Thesis Project Week 1: Starting the Journey again (not quite)

The first week of my final semester is done, and so I'm at the real beginning of my thesis project. I’ve been laying the groundwork for months, so there is some relief that I'm not starting with a completely blank page in front of me. I had some time over Christmas where I was in doubt over whether I wanted to continue with the same project as is my neurodivergent way when I work on a project for any length of time. To summarize my list of distractions from the break, I hyperfocused on:

• Building Game Engines
• Non-Euclidian Geometry in Games
• 4 Dimensional Space and Games
• Building games to run on retro hardware
• MIT's Machine Learning course???

But I've come back around now and feel like I'm ready to focus in again. Having some more info on the exact deliverables is helping to narrow my focus though one or two things I learned about might sneak their way in in some form.

Right now, I’m focusing on breaking down everything into manageable tasks. The plan is to avoid burnout and procrastination by keeping things organized and realistic. To that end, I’ve been:

• Listing Due Dates
  
• Breaking Down Tasks
• Prioritizing

The idea is to set myself up for consistencyy. It’s easy for me to feel overwhelmed when looking at the big picture, but smaller, defined steps I can do.

One thing I’m optimistic about is having weekly meetings with my supervisor. Knowing there’s someone to report back to each week should help keep me accountable. It’s also reassuring to have that regular feedback loop to ensure I’m on the right track and not wasting time.

At the moment, most of my energy is going into preparing my initial project proposal, which is due next week. I’m building on the work I’ve already done in the research skills module, refining my ideas and aligning them with the final project’s requirements. It’s been helpful to revisit the research, findings, and planning I’ve done so far with fresh eyes after it all being a bit of a mad sprint towards the end of last semester.

I’ll admit, the thought of staying consistent over the next few months is a bit intimidating. That said, I’m hopeful that the structure I’m setting up now will keep me on track.

For now, it’s all about laying a clear plan, realistic goals, and a manageable pace. Send your prayers and good vibes!