sure, there are confirmed methods on the market. However the effectiveness of those methods isn’t assured for everyone. Some people work completely different type others, and that’s utterly effective.
When you’re struggling to maintain your self motivated and targeted, I extremely advocate to actively attempt to perceive what’s making issues laborious for you. When and why are you procrastinating, and what are you able to do to repair that. For me, figuring out what’s subsequent (planning), the place I work (surroundings), and having goal insights (monitoring) appear to be having a optimistic influence.
The important thing issue for me appears to be that there’s no level in attempting to drive any specific system on myself. If it doesn’t work, I attempt to perceive why, after which I make adjustments to my routines to see whether or not issues enhance. It’s an iterative course of, and its not a fast one.
