Starting Chronobit Studios
Our LLC Dedicated to Software Production, Web Design, and Games
My Husband and I started a business last year: Chronobit Studios. What we really want to do is make video games and do web design and website solutions.
In the meanwhile, however, we’re just starting it up. Justin likes to call me the CEO but really the CEO of $0 profit company comprised of 2 individuals out of a basement is basically….nothing. I appreciate the sentiment though. What he’s trying to tell me is that I’m important, and a wife can never deny that.
However I’m not here to talk about that, I’m here to talk about the emotional side we’ve experienced in the last year of trying to start up this business.
Surprisingly, going through the red tape of setting up our business through federal, state, and county means as well as getting a bank account, website, credit cards, business cards, certifications etc. was all relatively easy. “Fill out this form and give us the fee. Ok and you’re done! have fun with your business.” But the rest is the hard part. Currently we’re working on one game to premier; one game to set the stage, to start us out, to get our feet wet; one game to show for ourselves. But it’s slow work and in the last year of working on something that is not even close to finished, we’ve certainly gone around what I call the Big Project Cycle a few times.
Inspired > Excited > Motivated > Overwhelmed > Distracted > Decision > Determined > Brainstorm > Inspired
The cycle is vicious since it can derail a project for long periods of time and deter someone from actually finishing out an idea before moving on to something else only to fall again into the cycle. But to try to totally stay out of the cycle all together may hinder growth since the determination stage is where people are prompted to problem solve or do research in an area they may not otherwise have contemplated. In a strange way, the creative process Big Project Cycle is helpful, if used properly.
Now let it be said at this point that I am not a psychologist, nor have I done research in motivational tools etc. etc. These are simply my observations which have helped me muscle through days were I was less than motivated I hope that it does for yourself as well.
So here's how I see it when you get into this cycle:
Inspired
Pros
Spectacular! You have a great idea! 1. Write it down right away!! 2. Mull it over a bit, no need to jump in head first without thinking it through a bit. 3. Keep riding that excitement: You can really get some work done on your project in this stage!Cons
Exercise caution, the excitement of a new project is fleeting and unstable. Make sure that you have finished your last idea. Ask yourself: Can this wait? Is this related to your current project?What to do
If it’s a helpful idea, go with it. If not, keep it in your project list of ideas and come back to it when you're not in the middle of a big project. One day you’ll be looking for the perfect puzzle piece and this idea will be there for you.
Excitement
Pros
This is going to really get you going on what your big idea is and it’s going to lead to the next step but…Cons
it can really be detrimental to your projects if you only get motivation from excitement.What to do
It sounds weird but curb your enthusiasm a bit: there is much to do and much time in which to do it. Sometimes slow and steady really is the way to win the race and so getting overly excited about a part not yet well thought out will just produce unusable work. Instead, take your excitement and go do things you DON’T like to do. This could be cleaning so that you can mull over your idea more or it could be other programming so to see where this all may fit in best. Having a calculated plan will help you get through the cycle on top.
Motivation
Motivation is different than excitement in a subtle but important way. Where excitement can be fleeting, unplanned and unstable, motivation is a strong force which implies action, not just anticipation. If you’ve thought soundly about the work through the new idea and excitement phase, and you are STILL motivated to continue work on it, this is when you sit down and work hard on your idea. If you’ve thought through any possible hiccups and made an outline, then you’re set to go with that motivation.
Pros
You’ve got a strong driving force to get stuff done so get as much stuff done as possible.Cons
Your work can get distracted or derailed quickly even at this stage, so stay vigilant.What to do
Have a gameplan: lock yourself away and go for it. Put on some good music that motivates you, keep some coffee or soda on hand, do small snacks all day to keep you full and focused but not sleepy and turn off your facebook or your TV. Get all those distractions away so you can ride the rails of motivation for as long as possible!!
Overwhelmed
Cons
This is the greatest thief of motivation in the book. If you look at the Mount Everest as a whole, you’ll never take the first step to climbing it. But if you look five feet ahead of you, you’ll realize you can at least travel those five feet. Then look five more feet, oh yea I can do five more feet no prob. Even at this point, though, you may be resting on motivation and action from excitement alone. Even after going thousands of steps, once you take that one fateful look upwards or behind you to see how much you have or have not done, you will (no mater how unintentionally) compare that to your expectations. When the reality of how much more there is to accomplish exceeds your exceptions, you have reached the point of overwhelmed.Pros
Being overwhelmed is not necessarily all bad. If you employ the five foot rule, it will force you to look at your project in manageable parts which will help you really economize your time.What to do
When you're overwhelmed, take a step back but promise yourself you'll get back to it and set a deadline in the near future. You know yourself best: When I'm overwhelmed I usually take a day and come back to it, other times i'll only take an hour. It depends also upon your own personal deadline for the project as a whole. But remember, it's ok to take a moment away, as long as you get back. This is the moment most projects get abandoned and as a result, you can have dozens of unfinished projects laying around. The best thing to do at this point is to come back, refreshed, soon, WITH A GAME PLAN, otherwise you're liable to get....
Distracted
Pros
Again, distraction isn't necessarily bad: there's a possibility that you stumble upon other bits of related inspiration for this or other projects in your distraction away from your main project.Cons
Taking a step away from an overwhelming project can help refresh you. Or it can distract you. Think about it: Big project, feeling down in the mouth, like you can't do anything, well maybe i'll just look at youtube - OOOOh SHINY! Yea let's avoid this. Instead you should:What to do
Use your time away from an overwhelming project to work on other aspects of said project but in a different vain. For instance, in game making with Chronobit Studios, I tell Justin to work on something productive outside of programming the game. When he gets overwhelmed or discouraged, It's best for him to stay within the working mind set by working on drawings, perfecting some visual appeal of buttons, working on the website somehow, conceptualizing storylines, doing research on networking conventions, making music, or even looking up different techniques he could learn within in programming. This will keep your mind focused on your task without getting yourself totally distracted by social media, new tech on IGN, or Cat videos. He even helps me edit my book sometimes: he's still doing work but he's outside of the confines of programming.
Decisions
It is at this point in the cycle that you make a conscious decision to continue working on your project or to abandon it. If you can make it past being overwhelmed and distracted, than the decision should be easy: Keep plugging away! With your newfound decision, you will also find a newfound determination:
Determined
Cons
Determination can be a strong emotion but it can also be a fleeting one. Like excitement, make sure that you project is not driven by determination alone. A man with a spoon might be determined to cut down a tree by knocking away at it for an eternity, but you may want to use this moment to reexamine the tools or stratagem you are utilizing: there may be something better out there.Pros
Determined is great. It's on the opposite side of the scale from motivated and does a very similar thing: It is a driving force behind getting work done. Go with it: regroup, reorganize, outline, organize, make deadlines get yourself all set up for the next step.What to do
With new fervor, reexamine the work you have done, the direction in which you want to go, and make a game plan from this point on. This will cause you to:
Brainstorm
Pros
This seems pretty self explanatory: Brainstorming is a great way to get new ideas and approaches to a problem or project. But exercise caution:Cons
Brainstorming can also be a distracting element. As such, when new ideas are discovered, return to the "Inspired" Part: Examine your idea to ensure that it is pertinent to your project and will help you build instead of help you complicate your initial idea.What to do
Brainstorming is that time in which you are motivated to think hard about your project. This is the stage right before you find that one idea that really launches you into a project. Allow your creativity to flow, write down any and all ideas, seek inspiration in other, new locations or situations if you want but don't forget that not all of your brilliant ideas will be able to fit into your current endeavor: some can wait for another time, and that's ok!
So What Does This All Mean?
Ultimately, I use this cycle to help me remain mindful of my main goal. There are times when, in the middle of a project, I get so lost in details or so overwhelmed by the work that I lose sight of some of these stages. Instead of walking consciously through them, I slip idly through them and therefore, knowing that this cycle exists in my life enables me to be conscientious of it and therefore take action against it. This cycle may or may not apply to you, and the actions you take to remain motivated, focused and inspired will look different from the actions I must take. But overall, I feel better equipped to prepare myself for a large project with the knowledge that these stages will pop up, but at least when they do, I will be ready to handle them.
