Especially in the modern era, there are a number of distractions that come up almost every second. It is one reason I think being able to focus on a task has become one of the most vital skills when it comes to game development or really any task that you want to accomplish. Here are a few steps I try to take to flex the focus muscle and even gamify it to get those little hits of dopamine to keep myself in the zone as long as possible.
Ask All The Questions
One of the most frustrating and distracting elements of game development is knowing (or not knowing) what goes into creating the final result. I am a huge proponent of asking all the questions you have as soon as possible, no matter how small or obvious they may be.
If there is one thing I have learned is that almost nobody thinks about things in the same way and often the “in between” steps of how to accomplish something can be the most unclear or diverse amongst the people involved. So even if a question seems like it would be obvious or easily answered, ask it anyway. You can always follow up those questions with your own understanding of a situation or a plan for accomplishing a task, but letting others know will almost always elicit some insight you may not have been aware of, or at least in some part can make others aware of the plan and potentially prevent any unexpected interference you might encounter (assets being checked out by other people, animations or art being updated in a way that may change your portion of the task, etc.).
Make A List
This seems like the one everyone shouts out, but it really can make a huge difference. Breaking down a task to it’s smaller more manageable parts and listing them means that I have a concept of everything that needs to be done in a work session. Also it has been relatively well documented that crossing things off a list can feel pretty good and be motivating to move onto the next step.
When You’re Done, Shout It From The Rooftop
Once I’ve completed a task, I try to let anyone involved know it. This can come in the form of asking for feedback, or simply presenting the completed task in some form where anyone can easily see the results. This can have an enormous effect on not just your own achievement, but also be somewhat motivating to others to see how something it coming together.