I was absolutely struggling to do anything on my project today. Zero motivation. Brain said no. So why not write down a few things that usually trick me into starting?
Because here’s the reality—making games isn’t always fun.
There have been weeks on my Curragh Racing game (shoutout to Colun) where I was deep in background systems. No visuals. Nothing flashy. Nothing I could show someone and go, “Look how cool this is.” Just code. Lots of it. That phase is brutal for motivation.
So here are a few things that actually help me push through:
1. Make your goals stupidly small
Instead of: “Today I’ll build the entire time system”
Try: “I’ll make a timer go up and display on screen”
Even smaller works. The trick is lowering the barrier so much that you can’t say no. Most of the time, once I start, I end up doing way more anyway.
2. Do “productive procrastination”
Every project has low-effort wins.
If you don’t feel like tackling a big system, fix that annoying UI bug. Tweak a sound effect. Clean up something messy. It all counts, and it keeps momentum going without frying your brain.
3. Leave breadcrumbs for future you
At the end of each session, write down what you’ll do next.
Doesn’t matter if it’s a Kanban board, a sticky note, or a random scribble. Just having a clear “next step” saves you from opening the project and thinking “What was I even doing?”
Some days you’re locked in. Some days you’re dragging yourself through it.
Both still move the project forward.