Some tasks you can break down, the others are the Hydra...
How I tried to make learning more consistent with a certain method, and failed.
Taking notes is one thing when learning a new technology or tool.
The other would be maintaining a learning flow.
Perhaps not the state of mind of joyful focus (but who would say no to that?), but one challenge I have right now is maintaining a somewhat constant motivation, or a rhythm.
I found this method that seems to help with that - the goal gradient method.
At the roots of this method lies the observation that people, when near the finish line can summon incredible amounts of motivation to cross the finish line.
So instead of thinking about big goals we should break them down into smaller chunks to have that empowering feeling more often, and maintain constant motivation.
Yeah, I know, enlightening as hell 😉
Dividing your goals into smaller achievable tasks is a good strategy, assuming you know what you are doing.
When you're writing a book, you can break it down into chapters.
When you're making a game, you can break it down into features or game mechanics.
But when you're learning a game engine?
What is the smaller step then? Chapter? Engine feature?
Learning a game engine is a task similar to defeating the hydra! Successfully learning how to do something feels like cutting off one head. But once you have learned, question-shaped necks raise with more hydra heads!
You can never be sure how many spare heads the hydra has... somewhere. You can't be sure how many game engine features are enough to make games. (of course, sometimes you know, especially if you already know another game engine or just capable of coding a game).
Not to mention that the gradient effect doesn't really work in work-life-passion balance.
Even when I finish a smaller milestone it's usually early at night, so there is a small chance, I will start the next one. And before I start it the next day: I have work, chores, family time, walking the dog, and maybe some time in the evening. There's no way I will have the same motivation as last night!
How do you maintain focus/motivation between the days?
In short: learn by doing, learn to create a deliverable, rather than learn to learn. I do very much also hate the feeling of being completely unable to estimate time needed for x, because ive never done x y or z before. not sure that is avoidable.
What game are you trying to make?
Unless you're trying to get a "self-taught computer gaming" degree (which isn't a thing), tutorial hell is a form of analysis paralysis.
I tend to collect art and music for my games, but I'm fairly minimalistic at actually using them. I have 7GB of art and music sitting on my flash drive waiting to be used, but my last game used <20MB of both. I see the art and think, "I can see where that would be useful in that type of game. I might want to make one of those someday." Since there is no real cost to downloading free art and storing it on a huge flash drive or SSD HD, I can waste HOURS scrolling free game art sites and collecting BILLIONS of images.
What's the point?
Sitting passively watching "edu-tainment" tutorials have no value unless you are trying to solve a specific problem. So, what game are you right now in the process of making? What problem are you trying to solve?
"If the only tool you have is a hammer, every thing becomes a nail."
If you have no problem to solve, then every solution will work. ... But is it REALLY a solution if you have no problem that needs solving?