Stumbling toward burnout

Currently, the front page of the site lists the most recent 8 reviews from staff and freelancers and I wrote 4 of them. That's a lot of output from one person and I'm starting to feel it. My reviews are probably suffering, too.

Anyway, I'm now at 499 reviews posted on the site and there are around 4 more that I plan to write over the next month or two. I'll probably take my time with those because the truth is that I'm getting burnt out on reviewing. I don't want to force myself to some sort of breaking point and then never review again. That would be far too melodramatic and I'm no good at posting about retirement.

In the weeks ahead, around the occasional review for recent releases, I plan to do more database work, more editorial work and more of just about everything else on the site. I think I've been churning out reviews at a frantic pace for long enough that I can start to take things a bit easier on myself and hopefully help other writers to expand their roles on the site.

500 reviews feels like a tremendous milestone and producing new reviews right now is getting more difficult each time around, not easier the way it used to. I think I just need to give my brain time to refuel, so that's what I hope to do now. But like I said... more reviews should be coming soon. I have some time-consuming RPGs to play and review. Watch for that...

Comments 5

aschultz Aug 15, 2009

It's hard to put out such a quantity of good reviews. Definitely, take it easy if you need to. I feel burnout when writing shorter reviews for smaller games. I think after a while you know what you'd rather work on, and because you have so many other things you enjoy and that are useful to everyone who uses your site--go for it!

Preemptive congrats on #500, by the way.

overdrive Staff Aug 15, 2009

I can definitely feel what you're saying. I just checked and noticed that I've done 9 reviews since the TT started. It's not so much the quantity that's been the burnout factor, but the part where I sit down to type each one with the hope of coming up with something awesome enough to at least get two votes from the three judges, which means I tend to overanalyze things a bit more than I should.

Like, I'm hoping my Splosion Man review didn't come off as poor or mediocre compared to expectations, as I worked on it after finishing up my Icarus: Alien Vanguard review for the contest. Thing is, after the effort I'd put into that one, I was feeling a touch of mental fatigue the next day, which left me a bit unsure if I'd said all I wanted to as smoothly as it had seemed in my head while envisioning how I wanted the review to go.

So, just do what I do.....constantly tell yourself you have two weeks to keep the fire burning in....and then you can get burnt out! Of course, while I'm saying that, I'm taking a break from trudging through the game I'm doing for next week......and constantly staring at my PC clock to see if it's time to see if my friends are in the mood for a few brews tonight....and really hoping they are, as I just want to sit back, relax and not think for a few hours. Which means my mantra might not be working as well as I'd like.

randxian Aug 15, 2009

I hear ya man. I'm taking a break after the grueling TT. It's going to be some time before I submit anything new.

I think it's better to step away from it all for a bit instead of letting yourself get burnt out.

radicaldreamer Aug 15, 2009

I can't imagine what it's like to have written as many reviews as you have.

zippdementia Aug 15, 2009

I would make some joke about you being a pansy, but that would be cruel and insensitive and actually I totally understand. I think you're a great reviewer but I know it doesn't come from nowhere. You obviously put a lot of effort into your reviewing and that effort can start to burn a person out after a while, in any activity.

The brain is a muscle, too. It needs time to untense annd relax.

... pansy ^_^