I considered myself a failure in game development for the longest time…

Daniel Doan
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

Back when I first started making games I’d get super excited over the prospect of making new prototypes.

Shortly after starting though, I’d try to open up my IDE and just draw a blank. I’d stare at the screen for upwards of 10 minutes before closing it and end up doing something else entirely.

Being a productivity nut, I tried a lot of different techniques, trying to push through this lack of action.

Every time, I’d just give up again.

Project after project had been abandoned.

Not making any progress was really hard on me.

I was on the brink of defeat. In fact, I had oftentimes contemplated throwing in the towel.

That was, until I discovered the power of a Trello board, and the allure of completing small tasks.

I didn’t realize this yet at the time, but I was gamifying productivity.

I structured my tasks similar to how many video games structured their progression systems. I started creating small micro-goals.

I created a ton of tasks, and labeled them Small, Medium, and Large.

Small tasks could be done in less than 30 minutes.

Medium tasks could be finished within an hour.

Large tasks could be wrapped up within 2 hours.

Things that would take longer? I’d break it down into one of the three instead.

Watching my task list get completed was surprisingly motivational. Every small task that got done brought me closer and closer to my goal of actually finishing what I had started.

I had finally discovered a productivity process that truly worked. I was ecstatic.

This was my ticket to success — or so I thought.

I was wrong.

I couldn’t figure out how to stop adding more tasks.

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About The Author

Daniel Doan is the Co-Founder & CGO of Black Shell Media and the developer of SanctuaryRPG and Overture, among dozens of unfinished game prototypes. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Daniel Doan

Written by

Growth Marketing Consultant @ danieldoan.net

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