Start of Week - Update 009

By A.A. Lopez

    Let's see, it's been... 2 weeks since the last update. Not bad for me; usually, the break is 3. But let's see where we're at, what we're trying to do, and if there's anything upcoming for this week.

    Honestly, I've put a lot of my projects off to the side for the past week or so due to the RTO order that came in a few weeks ago, along with layoffs looming overhead. So I've just been letting myself have the time to breathe and have room. Though I am keeping up with streaming every Friday at 7 PM, with different ideas for each stream. Last week's was focused on creating vector art with a real-life photo; it came out incredibly creepy, so I deleted it after the stream.

    But I am feeling the need to get back to at least trying to focus on my creative projects again. I can't let these things just go to the wayside. I want to do them all, I just really need to find a way to organize myself better. At my job, it's easier cause I have the limitations of the hours, resources, and a broad guideline that I need to stick to, but on my personal side, it's all open road. Perhaps I need to adjust how I approach each project.

    The only issue there is that I've practiced that in the past, and it's always come out with mixed effects. From setting a timer to giving myself deadlines... if there's no outside pressure, the likelihood that I'll do something drops significantly. Maybe, well, this is an idea, what if I pay myself? Like, give myself a certain amount for the projects and their monetary worth to me? The only thing is that I know I could adjust it to give myself too much leeway, and then I won't do anything. But I think I'll give that a go this week.

    So for this week's experiment, I'm going to put a certain dollar amount to each type of work I do this week. I think the following menu works:

• Devlog = $2.00
• Figma UI = $5.00
• Code Script = $7.00
• Story Outline = $10.00
• Artwork = $15.00
• Specific Project with a mix of any of the previous = $20.00

    Yes, this way I will not only do the work I laid out in my weekly plan, but if I do any extra, I can put more in my funds. And I think if I do it this way, I can put whatever I make into my savings or something, or for a night out. At the very least, it's something to try out.

    But enough gabbing about how I'm bad at keeping up with my projects, and let's discuss what my projects are this week. Since there's a heavy need to do my main work at work, since we'll be getting more influx than the last few months, I have to go back to standard work and only focus on the cool stuff if I get a moment to breathe. So the projects will be light this week:

• Monday
• Create a Devlog for Project://Ch. 7
• Create a Figma UI for Project:// Ch. 7
• Finish flowchart for Project://Juno
• Design a Neocities page for the Devlogs to link to
• Create an .exe file for the MCT
• Tuesday
• Review the drops for Thrift Tycoon
• Create prototype designs for the drops in Thrift Tycoon
• Review the roles in Studio Journal #2
• Wednesday
• Look into the bug for LinX-AXcS that has the table disappear when you upload an Excel file
• Ensure that the most recent updates of the UNL and ReSizeIt tools are available
• Get a developer's license to upload UNL, ACP, ReSizeIt, and LinX-AXcS so updates occur automatically to other users
• Thursday
• Check which items have been done this past week, and work on the ones that haven't been
• Relearn Scrum Poker
• Friday
• Stream @7 - Designs for either Thrift Tycoon or for Project://Ch. 7
• Saturday
• Print anything out that's needed and file it
• Clean
• Relax

    All right, I think that's a clear week. And another thing I just realized I could do, actually put these as calendar events, so I do have a timer and use the Pomodoro method. Let's see if this works.

    I know there's a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world right now, and an absence of certainty that we're all feeling. This is my best way to cope with everything. Some people drown themselves in friends, in alcohol, in vices up and down the coast. I drown myself in trying to be the Renaissance man I pretend I am. 

    Whatever this week holds in front of me, I'm just hoping with hope that it's a decent week. Not even a good one, just decent enough that when I do relax on that Saturday, the exhaustion is only from the cleaning. Wish me luck!