Burnout

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This article is about lack of motivation. For the world boss, see Burnout and the Exhaust Spirits.

Art by Draayder

Players experience Burnout when they no longer care about completing tasks, and the rewards and penalties in Habitica are no longer motivating. Burnout can occur when the game becomes too easy or too hard, when tasks become tedious, or when changes occur in the player's life. In the worst case, Burnout results in a player leaving Habitica.

When the Game Is Too Hard

Setting high goals can encourage users to push themselves, but they still need to be attainable. If you frequently miss Dailies, the game can become more punishing than rewarding. For example, players may start with a requirement that they exercise for half an hour a day. If this turns out to be too much, there's a risk that they will avoid it and get no exercise at all. Here are some things you can do to avoid this:

Reducing Difficulty

Consider making Dailies easier until they're within your reach. For example:

• Reduce the number of days per week for some tasks.
• Make a task easier (e.g., exercise for 20 minutes instead of 40 minutes).
• Think about your priorities in life, and cut out Dailies that are less valuable.
• Convert some Dailies into positive Habits, so you still have an incentive to do them, but don't need to do them every day.
• Combine the above by making a Daily easier but keeping the more challenging version as a Habit.

Players can set a weekly item to assess your tasks and adjust the difficulty up or down. Or, if they remove a task, users can create a To Do reminding them to consider re-adding it in a few weeks. Additionally, instead of removing a task, players can reduce its frequency, or set it to begin on a future date when they will be more available.

Planning for Difficult Times

If there is an unusually busy or stressful period coming, players can adjust the difficulty downward ahead of time. Users should set goals that make sense for them and focus on their priorities. Users could also switch out some of their Dailies for ones related to upcoming responsibilities.

Bad Day Mode

On especially difficult days, it's sometimes better to rest than to do everything. Whether it's due to a chronic illness or an unexpected life emergency or something else entirely, this custom script allows you to press a button which fully heals you, buffs your CON to 9999, and Stealths all your Dailies so you take no damage if you miss them today. It wears off tomorrow, so can be a good temporary fix, though you can always press it on future days if you need it.

Rest Periods

It is possible to boost your expectations beyond sustainable levels, particularly when participating in a quest or other demanding challenge. Athletes plan for recovery time after a major challenge, and you might need the same thing following physical, mental, or social exertion. Recovery time may include a rest day (check into the Inn), temporarily disabling some Dailies, or taking time between quests or challenges. Challenges focused on meditation or other ways of relaxing and replenishing energy may also be helpful.

Staying Involved

Every time users visit Habitica, they are practicing a very important habit: making commitments and tracking them.

If you're tempted to rest at the Inn, or perhaps even give up on Habitica, you should consider dropping down to a minimal set of Dailies instead. That way you'll stay in the practice of remembering and tracking daily commitments, and it will be easier to start back up when you're ready. The In Case of Emergency/ I.C.E. Challenge offers a script to help you cut back and recuperate at your own speed, while still maintaining basics.

Built-in Tools for Staying Involved

You can set a Daily to encourage you to log in every day.

• Incentivizing this aspect of self-improvement is seen as so important that Habitica has implemented Daily Check-In Incentives to further encourage users to remain regularly involved.
• On the app, players may also set a daily push notification by selecting the 
  "Reminders to check in to complete tasks and receive prizes" checkbox in Settings > Notifications.

Example: Exercise Routine

If your exercise routine is proving unfeasible, try to think of ways to make it more appealing through gamification, or make it more flexible. For example, you could temporarily change to an every other day schedule, learn a light and short workout for busy days, or plan a fun challenge twice a week. You could also commit to a lighter schedule during parts of the year when your full routine won't be realistic.

The key is to remain flexible and make adjustments that work for you as an individual. As your tasks become more realistic, you will be more successful and reap the rewards of hard work!

When the Game Is Too Easy

The challenges page.

It's easy to get bored if you've mastered all your Habits, or repeat the same tasks day after day. Try adding new Habits and Dailies, or making existing Habits and Dailies more challenging.

Increasing Difficulty

An example of increasing difficulty could be changing "get out of bed" to "get out of bed the first time my alarm goes off" or change "leave for work" to "get to work 5-10 minutes early".

Other ways of adding difficulty to Habitica:

• Join Challenges
• Try self-imposed challenges that change the game mechanics or increase difficulty.
• Participate in a quest.
• Attempt a Perfect Day, or to maintain a streak of Perfect Days.

Dealing with Tedium

Any of the techniques for making the game more difficult can also help get you interested again. You might also enjoy switching classes, or starting the game again. After reaching level 50, the Orb of Rebirth becomes available for gem purchase (or for free after level 100).

Unsatisfying Rewards

Example of Custom Rewards

Do you have Reward costs set so high that you rarely buy them, or so low that you don't have to make an effort? Are you making sure to have real life Rewards that make you genuinely happy, such as a meal out with a friend? Are you only buying in-game Rewards?

Set up Custom Rewards that really motivate you! Some examples might be, "lunch with friends", "movie night", "long hot soaking bath", "buy a new tool/gadget/thing-you've-been-wanting". See Sample Custom Rewards for more ideas. If you're only motivated by in-game Rewards, you can make them more difficult to earn with an Equipment Tax Custom Reward. Alternatively, make custom Rewards related to Habitica, such as Reset a Daily to Yellow, or Double XP Day (lets you double + Habits for a day). The possibilities are limitless!

Social Engagement

Friendship and advice can be very helpful in fighting burnout. Engaging the community can defeat burnout.

For example, the Habitica Help: Ask a Question guild helps new players feel welcomed and get oriented; it is also a place for more experienced players to guide others. The Tavern is a great place to stop by for some general banter.

Another option is to find a challenge that speaks to you and join in the fun. Many types of challenges involve posting in chat or means of engaging the community.

Joining a party can be fun and help with accountability. Guilds are larger than parties, and have like-minded people with good advice for achieving certain tasks. The Guilds Guide is a curated list that can help you locate a community that is right for you.

Contributing

Players that are suffering burnout may also consider contributing to Habitica. Contributors can code, update the wiki, answer questions in the Tavern, create challenges, and other options. The more users are invested, the more connected they will feel to the Habitica experience. These volunteer efforts can be personally satisfying and also carry rewards.