How I Actually No-BS Became More Productive

[@gruffyddgozali]

When you watch this video instead of studying

[@demonicious_]

Worth it

[@jcdenton5828]

Don’t want to ruin 123 thumbs up

[@boradmay]

will start working, just after another ten vids

[@ZenoDovahkiin]

Shane Landy Me as well, definitely.

[@phano6385]

ZenoDovahkiin My problem is doing both at the same time and not concentrating on either!

[@steverempel8584]

Happie Cat! Exclusively catering to people procrastinating on making their own Video Games!

[@0_0.72]

Thank you!

[@superbubulubu]

Just before I start your video: thank you so much for still uploading videos. You're such an inspiration for so many people. Blessings and success to everything you're doing! :)

[@bgbong0]

A lot of this video reminds me of a forum thread where a new programmer asked "How can I stop worrying about code re-use so I can actually finish a project?" The advice they were given was "Just make the code work for what you need right now, and change it later if you need to; make code usable before you make it re-usable". It's like you're taking that advice and applying it to real life. I think a lot of us fall into the hole of "planning-as-procrastination", and you're hitting the nail on the head. Great video.

[@qwerty11111122]

Hi Happie! I really loved your video, and for me the journey to higher productivity is going very similarly! I posted a while back on your subreddit asking about what engine I should use for my next game. Since then, I realized I didn't even have a proper ending in mind to the story and that that question about engines was just an excuse too. Instead, I am right now writing out the plot of that game instead into what I hope will be a fun novella!

[@rorschach775]

I've been dealing with this a lot lately. Going to school full time for my 3rd degree, working a physical job full time, trying to exercise three times a week, eat healthy and sleep well. I don't even remember what I'm doing most of the day. My body is being abused. I think there may be an unhealthy obsession with being productive also though. I've packed my day full of more stuff than most other humans probably ever do and if I don't finish homework I get depressed. I don't think productivity is the problem. I think there's an appreciation gap for the amount of work people put in and that's why we idolize people. You seem more busy than me. You seem like you're on a better mountain. You may want more but I like your videos. I'm glad you make them. Whether you make more or not I will still very much appreciate the work.

[@HeadphoneTarnish]

I really appreciate your honesty in this video. Productivity is such an emotionally charged topic in our society, and many people tie it strongly to self worth. I think your approach is healthy and uses self-compassion in a way that many people fail to consider, or pretend not to need. Thanks for putting this out there

[@Nalopotato]

My motto over the past year or two has been "One brick at a time". If you have a long task list, just take one brick at a time and if you only put one or two bricks in place per day, that's OK, because you're still getting stuff done. And often times, after you do one or two tasks, you'll feel like doing more.

[@DetectivePoofPoof]

THE CAT IS WISE! I also came to pretty much the same conclusions on my own, and it's been pretty effective. Don't overthink things just focus on the process and enjoy it. Try to have a positive outlook about everything that happens (especially when its not what you wanted) and the big stuff will just resolve itself.

[@gurunext]

Thats not a secret to me that "being yourself" makes you do amazing things - because you can freely realize your passion/intention. And the first step to take is analyze yourself - which is incredibly complicated... Glad someone is going on a similar journey. *Bonus Encouragement* to post them blogs.

[@ThatsPety]

This was stupid relatable. I look at others and what I want to be and think to my self "uugghh I should be there right now why aren't I right there right now" and I want to do a lifetime of work in a day. Great talk

[@PersonaRandomNumbers]

I've been trying to up my productivity for a while now, myself. Sometimes it feels like I'm working nonstop but still can't get everything done, and that really doesn't help my motivation. But being able to just put some vague plans on paper and get to work honestly helps, at least a little. Thanks for the video!

[@randomasdf6901]

You dont imagine how helpful are being your videos for me. I felt so lost and hopeless (srs) but now I recovered hope and i feel motivated and ready to learn a lot about my passion:video games and programming. Thank you very much, greets from Uruguay! i really want to hug you lol

[@manualvarado2212]

I have been trying to struggle with the noise in my mind, but it has been so terribly loud. This video really sheds some light on me, i just want to enjoy the path for sure. Thank yoy so much!

[@CybeargPlays]

Very helpful, thank you! I'm going to try to seriously take your advice and minimize "noise" while pushing myself on little bit at a time. Plus not expecting the world of myself on a daily basis, only to regularly fail to complete my task list...

[@FlameoftheDragonfly]

Well shit, I didn't expect to see something this mature on KZbin today! Exactly what you described in your video has been the life system I have been integrating myself, and I am 100% on board with you on this. I hope that this comment is as validating to you as the video was a validating/pleasant surprise ^_^

[@needlessoptions]

Did you do it by stopping making KZbin videos? got em

[@justinward3679]

Oh snap

[@TheHappieCat]

oh shit waddup But in a sense, yeah that is true! I realized that I'll only make interesting KZbin videos if I'm spending most of my time DOING the things I make videos about... so I've been programming and writing quite a bit. My best stuff comes from real experience. My worst stuff came from explaining math based on articles and textbooks rather than having a real example.

[@ScienceDiscoverer]

TheHappieCat thats why math textbooks and articles sux.

[@KingBlonde]

People either suck at thinking, or spend too much time thinking.

[@joshuahew]

HapieCa, ur the best. I found myself relating to you in basically every aspect of this video (including a mental rewind of Episode VI: Return of the Cringe at 3AM) and I just wanted to say: thank you for being you and posting a video like this

[@gorannovaks]

Don't give up with this. I'm sure you are an inspiration for many.

[@silvenshadow]

Thanks. Alot of this is where I'm at, glad to know that someone else is in the same boat. Cheers!

[@feralcrafter7043]

These match a few of my self rules: - Never compare yourself to others, only yourself - Set time a side to do work ... even if you stare at the screen of 4 hours is good

[@CharIie83]

building competency and being able to do new things, thats whats in it for me

[@threadbearr8866]

Here's a super strict alarm tip for not sleeping in: Get an alarm app that has a barcode feature (like Alarmy) Tape a barcode in a locking file cabinet or other container. Tape a barcode somewhere in your car (like a visor) Set an alarm for inside the cabinet (bedtime) and one outside in the car (time to get up). Lock up the phone and put the key in the car. Now you're forced to dress yourself and go outside in the cold with other people to unlock the alarm and then go back out to shut it off. You're welcome.

[@ScienceDiscoverer]

John Garrison Better do some automatic bucket of water alarm lol

[@threadbearr8866]

ScienceDiscoverer To each their own. I've found taking a cold shower actually makes me more depressed when I get out because of the slump after the surge of adrenaline. Also I tend to beat myself up for having to go to such lengths. If I had a bucket rig I'd just end up drying myself off and sleeping on the dry floor. Going outside on the other hand kicks my social anxiety into high gear. This will be a empowering first step to my day and also a more sustained adrenaline high. As an aside, I have to decide to wear running gear or street clothes. If I wear running gear then I start running after I turn off the alarm in my car. (this is how I run at 5 am and work second shift)

[@threadbearr8866]

ScienceDiscoverer I've been dealing with depression and hypersomnia for 11 years (17-28). In that time I've missed out on relationships and career opportunities. I'm still working on my bachelor's in Computer Science and I had to drop all my classes last semester because I took on too much and fell into a depression. This is a battle for actually living my life (instead of just waking up for work) and making use of the time I still have. That's why I know that alarm routine is practically full proof.

[@ChrisD__]

Alarmy doesn't even need a barcode, just use anything that doesn't move much.

[@threadbearr8866]

Chris D True enough. Barcodes work for me because no matter how cluttered my apartment or car becomes that barcode isn't going anywhere.

[@opheliasautopsy]

Really builds on what I was starting to think about my life, thanks:)

[@courtneym5523]

So basically, make to do lists and enjoy the process because in life your always going to be chasing something :)

[@Yotipo]

Courtney M REDUCE NOISE AND FACE REALITY

[@tempest_dawn]

I really like your drawing videos, the only downside is that then I have to watch the video twice because the first time I'm too focused on the drawings to actually hear what you're saying. Keep up the awesome work!

[@MrKraignos]

Thanks for the honest introspection !

[@MyLittleMagneton]

Something that helps me a lot, is identifying the tasks that are the most important and difficult, and just starting on that straight away. That way I won't feel stressed about this big ass thing that should've been done but isn't even started. At least not as often.

[@thenayancat8802]

This is a great video. I've decided to break out my long-forgotten post-it notes. They got me through my last major dev project and they can help with this one too. Thanks!

[@haxguy0]

Thank you, Ms. Happy Cat 🐈! I really enjoyed the video. I look forward to more

[@justenj891]

Thanks for this. I've been on binging on improve "motive" and "time management" videos to try to become more productive, but this seemed like it was on more of a personal level. I like how you mentioned "individual circumstances", which is something I feel a lot of people never seem to take in regarding this topic.

[@asmaran9262]

Thank you for this video. It really helped me actually want to do more work.

[@kfirlevy8800]

Along with this video I have just watched another video of yours: the creator, the observer and the participant. I must say that I'm 99.99 percent of the time an observer, so commenting to this video really feels abnormal for me. There are a lot encouragement videos out there, but none of them start so modestly, I think that this modesty makes you sound much more honest, therefore much more gladly be listened to, at least that's how it goes for me. I also find your way of thinking is very similar to mine (after watching this video and a few more), so this was very relevant for me. thanks a lot! :)

[@wyattbartlett7179]

Thank you so much for making these videos. Every time I watch one I feel like a HappieCat too.

[@asadsaad1572]

missed you.hey but happy to see ur doing well

[@violethyena6895]

I think this is good stuff with no BS, so thank you for putting it in video form. I think more people need to know this and that it's okay to not be perfect with planning or hyped all the time. Good stuff :)

[@peterwalkington1412]

I always watch productivity videos and non of them have been as relevant or realistic as this one. Thank you.

[@manualvarado2212]

Thank you so much for creating such a personal and realistic video. A few months ago i started learning web development i had kind of an amazing productivity rush in which i actually diminished the noise, i stopped being so worry about what programming learning i should learn and focusing on JS. But then i kind of encountered myself where i was say one year ago, and i am kind of still here, and it hurts. Anyway, this video was really helpful and inspiring for me. Thank you so much!

[@ClarkPotter]

Thank you Happie Cat

[@vilks_jan]

Hey HappyCat, Your drawing has improved, video quality is improving. So guess you are fulfilling your high level goals. Keep up the good work! This clearly is also my problem of succeeding. P.S. If you need an interesting book about this, then "7 habits of highly effective people" had some similar ideas of how to manage yourself.

[@NinTheFolf]

I really, really needed to hear this. Thank you.

[@andersonklein3587]

Amazing hints, some of them took me years to figure out on my own...The others I will skip having to figure out and just starting using them. Thanks! :)

[@runetimon]

Holy shit, you just more or less described my life. I have never seen some one explain it like this. I'm always working extremely hard towards my goals, and when i get there i'm already looking at the next goals not really feeling satisfied with what i have reached so far.

[@bashirabdelwahed]

i found waking up like really early is making me really productive

[@bashirabdelwahed]

and it is also true that i should not compare my self to others

[@FirstnameLastname-cz9vn]

bachir abdelwahed what time do you sleep and what time do you wake up?

[@bashirabdelwahed]

i sleep at 12 and wake up about 7:15 and its been working for me even on saturday and sunday

[@carloscepeda8663]

Thank you! You're being an inspiration for me and my projects

[@NateQDruen]

this is my new favorite video of all time

[@pmancer]

Nice video I was completely pulled in

[@HeyJD123]

Thanks for this video Anne. It's funny how you look up to people who went on amazing career paths, when you yourself went on a pretty fast path to Microsoft. That's pretty amazing to me. My eventual goal is to work at one of the big five tech companies, but I know that'll take years and years, maybe decades. I know you said not to idealize other people's paths.... but still, it's so hard to not do that when you always see people who get hired by one of the big five so fast. It's like watching a superhero and wishing you had super powers.

[@Ech645]

Thanks for the video ❤️ I can totally understand your struggle Just keep going and don't look back!🐎

[@AJ-di3xd]

I have used OneNote for years but have always had keyboard, editing incompatibility issues and now random recurring sync problems. If you want to make organization, planning visual and fun, try SimpleMind. I have been using it for months now and absolutely love it. You can even upload pics for your notes which I have found to be motivating. The Android version is free and the Windows version is very reasonable. The dev has done an exceptional job with the functionality and you can even sync across all your devices using popular clouds. I am not associated with the dev, just a very happy user.

[@Uradamus]

Zim is a nice program for making lists. It has a nice feature for making date based pages that was meant for things like journals and such. But you can just as easily use those to have a page for each day that includes your check box list of goals for that day. Could probably also then have like weekly/monthly summary pages to keep track of your overall progress long term.

[@samuelmachat4568]

Phenomenal title and video. There I was, KZbining, when the title of this video reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look. I tend to be suspicious of titles that magnetic due to how many people misuse click-bait, but that "Actually No-BS" construction wouldn't let me go. Could the content actually be no-BS? I was suspicious, but too curious to resist. I was not disappointed. Stellar production quality and narration, legit not BS while giving legit useful suggestions. Thank you!

[@philbateman1989]

The biggest thing holding me back is, to be honest, fear. I make all kinds of excuses, I'm tired today, I'm not focused today, etc. The reality is I'm scared. I'm scared that if I try I'm going to fail. It's insane. I graduated university with an honours degree in software engineering, I'm a lecturer in games development and I can teach students how to do this stuff in detail, but when it comes to doing it myself, I choke. I'm terrified. I'm scared if I try, and really commit to a project, my innate fear that I'm a fraud will be proven true. That's held me back for so many years, and it's so frustrating.

[@xiaoliw]

wow it's like this video put into words that's more original and normal than other advise columns and facebook articles

[@Kleshtrem]

you have a fantastic voice and it's a pleasure to listen to your content. not just because of your voice but the actual content! :)

[@stevecrawford8367]

I call it "emotional competency". I like how your path went out of sight around the back of the mountain.

[@oceannuclear]

Thank you!!! You reminded me exactly why I'm subscribed to you! I also use the same method: Use Evernote, plan only one week ahead, plan some procrastination time, break down the tasks; and basically just GET STARTED. As for video uploads, I don't mind only seeing your video very occasionally, as long as they are of such high quality 'ω'

[@jarroddowalter]

I feel like you are speaking to me in this video. This is extremely wonderful advice that I have never heard of before. Thanks for sharing! :)

[@Omnic_Monk]

In short and in Shia's words: "Just.... DO IT!"

[@ScienceDiscoverer]

Omnic Monk Its easy to say for such alphamale as him...

[@3xdeux]

Omnic Monk Don't let your dreams become memes!

[@burningmagyk4986]

ScienceDiscoverer, he's kinda weird for an alphamale if he's working so closely with the SJW scene.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

have you seen the Auralnauts' remix of that talk? :D

[@senatorpoopypants7182]

Ol' Nike's words you mean

[@ronniesunshine1163]

This was comforting to listen to

[@ezhGameONE]

This was a very genuine and helpful video. I really appreciate your efforts. :)

[@jeremyckahn]

This was so great, thanks for sharing this! I appreciate the focus on healthy, sustainable work habits rather than “productivity hacks.”

[@hazesecret5097]

Thanks for the video. 😺 Back on track now! 🤓

[@MatthewBishop64]

"Confront reality" - I love that. I'm going to start saying this to myself.

[@BobJones-bg4ui]

I needed this video lol

[@deeRay7292]

same, same, same

[@ScienceDiscoverer]

Bob Jones Sadly my problems are much deeper, so this vid won't help... I thoght about this planning madness long time ago.

[@invntiv]

I love your channel so muchl, it has such a well-curated array (no pun intended!) of topics for programmers. I really like that you talk about informative things like Brainfuck and AI in games, but also the auxiliary issues to the programmer's lifestyle such as Imposter Syndrome and productivity. It really is just a great blend and I hope that you will contine to produced this quality content! One thing I would really enjoy seeing from you are more "long form" or in-depth tutorials that actually cover the process behind a topic. For instance I would love to see you do some game programming for 30 minutes just covering a topic like User Interface, or Physics, or whatever, and talking about whatever inspires you. You have a really interesting thought process and it would be nice to see some longer content!

[@hayabusa1x]

Great video, very inspiring, I've been finding the same is true for me: plan as little as possible, set goals in smaller chunks.

[@Franc38]

completely unrelated, but I love your voice. So sweet and restful

[@RJpsyco009]

Hey, you're cool. Thanks for the videos. I'm working on my bachelor's in IT and really want to get into programming... your videos help motivate me. Especially this one! I'm always worried I don't have time to get anywhere with what I want. But I know I just need, like you said, consistent (if slow) progress!

[@sherwinclaridge2807]

Thank you for this. It touched upon a lot of the things that I have been thinking about recently.

[@Tedjyt]

This is basically SCRUM & Agile. We apply these at dev works all day long, it's a science and it works.

[@SimGunther]

Just looked at your last vid today to feed my HappieCat fix. **Looks at notification for new HappieCat video** Such a cool Easter Saturday gift. Here's to an awesome Easter :3

[@ScienceDiscoverer]

SimGunther Humanity dont need religious holydays. Better make science holidays.

[@SimGunther]

Well, there's always Euler's day (2/7) and Pi day (3/14), so....

[@ArgonByte]

You are a very wise and inspiring cat!

[@Mathhead2000]

Awesome video. I'm kinda in the same head space you were talking about, and this helped get me a little more motivated.

[@CorpseKingReki]

The hardest part is starting. Personally, I get over that problem by just, opening whatever it is I need to work on. Having it there in the background. If it's there and visible, it's more likely that I'll be like "oh okay I'll work on this". It takes away that sense of commitment, if it's just there, and I don't have to work on it straight away. I just wander to it after goofing off for a while, and before I know it, I've been working for hours.

[@colinhall87]

You're so spot on.

[@FinalTouchComputers]

I started becoming more productive by actually not having a definitive goal, sure, my goal after this school is to go to uni. But I'm not actually planning that much anymore, I just let things come and go the way they just do, which makes me feel so much less pressured. And if I don't finish something today, I'll just finish it tomorrow. If I take even more time to do it, so be it. Better work a little longer, but have a good end result than rushing something.

[@TushantMirchandani]

Goddamned, I'm so happy I subscribed to this channel!

[@naushikha]

I believe mindfulness and facing reality is the key, that was based on my experience these days. Great video.

[@dirtygrandma1]

How to win friends and influence people changed my life. Since that book was your recommendation, then I will check out the other 9 books!

[@slapling]

so glad I found this channel!

[@david4jsus]

Your drawings are amazing xD Thank you for this video, it gave me inspiration and encouragement as I've been trying to do some of these things for the last few months.

[@rahulisgreat4911]

Thank you so much

[@JenniferDawe]

I do the one sentence thing as well, I have the digital sticky notes on my desktop and just write things down before I forget them, so I always know what I can do next!

[@Noxoreos]

That kind of thing works pretty well using trello. At least the task building itself is easy enough to do using it. I mean I wouldn't even create task lists if that would require any effort. Once it's set up and you settle on a way to manage your days, you can focus on actually getting stuff done. I wouldn't plan for a full week though. I just have a few backlogs like "ideas", "anytime now", "today" and "next weekend", as well as "Done April-17". Stuff that needs to be done on a, or up to a specific date can even be set up using a reminder.

[@Boopadee]

Planning for a week at a time sounds a bit like sprints. I'm glad that watching this I'm realizing I'm already doing some of these things.

[@kailomonkey]

I had a returning problem of struggling to approach things I felt uncertain about. I think I used a similar method that worked quite well. Part of the problem was actually feeling like I hadn't done anything because I was avoiding the things, so I put the smallest things I wanted to do on a small whiteboard in plain sight and included some hobbies to so reading/writing was an item, walk/ride was an item, prepare was a collection for getting up, eating breakfast and taking a shower... Anyway the point is I then had the tasks I was avoiding on the board also and I got to tick off what I'd done that day and scored myself a percent of the items I'd completed. It put into perspective what I'd achieved that day, I was scoring above 50% and was encouraged and for the next day I added weights to things I hadn't done to encourage me to try them to get a higher percentage done. It's not full proof at all cos I still struggle at times, also I have a tendancy to forget the reason I'm doing these things or the details that help them work. But I did it again today and all I did today that I wrote down was prepare and record some music, not really what I should be prioritising right? but that was 14% which was encouraging, and I actually decided the music I got done was worth weighting 3 which put me up to 25% for the day and feel like I've made use of the day, it wasn't a complete fail of avoidance... And I've subsequently weighted the tasks I've missed according to priority to encourage me to try them tomorrow. It may be a little overly gamified or a little to easy to mess with but it's about encouragement I suppose and it certainly has helped before so I hope to get more important things done tomorrow :) Similar to your method in that I can be realistic and do other things when I feel like but keep track of what I'm tempted to let slide... if something really gets avoided and it's important, the weighting gets so high I can be satisfied if that's the minimum I do in a day, though I'd feel so encouraged that I'd done it I'd usually do other things as well anyway.

[@suppositionstudios]

I already did this, but didn't quite realise it. I find one of my problems is getting started,but then once i'm doing something I can't sop until i've finished it. This can cause problems if the thing can't be done in one day. i don't have any advice on this, but just recognise when you're doing it and maybe tell yourself to switch tracks out of fear or not doing the things you need to do instead.

[@MichaelMurkovic]

Coded while watching your vid. Productivity - enhance!

[@maamiimii]

This was actually really really helpful. I've been feeling especially down in the dumps after a rejection from Google and Facebook last year when I ALMOST HAD THEM but started to notice most of my negativity/lack of productivity post those interviews was due to reading tons reddit posts about people like "HAHA I JUST GOT 125k +90K SIGNING BONUS AT FACEBOOK IN MY SLEEP. EZ" and being instantly emotionally drained. When I started calming down and thinking realistically about it it made me feel a bit better/calmer and I became MUCH more productive. I'm glad to see other people are out there finding ways to tame the urge to compare themselves to everyone else's success/path.

[@Lill0fD]

Oh crud, almost forgot I subbed to you, and you brought up a subject I needed to listen to today. Time to bring out the floaties, because I'm going on this boat for a bit as well. I guess this isn't new to me, but my brain will conveniently forget during depression periods. Welp, getting out the Index Cards, let's plan week by week for once.

[@quaternaryyy]

If you're looking for an application to help you manage this to do list, see if Trello works! I like the labeling system; I use it to label todo items from school, games, hobbies, personal projects, events... in different colors. There's also just something innately satisfying about dragging cards to the Done pile, haha.

[@cris7ea]

Well said!

[@goldfoxlcp4216]

I agree with this video completely, but something else that also helped me out a ton was an app called Incentives+ (it's completely free, just a really really simple app), which allows you to make tasks and assign how many points the task is worth. You can also add wishes which you can buy with the points. So say you want to stop drinking a ton of soda or chocolate or whatever, limit yourself by saying "I cannot drink soda unless I buy it for 30 points, but to get these points I need to be productive by doing things like my laundry for 8 points, studying for 30 minutes for 6 points, and whatever"

[@shadmantanjim7985]

I needed this. Thank you

[@zenahrb8316]

Thank you so much for sharing! I guess you'll sometime be attending a Ted-talk as a speaker soon...

[@kford9271]

These are all great things. I wish I had watched this video while in college, or some other time in my life when managing stuff was easier. But, once you have kids, all this goes out the window. You just try to find the tiny amount of time you have to yourself hidden in a couch cushion somewhere and make the most of it. :(

[@qwerty11111122]

Yay!!! A new video!!

[@JonathanHernandez-gk8ly]

Just what I needed. :D