What do you do if your personal life is being consumed by game design work?

Consider setting boundaries and communicating them effectively with your team and stakeholders. Clearly define when you're available for work-related communication and when you need time for personal activities and relaxation. By setting boundaries, you not only protect your personal time but also promote a healthier work-life balance within the team culture. This fosters respect for personal boundaries and helps prevent burnout, ultimately contributing to long-term productivity and well-being.

Make sure to incorporate intentional downtime not only for relaxation but also to rejuvenate your creative spark. This shift in mindset isn't about avoiding work; it's about cultivating an environment that fosters fresh ideas. Game designers should explore unrelated activities such as painting, music, or gardening to stimulate different areas of the brain, enabling a return to game design with a renewed perspective. Throughout my career, I've observed that the most groundbreaking ideas often stem from individuals who take periodic breaks from demanding projects, returning with a fresh outlook that elevates their work to new levels.

These boundaries are crucial because they create a contrast that keeps your design work feeling fresh and exciting. Without them, you risk losing perspective, which can lead to stagnation in your creative process. I've witnessed colleagues burn out because they failed to respect these boundaries. They believed they could power through, only to discover that their work suffered and their personal lives crumbled. Therefore, boundaries are not just about ceasing work; they are about safeguarding the quality and longevity of your career

💞Sanity check If you are not happy with how things are going on right now - it is time to take some action. 🚧Check what should be avoided Think about list of what you can stop doing now and feel better because of it 🎯Take action Find the things you can change right now. If it will be some little steps - it's fine. You need just to start moving to the better future, not to do it fast.

Instead of considering exercise as a time-consuming task, integrate it into your work schedule as a rejuvenating break. This could be a quick yoga session, a walk in the park, or even a short meditation. These moments serve as mental resets, enabling you to approach design challenges with a fresh perspective. Additionally, consider utilizing fitness trackers or apps that remind you to take breaks and stay active throughout the day. The benefits of prioritizing health extend beyond simply feeling good. A healthier lifestyle leads to improved focus, increased energy, and enhanced problem-solving skills – all of which are crucial for game design.

🎮Switch Your Play Don’t just play the genres you work on—branch out. Experiment with different games to keep your own creative juices flowing. 📘Learn, Don’t Stagnate Feeling like you’re on a creative treadmill? Time to throw in a new challenge. Whether it’s mastering a new game design tool or exploring a fresh design philosophy, keep your skills sharp and your mind engaged. 🎨Non-gaming hobby Find a hobby that doesn't involve games. Whether it's painting, playing the guitar, or gardening, it's crucial to have a some separate passion to keep your sanity. It will be helpful in the tough times at your main job. 🏃Get Physical Regular little physical activity will help as well.

Hobbies also serve as a reminder that there is more to life than just work. They provide a sense of identity that is not solely tied to professional achievements. This broader perspective can make you a more empathetic designer, someone who understands that games are ultimately about creating experiences for others.

Creo que más que un hobbie, hy que realizar ejercicio físico, algún deporte, disciplina deportiva, sea baile, natación, pesas, artes marciales, etc. Esto va ayudar a la producción de Dopaminas, hacernos sentir mejor con nosotros mismos y con los demás, aparte que nos ayuda a mejorar nuestra salud.

Es muy importante conocernos y reconocer cuándo no somos capaces sólos, saber pedir ayuda, buscarla y priorizar nuestra salud mental, en orden de poder continuar.

⏳ Crunch Is Overrated If you're crunching for days on end, it's time to hit pause. Burning out isn’t heroic—it’s a dead end. Even the toughest warriors need a breather. 🌴 Vacation Time Vacations aren’t just for show-offs. They’re essential for keeping your creative spark alive. You don't need an ambitios plans for the vacation, it will be usable even with a slight change of everyday focus. 🔄 UNO: Reverse Needing crunches but skipping vacations? It will be good to reverse the habits in the long term. Switching on to the vacation is also a skill and even if you think now that you don't need it - you still can learn it and put to good use.

Calendars and task lists are helpful, but true time management requires understanding your workflow and rhythms. One effective strategy is "time blocking," where you allocate specific time for work, meetings, and personal activities. Identify your peak productivity hours for challenging tasks. The "Pomodoro Technique" involves short bursts of work with breaks to maintain productivity and prevent burnout. Prioritize tasks based on impact and urgency to avoid overcommitting.

Too much of pretty much anything can be a bad thing. Even if you LOVE game design, it should not and can not be your life. We have all something we fight for and reasons we get up every morning. If you get up every morning just to work, then you're not really living. You're just existing. When people don't live their lives, and it finally hits them that they're not really living, it can hit them like a sack of bricks. And that feeling is going to affect you in every area of your life. Including your work in game design. Life is unfortunately short. Everyone should try to give their lives meaning. Find new hobbies. Reconnect with old friends. Get a pet. Time waits for no one. Don't wait forever to start living your life.

En mi experiencia, busco que las actividades que pueda realizar en mi trabajo o los proyectos en los que me encuentre esten alineados a mi propósito personal, así no siento que esté trabajando, simplemente vivo en coherencia conmigo mismo.

Es muy importante el poner límites, tanto con el trabajo como consigo mismo, a veces, cuando disfrutas tanto lo que haces y trabajas en ello, puedes seguir horas y horas inmerso, esto puede afectar nuestra vida personal/familiar, por eso, aún cuando se disfrute hay que poner límites y evitar ser absorbidos de lleno por nuestra labor.