Hi everyone, I have a productivity problem!
I’m an indie game dev (or trying to be) but my first love is literature and I love reading. But I can’t get past that voice in my head saying ‘you’re not doing anything useful, this is doing nothing for you’ when I read books. My mind always says ‘if you’ve got downtime, you could be watching an educational video’ or something like that. My brain doesn’t let me read for fun.
I’ve got about 60 books on my to-read list and if I’m enjoying myself I can go through a book a week. But I hate that whenever I read, I feel like I’m wasting my time by diving into fictional worlds. But I still love reading.
Does that make sense? Anyone got any advice?
by nsfw_squirrels
15 Comments
Life a game it’s all about how you play it , you make the rules buddy.
What about audiobooks while doing more “productive” tasks? Not necessarily ones that you’d be learning things, but during mundane tasks like cleaning, driving, washing dishes, cooking, etc.
The only context in which you should think of your time as a finite economic resource is if you are employed by someone else. Otherwise doing so will lead you to fabricate problems like this for yourself.
Reading is the *MOST* useful thing in the world.
My ex had a grandson who lived with us for years and when he was just learning to read I used to tell him that reading was the most important skill to have because if you knew how to read you could learn anything in the whole world.
You ARE watching an educational video. The pictures in your head are being created by the words on the page.
Tell that voice to shadup and crack open one of those books and get started!
You have to change your mindset. It may help you to re-frame “reading for fun” as “reading to relieve stress”. Making it necessary to decompress with a book during downtime as mental health care, you may find it easier to unwind and let yourself enjoy reading again.
it’s understandable that you feel that way. you are trying to get going in a career and that takes lots of focus. it’s okay if you stop reading for pleasure for a bit. once you get settled in your field, you will be able to enjoy reading again. rn having fun is making you feel irresponsible because you aren’t secure yet. you will be though.
Try audiobooks. They let you multi-task!
Even fictional stories can teach you valuable lessons. Don’t give in to every thought that appears in your mind, just relax and enjoy the ride. Time that is spent doing enjoyable activities is never wasted.
If you want to address it, I think this is a problem that goes deeper than just reading. It sounds like you need to reevaluate your outlook on work and face your productivity fetishism.
Does reading make you happy? Do you enjoy it on any level? If the answer is yes, it’s not a waste of time.
Productivity has its time and place, but it is not the meaning of life.
>I’m an indie game dev (or trying to be)
Want harsh advice? You will very very likely never make more then pocket change with your games. You can spend decades perfecting your craft and even if you have one or two hit games, you won’t be the next big deal. If you are doing this to hopefully land a job in the industry then you are definitely more on the right track, but even there without a proper degree or something to show for your time nobody will even want to speak to you let alone offer you a high(er) paying job.
You REALLY want to do this? Then I guess don’t read, don’t do anything that brings you joy if the only thing you want to do is dedicate your free time to what reads like change careers. But if you don’t want to potentially lose years of wasted time when you could have gone the proper education route, then stop denying yourself joy and go and have fun.
If reading is fun, if watching tv is fun, if being on reddit is fun, if hanging out with friends is fun, if riding a bike is fun, if … then just do it. You don’t have to be productive at all if you currently have a job that is paying the rent and at least somewhat enjoyable.
Enjoy life, it won’t last forever.
You are an indie game dev. So i assume you like video games / atleast want people to play your game. If its ok for other people to have fun and “waste time” on something you created. So why is it not ok for you to be unproducutive and enjoy something some one else created?
Thats what I think you should ask yourself.
Reading will make u more productive at work. Reading will reduce ur stress and make u more creative by introducing new ideas and concepts to you. If u dont see how thats beneficial for a game developer than idk man
So your plan is for the rest of your life you’re going to spend every minute doing something “productive” or “educational” no fun or relaxation or goofing around? I can’t imagine anyone would recommend that
You have a creative job, in what world is reading not insanely beneficial to that