General: Be a Productive Artist !

[st0lve]

I can't do shit without music. I have music at home, at school and everywhere I go. If I turn it off, then there is something "missing".
Good list, I'll try those sometime, since I'm easily distracted by the smallest things.

[Talon]

Man, there's always music or a podcast on when I work. It's a slight distraction, sure, but it keeps me happy and I can work a little longer.

Movies and stuff tend to distract me, I only put them on when it's a long haul doing work I don't want to :P

Biggest prob for me is forums, they're such a massive time-waster. So, I try and use them as a "reward" when I'm working, every hour or ever milestone type thing, I'll get to check forums.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Alchemist101

Thats crazy talk Jake!! Does this actually make you noticably more efficient?

I dont think I've ever sat down to do 3d work without music or audiobooks playing

Yes, for me, it does make me more efficient. I'm not saying I never listen to music or anything when I apply myself to 3D e.g., but when I really need my full attention I unplug. And it does make me at least twice as effective.

I'm not saying this works for everyone, but for me it is the most efficient. I believe some people need to have music or anything else around them, but I'd urge anyone to just try and unplug and see if it works for you.

/edit: I hear you Talon. The internet and especially forums are my #1 time wasters. But pulling the plug sorts that too.

[andrei313]

I have to agree with Jake here. I was one of the people that though entertainment during modeling and all that helps me relax, puts me in the mood. You may find yourself doing a lot of work while listening to music, you will also have a lot of fun... but that's just because you have a lot of time on your hands and something is bound to come out of your hours in front of the computer. This article is more about what you can do when you don't have a lot of time. Everything that distracts you, even the music is bad for your workflow.
Don't like to promote the Speed Modeling everywhere I post something but that's the place where I realized this. If I speed model I close everything... I even tell my girlfriend I'm speed modeling (she knows what this means) and I do what I plan fast and professional (well... that's what I like to think). Try modeling something in 60min while chatting with a few people, listening to some music and surfing the web. You won't get anything done in time. Then try it unplugged, you'll notice the difference. When you have the whole day ahead of you it's hard to see you lose time but you do.

[Millenia]

Exactly what I need, I do have problems with motivation and finishing stuff, I'll def. try some of the tips

[weasel.acuh5o]

nice read. I started planning my work a bit better a few months ago and it sure improves your skills, be it quality wise or how long it takes. planning ahead, tracking your progress, reward schemes may sound a bit over the top, but it definitely helps.

david seah's got load of paper based plans/forms online at http://wiki.davidseah.com/public:article_cat1#productivity, those are quite nice, especially if you just need some idea where to get started... and talon, no laughing. :P

[Mist]

Sometimes music makes me work fine but other times it distracts me and i'll turn it off. It depends on my mood really.

[glynnsmith]

For me, the louder the music, the better I'll work. I really like to be amped whilst working, as I tend to be far more motivated and less inclined to "just have a look around the net for 17 hours".

Another thing I find to be a major factor in procrastinating is the amount of caffeine I drink - The more coffee / Redbull I have, the less focussed I am and the more likely my brain drifts on to other things, contrary to the all-nighter practice of drinking as much as you can whilst popping Pro Plus every half hour It keeps you awake, sure, but it keeps your mind over-active and prone to distraction.

G

[RedSuit]

Damn thx, just what I needed.

[EmAr]

Thanks for the article, good tips. Here's what I do for my to-do list:

I have an html file in which I write my things need to be done. This file is set as the Home Page of Firefox and I put a shortcut of Firefox into Start>Programs>Startup. So it shows me what I should be doing whenever I power the computer up or launch the browser.