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Ten Ways to Boost Productivity in World of Warcraft
A Death Knight’s work is never done.
While I was trolling for blog fodder casually browsing the Internet, I came across an article ironically entitled Ten Ways to Boost Daily Productivity. Despite the time I spend in front of the computer staring at Youtube or playing vidja games, I do like to be productive. But as I read the article, two things became obvious right away. The first was that none of the information I was reading was any kind of great revelation to me. The second thing was that I kept referring everything I read back to World of Warcraft in some way, which sadly said a little too much about my state of mental well-being, or lack thereof.
So, being the sucker for punishment helpful soul that I am, I listed the Ten Ways to Boost Daily Productivity below to help you with your productivity in day to day life. If that wasn’t enough, I then unleashed the Big Reveal – how these very same techniques can help you make the most of your World of Warcraft experience!
You’re welcome, Internet. You’re welcome.
1) Listing. It all beings with listing. If you don’t have a list, create one. If you have a rough list from the night before, the first thing to do when you sit at your desk is to sharpen the list, adding any last minute items.
- How it fits in WoW – For the people who say there is nothing to do in World of Warcraft, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will throat punch you. Allow me to crawl into your headplace and rewire a thought or two. It’s not that there isn’t anything to do in WoW. It’s that there is too damn much to do, and you are either in quantity overload or they are things that just don’t interest you. All I can say about that is either give something new a try, or go back to raiding/PVP/knitting your one night a week and stop bitching. But for the other few millions of players who tap this game daily, take heart as I cyber-pat you on the head and give you a sympathetic “there there, grasshopper.” It is easy to get overwhelmed by the heaping pile of stuff to do, especially if you want to have any kind of life outside the game (which I hope you do) and are online for only a limited time period (which you should be). There’s so much to do, so much you can do, that a list will help make the most of your game time.
2) Worst First. We often have one item on the list that is hanging over our head and just doesn’t seem like it will get taken care of. Step up to the plate and knock this out. The rest of the day is downhill from there.
- How it fits in WoW – Okay, take a breath because I’m going to say one word. Dailies. Calm down. Breathe in through your nose, out through the mouth. Better? Rep grinds. Now now, breathe again. Feel better? Good. I know people have developed eye twitches and neck spasms at the mere mention of those words, but dammit these are things that have to get done. Necessary evils, no matter how much you bitch about them. Get those collective pains in the ass done first, so you can chill out and enjoy the rest of your game time without that blue exclamation point hanging over your own head.
3) Just Do It. Just do those small items to help you feel more productive. They are quick and often very easy. Complete and get the big marker out to cross them off the list.
- How it fits in WoW – There are a few quick things you can do in WoW. They take a couple of minutes, and can turn out to be very beneficial for you. Hit your farm and harvest your crops for either the rep quests, motes of Harmony, or any other goodies you planted. Also, most professions have daily cooldowns, and it’s usually just a matter of getting the mats and pushing a button. Quick, easy, and sometimes a good money maker. I will take the high road and not make a “like your mom” joke here. Wait, I guess I kinda just did. Damn.
4) Make Things Enjoyable. Reward yourself with occasional breaks, music you enjoy, or even a snack. Life is short. Enjoy your work.
- How it fits in WoW – I think most of us crank the tunes or podcasts when we’re doing dailies, or whatever online chores we have set up for ourselves. When dealing with the more mindless ones, even watching a movie on another screen can help pass the time, as well as getting some “must see” viewing done. Just don’t let your
pornomovie distract you from finishing your WoW chores.
Keep you eyes on the prize.
5) Peak Times. Identify the time you know are most productive (3pm coffee hour?) and set aside some tasks for that time. When this time rolls around, close your cubicle door so that it is just you and your work.
- How it fits in WoW – It’s not so much “peak time” as it is “available time”. Most folks only have a handful of free time for gaming. Early risers will sneak an hour in before the y leave for work or school. Some have a couple of hours after dinner, or homework, or once the kids are in bed. For the sake of your sanity, not to mention any relationship you are involved in, make sure there’s a balance between game time and real time. And stick to the time cap – if you set aside an hour to WoW it up, don’t stretch it into two. That’s what this productivity thing is for. Also, for the sake of those who don’t wish to constantly be the victim of stereotyping, if time needs to be cut, cut from game time not real time.
6) Pareto (80/20). Use it to your advantage. Find the items/clients/projects which are most significant and are requiring little time. Devote more time to those items.
- How it fits in WoW – Put your hand down, and close that other browser tab. To answer your question, Pareto states that “for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes”. Basically, giving you the most bang for your buck. MoP has been good with stacking dailies and rep grinds, allowing you to get valor/gold/rep all at once. Decide what you want to do that will produce the most results, and make that your focus.
7) Batching. Cluster your emailing sessions and your phone call sessions. Sort for 3-4 batches a day. This will help keep short emails and phone calls from distracting you whilst you work on your pareto items.
- How it fits in WoW – Take the garbage out. Clean the dishes. Make sure your homework is done, or that the kids are not just in bed, but in the right bed. Do these potentially distracting things before your game time so your Husband/Wife/Mom/Prison Guard doesn’t kick down your door while you’re halfway through your dailies and tell you to grab your toothbrush ‘cause Bubba done shat himself in the shower again.
Damn it Bubba.
8) Specialize. Focus on one single task at a time. Distractions and multitasking eat up your time. Consistently completing and crossing off tasks is encouraging and satisfying.
- How it fits in WoW – Don’t be that guy. You know, the guy who flies around looking for mining nodes, sees a pet he could battle, and when he lands and starts battling he remembers he didn’t revive his pets from a battle the other day. So he retreats from the battle, revives his pets, but is attacked by someone from the opposite faction. Because he didn’t repair his gear after the raid the other night, he gets his lunch handed to him through a straw. He then has to go find a repair vendor, and as he’s flying back to town he see the mining node he’d been looking for in the first place. This kind of thing happens all the time. Doesn’t mean it’s a very smart way to play. Just writing that out almost gave me a seizure. I had to stop to wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth. Focus. Bottom Line – Don’t’ be that guy.
9) Optimize and Reflect. As you get to the end of the day, think back on the day, identify your peak times, the most wasteful tasks and seek to keep from repeating those tasks tomorrow. Might you have been able to more efficiently complete a task? Taking the time to make a mental note of what you can do better the next time will put you on the road to continuous improvement.
- How it fits in WoW – What did you get done today? Could you have grouped things differently to get more done? If there are still items on your checklist, why did they not get done? Are you lazy, is that what this is? Did you just not want it bad enough? What the Hell is wrong with you? I thought you were hardcore, dude. I thought you were cool.
10) Re-list. At times you will not complete everything you had on your list. This is okay, add them to tomorrow’s list with a star so that they do not get rolled over a second day. By the days end you will have a rough idea of items you need to do tomorrow. Go ahead and list them. Tomorrow when you start fresh, you will be less likely to have missed any.
- How it fits in WoW – If I have to do one more daily, I’m going to rage-hump my keyboard to death. If that idea is lodged in your brain pan, maybe you might want to skip doing dailies tomorrow and instead knock off some pet battles. If you spend the time gathering mats, maybe tomorrow you should focus on your crafting professions. Write all the changes down, and get ready for another uber-efficient gaming session.
If you’re going to play World of Warcraft, you might as well get the most out of your fifteen bucks when you log in.
Shared Topic – Seven Deadly Sins
The deadly sin of Curiosity, killer of cats.
Noahdeer, over on Blog Azeroth, posted this Shared Topic:
We all know of the Seven deadly sins (Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy and Gluttony) and we all succumb to aspects of them at one time or another, but is there one particular sin that affects you more than the others when you play World of Warcraft? Are you a bit too prideful about your armor set? or Do you look upon someone with envy when they have a piece of armor that you don’t have yet?
I believe it was the great space western philosopher Malcolm Reynolds who, when asked what his own sin was, said “Ah Hell, I’m a fan of all seven. But right now, I’m gonna go with Wrath.”
Aye Aye Captain Tightpants.
Wrath – not just “of the Lich King” or “of Khan”, but something that keeps me warm at night.
World of Warcraft, as grand and all-encompassing as it may be, is just a video game. Blizzard wants more people playing their game, so they’ve tried to hammer out the dents in the learning curve to allow for ease of entry (Editor’s Note — deleted the “Like your Mom” joke because, come on, too easy.) Unfortunately, the more they simplified things for newer players, the more the existing player base ramped up the difficulty through social interaction.
And by “social interaction” I mean “being a raging shit-boner.” Thus begins my rage-bomb.
Nobody likes being made to feel stupid, or inferior, especially when they’re playing a video game. It takes time to learn how to play your class, or learn boss mechanics in dungeons. But once the basics are down, the World is your oyster. If sexy RP servers and WowIronman.com have taught me anything, it’s that there’s no wrong way to spend your time in-game.
But there are players who do not embrace that concept. Screw optimal rotations; if you’re not using your in-game time like they are (aka “the Right Way”), they will squat over your head and shat on your forehead. Y’know, people like:
1) Snobby Raiders. Raiding is a niche Blizzard developed, just like PVP, to engage more players once they’re level capped. Gotta keep ’em playing, keep ’em feeling like they’re progressing once players reach max level, right? Right. So Blizzard amped up encounter difficulty, let players throw crowds of characters at it, and reward the characters accordingly with pretty purple pixels. While I haven’t done any raiding since my Everquest days, I do know the thrill of the raid and the sweet satisfaction of downing a boss. It’s a pretty cool feeling, and can be a great bonding moment with your fellow players.
However, many raiders have the attitude that if you are not doing 25-man content, 10-man content, or raiding at all, you are “doing it wrong.”
Seriously, go fuck your hat.
It pisses me off to no end when raiders make non-raiders feel like they’re somehow inferior because they’re not grouping with nine or twenty-four other people to kill things. We all, raiders and non-raiders alike, killed the same content to get to the end game. Just because some people choose to do other things once they’re level-capped doesn’t make them any worse than anyone else. Just like wearing raid loot or a raid title doesn’t make you better. Hell, you could be a complete half-wit who eats paint chips while you play, but saddle up with a team of non-mouth breathers and you can get through the content. That’s the thing about team play – really good can help make up for the less than good.
So congratulations. You and your buddies killed Deathwing. You’re no better than the gnome flying around picking herbs. You just chose to spend your time differently. Also, you’re a bit of a sucker for punishment.
You haven’t killed Deathwing yet? How have you not killed yourself, noob!
2) Entitled Douchebags. If you want to party in Club World of Warcraft, fifteen dollars a month is the cover charge. What happens once you get past the velvet rope is up to you. There is no guarantee that hotties will be grinding up on you. There is no promise of cramped, sexy bathroom nookie. There’s a good time to be had, but sitting in the corner booth sipping your water won’t make it happen.
But there are WoW players out there who don’t understand. Y’know, the “bathroom nookie” part. (Editor’s Note — Maybe some of us prefer not to play where we poop.) There are also players who feel that they should be getting all the perks that other players have. They have the RIGHT to see all of the content. They DESERVE the same loot. I mean, it’s not their fault that they have lives and can only play a couple of hours a week! They should get the same purples as rep grinders, farmers, or raiders! They pay their fifteen bucks a month just like everyone else, dammit!
To all of that I say this: Go piss up a rope and suck the wet end. That taste in your mouth is the taste of failure. Also, urine.
You are “entitled” to two things in World of Warcraft – Jack and Shit. Pay your money to Blizzard, and Blizzard gives you a World (of Warcraft) to play in. You are entitled to the same opportunity everyone else has – to play the game. If you don’t have the time to put in, that’s not anyone else’s issue but your own. Others have had to sacrifice things to advance in the game and earn their shinies (like family time, personal hygiene, social skills, sunlight). If you’re not in a position to do the same, be happy with what you have.
You can’t always get what you want in a video game, or Real Life. Grow up.
… and do WHAT with the wet end?
I could go on and on (seriously, I have a list), but I feel that you, dear reader, are picking up what I’m putting down. There are millions of people playing World of Warcraft. Tens of thousands per server. Thousands per faction. If people would treat each other the same way they would if they were in the same room, I think more people would not only play, but they’d stick around. WoW is a reflection of our society. What parts it reflects is up to all of us.
Play nice. Don’t be an asshole.
Mobile Armory Now Free
Hey, World of Warcraft players! You know how you’ve been chatting with your guildmates on you iPhone or Android device while cruising down the highway? You remember thinking how amazing technology can be, letting you interact with these people who were currently logged into WoW, while you yourself were obviously NOT in-game, all while speeding toward the intersection hoping to beat the red light?
(Editor’s Note: Seriously, don’t do that people. That shit is reckless and dangerous. Plus, try explaining to the cops that you rear-ended that family of five because you were talking about what class your Panda was going to be. Sodomy via taser is nothing to sneeze at, folks. It does the opposite of tickle.)
Remember feeling minor regret at having to pay a couple of bucks a month for the privilege of being able to waste even more free time in WoW?
Well you can squash that minor regret like the cat you drove over while you were reposting your Peacebloom on the AH! The Mobile AH just went FULLY FREE TO USE baby!
Starting today, all of the features that were previously part of the optional World of Warcraft Remote subscription service are now available for free to all World of Warcraft subscribers. These features include:
- Remote Guild Chat – Stay in touch with your guildmates on the go using your mobile phone.
- Remote Auction House – Bid on items, create auctions, and collect gold via your mobile device or through the official World of Warcraft website.
It just became that much easier for World of Warcraft to devour more of your waking hours! How exciting and wonderful!
EDIT: I just received an email regarding my own mobile armory account. Turns out you get a free pet as well as game time!
Your World of Warcraft Remote subscription has automatically been cancelled, and the recurring payment method associated with this subscription will not be charged again.
In addition, as a current World of Warcraft Remote subscriber, you will receive the following:
– 7 free days of World of Warcraft subscription time for each World of Warcraft account with an active World of Warcraft Remote subscription as of 08/23/2012 (applied to each account automatically).
– One free Lil’ XT pet to call your own or give away to a friend — our way to say “thanks” for being a World of Warcraft Remote subscriber. (Limit one per Battle.net account.)
Patch 5.0.4 Chaos
Panda Time is Chillaxing Time
MMO Champion wrote in a post that Patch 5.0.4 had just hit the PTR. Most likely, this means the patch will be pushed to the live servers in 4-6 weeks.
Which also means that I’ll probably be done with WoW for awhile.
This is generally the exact opposite reaction of what most people will be doing. There’s a great number of World of Warcraft players out there who are salivating at the thought of the upcoming changes. The new hotness on the horizon, so to speak. Entire classes are being revamped (hello Warlocks). The talent system, glyphs, all being changed. In many cases, people will have to go back to the drawing board and hit the learning curve to play their class with any degree of competency once again.
Now me, I’m not a numbers guy. I sure as Hell don’t feel like sitting around in front of a targeting dummy to relearn what I’m supposed to be doing in the 5.0 era. Greater minds than mine are looking forward to that sort of thing, and more power to them. I’ve seen video footage from the beta regarding some of the upcoming class changes, and from what I can tell it’s not all that great news for my Frost Death Knight and my Warrior. Hence, I am somewhat less than excited about the changes.
Of course, I understand that things change from the beta, to the PTR, and to the live servers. But despite all the testing, major patches tend to bring major problems – from server issues to class bugs to general unbalance. If I wanted to deal with that kind of disorganized mess, I wouldn’t have to log into an online video game that I’m paying to play. I’d just leave my cave and step out into the sunlight. It’s kinda like paying for a massage and expecting a happy ending, but getting a surprise Brazilian Wax instead.
I said rub and tug not AAAAAAHHHHH!
Personally, until the patch 5.0 dust settles, I’ll be keeping my head low and saving myself the headache until things sort themselves out. What about you? Are you looking forward to 5.0 going live?
I Am Ironman
Out of all the little side projects I’ve attempted in World of Warcraft, this one seems like it could be the most fun. And by fun I mean aggrivating. I’ve decided to attempt the WoW Ironman Challenge.
What the Hell?
The World of Warcraft Ironman Challenge. Simply put, the goal is to level from 1 to 85 under the most spartan conditions. No buffs, no gear better than white, and if you die at all you are eliminated.
Why the Hell?
I pulled this from the Iroman FAQ, located on the official World of Warcraft Forum Boards:
The challenge started with the idea that the game has become too easy. It has become boring and there was no longer a challenge. This is often a common topic in the forums, well, at least in General. To a great extent, this is true. There is very little sense of danger. If you die, big deal, just rez. There is little sense of adventure. Why bother, you’re racing for end content. There was definitely an undercurrent that was looking for a different way to play.
With that in mind, the first nine rules were proposed that challenged players to level up with nothing but the most basic gear, without the benefit of talent points, specializations, buffs, professions (other than First Aid), no outside help. The biggest rule is if your character dies, you delete it and start over. The rules have since evolved from the many discussions from these original nine but all changes always kept the original spirit of game play over gear, personal challenge over competition.
Needless to say, people have a hard time wrapping their heads around this challenge. Why would you do it if there’s no reward at the end of it? Why go through all that adversity if there’s no Achievement to show off to other people? These “what’s in it for me” and arrogant jagoffs who won’t do anything unless they can brag to others about it (look at me l33t ghear! What’s your gearscore n00b?) piss me off to no end. Sure, video games are a great place for the insecure to hide behind pixels and dangle their horse-like ePenis. But this challenge is not for them. This is for people who want to challenge themselves. Test their limits. There are no bragging rights at the end, just the knowledge that they did it. These people aren’t sheep, but they are pretty much insane.
Rules?
I was not kidding when I said insane. There aren’t many rules, just enough to kick you in the balls and send most people heading for the Exit.
Level from 1-85 using the rules below.
- Only White or Grey gear. No Heirlooms of any kind.
- No transfer of gear, items, or money from any other character (yours or others).
- No gear enhancements, including gems, enchanting, and reforging. Class abilities are allowed (eg. Rogue poisons, Shaman imbues).
- No specialization, talent points, or glyphs. No pet talent points.
- No professions or secondary skills, except for First Aid.
- No potions, flasks, or elixirs except for required quest items.
- No food buffs or other external buffs (including buffs from items and other players).
- No groups or assistance from other characters, even if not grouped.
- No dungeons, raids, battlegrounds, or arenas.
- No guilds, except for level 1 guilds created specifically for the Ironman Challenge.
- No Refer-A-Friend.
- No addons which assist in combat and/or leveling (eg. leveling guides, Ovale).
- THE BIG ONE: No deaths. Character death for any reason disqualifies the character
The following are allowed:
- All class abilities, racials, and personal buffs.
- All mounts, bags, and non-combat pets.
- All quests, including holiday events and dailies (unless prohibited by some other rule, eg. Fishing and Cooking dailies).
Progression?
Piece of cake, I figured. I can do this. I rolled a Night Elf Warrior because:
a) I know the class, and
b) It would give me the chance to check out some of the Alliance questlines that I’d never seen.
Well he didn’t see much in the questline department. This poor bastard was killed at level 6 just as he left the newbie zone. He was killing a spider when a second one pathed close by and aggroed onto him. He was at low health when the first spider died, and had one shot to “self-heal” via the Victory Rush ability. He missed the swing, and the spider didn’t.
Sight-seeing be damned. My warrior was killed via tourism, and that wasn’t going to happen again. My next character was a Tauren Warrior. Higher natural stamina, a nice thunder stomp, and off he went. At level eight, he was killed by an elite that he happened to run by, mistaking him for just another Ogre. Again, lack of self-healing was killer. That, and an Elite’s fist.
Attempt the third took me off the reservation. I was out of the pocket, leaving my comfort zone for a class I’d never played before in my life – Tauren Paladin. These guys were supposed to be cockroaches, notoriously hard to kill. I’d put that to the test.
Theogenes was known as one of the greatest gladiators ever. He was undefeated his entire career (1425-0), with defeat meaning death. What better name for a character undertaking the WoW Ironman Challenge? Currently Theogenes is sitting at level 14. Time, and patience, will dictate how much further I can take him.
I will post significant progression, as well as some tips for other people who want to try out the WoW Ironman Challenge.
Rokk Talk 