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8 months ago I wondered how to fit work, side jobs, hobbies and dating together. It has been harder than I thought, but progress has been made regardless. So, let's take a look at how those things are working together currently.
My original goal was to get about 30 hours of game development related work done per week, and I have actually been able to do that when I don't have side jobs. Sadly, I do have side jobs most of the time, so the real gamedev progress is typically just bit over half of that. But, regardless, all this time I have made progress behind scenes even though I have been awfully silent otherwise.
I really need to do something about marketing and such, but I haven't had the time and motivation to get back to tweeting and such. I have also had tremendous trouble coming up with things to talk about lately since game development has been just dull testing, fixing and polishing, and I have been badly out of the loop as far as anime, games and such go.
But, well, I'm trying my best, and even if I might be failing at marketing, Rose Seed Replica is getting more and more playable and polished behind the scenes nevertheless. I feel more motivated about working too (even about testing!) and a bit less depressed about the missed deadlines and stuff now, so it's decent progress here. 😌
The side jobs have taken nearly 2/3 of my work time overall, but I guess it's the necessary evil for now since game development won't bring any food to the table until the game is released. And, well, it might not bring much money after the release either, so having a safety net of some kind will probably be necessary in the future too.
Looking at my log of working hours, I work over 31 hours/week on average when I don't have side jobs and only 26 hours when I do. So, well, having to deal with the side jobs is really inefficient and stressful, but I just like food and warmth too much, so there isn't much I can do about it.
I have found quite a bit more time for relaxing than before. For example, I have been watching anime and playing games like Stardew Valley and Terraria with my girlfriend once or twice a week. Like before, I have also occasionally played board and card games with the local LGBT board game club, my girlfriend and some random people. If everything goes well, I might also join a queer D&D tabletop group soon.
Earlier in the summer, I went to the public swimming pool regularly since the tickets were cheaper then, but I haven't done it in over a month now. I wish I could find a way to get into it again, though, since it's such a great way to relieve stress. Honestly, I need to do more sports. I could barely even swim 25 metres in one go because I'm such a shrimp. 😅
But, nevertheless, I have found more time for hobbies lately, and that has helped quite a bit with the stress. You'd think goofing off two whole days each week would have a negative effect on how much work you get done, but it doesn't actually make such a big difference. And it makes me feel much better too, so I guess this is the way to go.
I don't want to go into too much detail here because I want to protect my girlfriend from the adverse effects of my job. But, well, we're still going strong and, like I mentioned above, we do various geeky things together frequently, among other things. She's my top priority, so even if all else fails, I still try to find time for her. Not the least because being with her is so lovely. 😊
