A bit of context

Trying to work on my personal game projects over the years while struggling with my daily routine has been a real challenge for me.

I’ve tried different approaches — from just working on whatever I felt like each day, to planning ahead and prioritizing tasks. But regardless of the approach, I wasn’t getting the results I expected.

I have a full-time job, two beautiful daughters, and my wife works in the afternoons until late at night. So most things related to my kids depend on me.

Does this sound familiar to you?
Do you have a similar situation in your daily life?

If so, maybe the next idea can help.

My perspective

How am I supposed to finish a task estimated at 8–10 hours if I can barely work 1 or 2 hours per day on my game?

Yes, I know what you might say: “Just work one or two hours today, then tomorrow, then the next day.”
Sounds ideal, right?

But at least for me, the problem is this: days go by, and I’m still stuck on the same task.

You never feel a sense of completion.

And after a couple of weeks, that becomes frustrating.

You see that your task list isn’t getting smaller, and you start feeling like the project will never be finished. Eventually… you just drop it.

The idea

So what do I suggest?

Break every task into smaller ones — tasks that can be completed in one hour or less.

  • Need to create a UI with multiple components? → One hour per component
  • Implement character actions (move, jump, attack)? → One hour per action

Yes, I know — not everything can be perfectly split like this.
Some tasks are too small, others don’t make sense to divide further.

That’s not the point.

The goal is that, by the end of the day, you can say:

“I completed everything I planned today.”

Instead of:

“I still have a lot left to do.”

It’s basically about hijacking your brain to stay motivated.

Experience

For me, this has been a game changer over the last few months.

Instead of focusing on what’s missing, I now focus on what’s already done.
That shift in perspective made a huge difference.

Again, this is just what works for me — especially in situations where time is limited.

Counterpoints

A fair counterpoint could be:

“This sounds good, but isn’t it too much planning for small tasks?”

And yes — that can be true.

But the planning doesn’t need to be complex.
You can just write a simple note on paper or in a text file:

“Today I will fix this one thing.”

That’s enough.

Keep those notes. Over time, you’ll start seeing how much you’ve accomplished.

Final thoughts

As I said, this approach has helped me a lot.

Maybe it’s just how I work, or what I personally need to stay motivated.
But if you’re struggling to make progress with limited time, this might help you too.