Animal Crossing Burnout?
After some deep contemplation I have decided to reset my island as while playing I had completely forgotten the point of the game: to have fun.
This was one of the few only ways I could de-stress and I was ruining it for myself, so here are some tips on how to not burn out from playing Animal Crossing New Horizons:
Time travel less - I know there are some players who are against time travelling in the first place, but please don't shame others for doing so; they bought the game so let them play how they would like to (with the exception of hacking ofc). However, the power to time travel can be a double-edged sword; while you have the power to speed things up for more island features to become available, you're not giving yourself time to collect your thoughts on what you want your island to look like. Doing this in a shorter amount of time from time travelling will have you hooked to the game in an unhealthy way, where you have the need to get things done now. Let the days pass naturally and take in the calming environment; sit on a stump, hype up your singing villagers, live in the moment out of enjoyment and not objective.
Choose the villagers that make you happy - I can understand why people want the business cat or the sparkly kawaii cub, but don't actively search for these villagers for the sake of popularity (if you genuinely like the top tier villagers though, I'm not stopping you!). Likewise, don't be discouraged of getting certain villagers because everyone else hates them; there's surely someone out there that appreciates Rodney. What I've been doing when obtaining villagers is to go by their vibe. If you meet a villager that gives you a happy feeling or if you feel some sort of connection, take them. You might find your diamond in the rough!
Don't compare yourself to other islands - A really big one here. While there's nothing wrong with looking at islands to gain some inspiration, don't look at the islands with the objective of recreating it to the very last block. You will either get frustrated in the process and give up, change your mind halfway through on what you wanted and have wasted hours on terraforming, or succeed and not feel the same authenticity of your island because it's not quite "yours" anymore. Like people trying to find their fashion sense, little by little, build your island's identity and be uniquely you!
Don't plan it out completely - Of course you may want to plan a bit in order to keep your island organized, but if you follow a step-by-step plan of what you're going to be doing on that day, the game becomes a chore. Have a casual to-do list, but if you stray from the list because -oh is that a agrias butterfly?? *goes off to catch it* then that's ok! Let go and see where the game takes you.
Take breaks - I BETTER NOT SEE YOU KIDS PLAYING 20 OUT OF THE 24 HOURS IN A DAY If it wasn't obvious, you need to take breaks. Our eyes can only take so much from staring at our tv/switch/phone screen. Your mind needs a break as well; the redundancy of gameplay isn't good for the brain. Give yourself some time off the game to do other tasks like reading, baking, just sitting in the backyard. Stimulate the mind in other ways. On a similar note, don't let the game affect your sleep schedule. While I understand that some bugs/fish can only be caught during the night time, try to obtain them at the earliest point in the time frame so you aren't losing hours of shut-eye because you were up at 2am cataching tarantulas. Don't get dragged in with "lemme just do ___ then I'll save" because 2 minutes could turn into 2 hours before you even realize it.
Don't worry about "seasonals" - My museum was a big obstacle to why I didn't want to reset, but I've let it go. Listen, like the seasons, the creatures will come and go, but they will always come again. Don't let it get to you when a fish is out of season or you didn't obtain all the diys of that season. You'll get another chance, and there'll be new creatures to catch in the meantime Like the seabass MORE LIKE A C+ AMIRITE LADS. And with all of those new bugs and fish to obtain, Redd's Trawler will be visiting again before you know it.
Well there you have it! I hope this helps you guys out in enjoying the game đ Just remember to have fun and to play for YOU đ
If anyone has any other advice, please feel free to add to the list! đđťââď¸
