Reply To: Your CG routine – how do you keep up the pace ?

[Phil Osterbauer]

I’ll tell you what I’ve been told by many when it comes to online education. “You get what you put into it.” The person that puts 4 to 8 hours a week into these courses isn’t going to get the same out as the person that puts 12 to 24 hours. I’m not trying to tell ya that there is a magic number to hit but if being a professional is a serious goal then finding time to dedicate to it won’t be a problem. That’s not to sound mean or anything, I hope it more motivates you to really analyze your time and your goals. If its something you really want, you WILL find time. For me I carve out 2 or 3hrs every night after my wife and kid go to sleep. I find its much easier to concentrate when I’m the only one up and I don’t have to split my attention between what’s in front of me and whats around me. Doing it this way also makes sure I’m devoted to my family during the day. 

The motivations is almost always there, but I find the hardest to both get started and to go eventually complete a given course, without being distracted by other tutorials.

For this in regards to starting, I can understand this feeling. I wish I knew what psychological thing does this to us. Its a mental block that can only be taken down by doing the very thing its trying to keep us from doing….and that’s to just start. Do anything. Agree to yourself that you will watch 1 minute of a given tutorial and really listen to what that minute has to say. *Spoilers* I bet you will get farther than a minute. If its a project, agree to yourself that you will get one edge laid down if your modeling. If animating tell yourself you’re going to get one pose keyed in. Again *Spoilers* I bet you get more than that done because now you’ve taken down that barrier and the fun of learning and creating something is taking over.

@theluthier I like your idea. I know based on the way I learn, I’m more confident moving through a Learning Flow than making one on my own. The “buffet” style would still work great for hobbyists and self starters. Having flows based on professional discipline (generalist, texture artist, character designer, animator…) would be kind of cool. 

A final note. Never underestimate the power of a good list. To jot down what you want to accomplish during your next learning session will keep you focused and goal oriented. I was introduced to a very helpful site called Trello and I use this to create my daily lists. Check it out.

I hope this helps you out some. Happy learning my friend! 🙂