Burnt out and bored with SL: What would you do?

SL has a medical school?

If I was bored with anything I wouldn't hesitate to walk away from it.

I used to really enjoy lego as a kid and drawing... making and creating stuff has been not only a hobby but necessary for me. SL is my creative outlet now so I am rarely bored as I usually have a million things i'd love to make.

If you are at all similar, you might end up coming back to SL or finding a different creative outlet. But don't force yourself into logging on. What for?

Ahhh yes I forgot about that aspect.... (customers i mean)

Well I guess what I'd do is clearly *even write all in caps* in your profile that you "will be offline for an undetermined period wich may be very long, for personal reasons, and therefor will absolutely not able to answer any customer questions and requests and that all sales are final and as is, and the full responsability of the buyers knowing that fact blahblah etc" in a polite way.

I have seen it before, it's polite, makes sens and whoever isn't happy about it, well shoo them, aight! lol

No one reads that shit. I have had so many messages and policies etc. on my profile about different things all of which have been ignored thusfar. I suppose maybe a "Don't IM me because I won't answer you" message will suffice. Although I dont get a lot of my IMs because my delivery gets capped in less than a day.

well i guess im a big noone, boo elka BOO!! lol because i always read
e v e r y t h i n g
in all the profiles... and well... if i do, something tells me i MUST NOT be alone, right??
*looks around, hysteric* hehe

do as you wish, really, it's all up to you
i guess *don't IM me i hate you" is as good lol

I read profiles too. Mostly my IM delivery gets capped between SLB Sales IMs and in-world vendor sales IMs.

One thing that is clear is that a profile overhaul is needed. So many people are using "Picks" - meant to be locations - for their business policy section. Can't we get another tab with say, a 16384 character limit, for business practices and policies?

Regards,

-Flip

I'm fairly new and I'm a hermit, so I don't know you from Adam (or Eve) but I can understand your dilemma better now, I think....Do you have (m)any SL employees depending on you? I guess than the question to ask is how much their FL well being depends on your SL business(es). I would wager that not many would be pushed over the edge if you stepped back or withdrew.

There's a great sandwich/italian ice shop in my neighborhood....last summer they announced they were closing, because the owners were getting too old and wanted to retire. Some teenager cashiers got put out of work, but no one was seriously negatively impacted by the business closing...except my stomach, which will miss it sorely. But it was there choice and the neighborhood understood that.

Sometime when away from SL I like to explore the creativity on the internet. The internet is full of inspiring ideas to drive one along. Not just the internet though. Real life can have its inspiration also. I find with a creative side, inspiration is like a treasure hunt. Look at several ideas and mix them on a virtual palette. At times, I like to lay on the floor/bed sometimes at the window of my room and just let my mind wonder. Maybe even a sketchpad.

I don't always look for ideas literally. Sometimes when watching something like Nova they have these shows in relation to science and technology that really sparks my imagination to wonder. For example, robotics, space and physics stuff.

My brain does burn out at times to the point of void. It's rough especially under the pressure of a deadline. You have time to wonder that mind of yours though. Say, ever been to an aquarium? I love aquariums. The essence of being underwater and watching sea creatures gives me a feeling of seeing a whole 'nother world of life. A fantasy in some sense but one that stirs up possibilities. Surely travel has the same effect especially if you go to a very remote part of the world.

Which one are you talking about? You're in Philly, right? My personal favorite, which I think won't be lasting too much longer, is Koch's Deli in West Philly, although its Jewish run, not Italian.

I don't think Jennyfur really has employees, per se, but together we run SLBoutique which is a lot of work... especially more so when the grid is unstable. This is why I'm such a hot head about LL pressing charges against people who intentionally crash the grid, or a portion of it. SLB relies on the entire grid to function properly and when it becomes unstable, it creates hours of work for us. Given recent attacks on the grid, and the ensuing cleanup we have to do, it has become quite frustrating to have to plan for a number of extra hours each week where we would normally be relaxing in Second Life to instead be manually fixing problems that are beyond our control.

Thanks for the ideas everyone - and just to reiterate - I'm not going anywhere, so SLB customer service will continue.

Regards,

-Flip

Nah, Shiny doesn't turn me on, but rippled water is a blast.

One thing I used to do when I got tired of MUDding and the like was to take a break... then come back in as a new character. Talk to different people. Establish a new persona for a while. I always ended up coming back to Argent, even in SL which doesn't have the technology to let me recreate the character properly.

You sound like a ferret, or one of those other small carnivores that's as easily disracted as a kitten. Why not be one for a while? Whinge Languish has this great cartoon ferret avatar...

But the other thing is... is it so terrible to quit playing SL? For a while, or even forever.

The one thing I know for sure is this: if you try to force yourself to have fun in SL, it will only make your boredom/frustration worse. Trust me, I have tried. My cure is to take a break from SL until I think of something completely silly that I want to make for *myself*.

I didn't realize there were so many easily bored Geminis out there like me!

I think it is true for most of us that the more we have going on in RL, the more our interest in SL wanes. You've been through some major life upheavals in the past year. Marriage and moving by themselves are enough to throw anyone for a big long loop.

Give it some time. Log in enough to take care of your customer service (which is what any responsible business owner would do) and don't worry about designing or doing anything else. Don't pressure yourself to juggle RL and SL when you have so much going on in RL. A new home will keep you on your toes for a good 6 months to a year while you are "nesting" (not to mention that keeping Flip in line probably takes a fair amount of RL effort .) When things become an obligation instead of a joy, it's time to rethink them. Your life has changed dramatically recently, it is only natural that your priorities shuffle and reset themselves.

It's actually in Roxborough. Or was. And I meant "Italian Ice" not "Italian" per se, since if I use the term "water ice" people will wonder what the hell I'm talking about.

Some people find their passion for their art can be rekindled through teaching it: sharing your journey. That may be a way for you to enjoy your time here. But, getting out in the air is good too. Every day above ground is a good day tho. Do what makes the best time of this precious gift for you.

I love Italian water ice. I just assumed everyone knows what it is? But then again I've lived in PA for most of my life.

Yah I've been meaning to teach design classes in world for AGES and I never get around to it.

Odd. I've talked to people from the mid-state about "water ice" before ("I had the best water ice this weekend" and they thought I was talking about eating ice cubes.

Wow...I've really taken you WAY off topic. Sorry.

Heck, that would burn out anybody, in less time than it took you!

Here's my take on it, for what it's worth. Lots of times we take on a lot of things - irl and virtually - because it's fun and because we want to.

But over time, these things come to own us, and we find ourselves rebelling at part of it.

Whenever we feel like we "have" to do something - that it owns us more than we own it - the more we feel "bored" or "burned out," when actually part of it is resentment that we "have" to do something we once did for fun.

I believe women are especially bad about this sort of thing, because responsible, competant women WANT to be helpful, productive, friendly, nurturing, all that. But sometimes more of us gets used up in the process than we realize, and the result is a vague feeling of ennui and unrest.

Lots of people and things are going to own pieces of you all your life, whether you want them to or not. (Try having a kid! lol) But wherever you can get rid of something that is, on balance, at least for now, causing you more annoyance than pleasure, do so.

In this case, if you could get rid of all those SL "have to's," you'd be able to find your true self again.

Therefore: Make Flipper do the stuff with SLExchange, etc. Wash your hands of it! For your own businesses, put something on your profile that says something like: "My real life has gotten busy, so I will be available for customer service only on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5-7. Be sure to contact me then to make sure I have actually received your message, cause my messages get capped. I won't be dealing with customer service except during those hours, even though you may see me online." Then you just DON'T WORRY about all of it, except during those hours. If somebody can't read that message on your profile, that's their problem.

Then you only have to show up for your "job" at those certain times. If those times are too much, hire someone to help you. Or quit all your SL jobs and just have fun.

My point is, lots of times "boredom" and "burn-out" are a result of overwork and unconscious resentment of same. Your life is YOURS, and if something isn't balancing out to bring you definite pleasure returns, more than boredom returns, then it's time to bite the bullet and make some changes.

It helps to remember that other people, more than anything else, want you happy, no matter what you have to do to be happy. But if you don't let them know what will make you happy - and take concrete steps to arrange it for yourself - they will continue to use you up, without even meaning to.

coco

P.S. Let me add that it is often very difficult to tell when that point has been reached where you are better off getting rid of the activity. For example, I enjoyed Game Show Channel for over a year, and NEVER didn't enjoy ACTUALLY DOING IT. But the having to be there, you know, that got old. So if you even SUSPECT you might be happier dropping the thing entirely, at least for a while, that probably means you should. And . . . you . . . will . . . be . . . FREE!

That's funny, Jennyfur and I used to live in Roxborough up until a month ago, right on Henry Avenue at Cinneminson by the agricultural school (only spot in Philly with cows, horses and sheep!). We've moved a few miles north to Lafayette Hill. I *highly* recommend Mister P's pizza - its so good, we call it crack pizza. Several SLers who've been by to visit also have had it and agree that its the best!

Small world!

-Flip

Me? I started playing WoW.

I grew up in the Philly area (Bucks County to be specific). When I was really young, up until 4th grade or so, we lived in NE Philly. I can still remember the smell of the cookies being made at the Nabisco plant on the Boulevard.

When I was in field service, I had accounts in town, including some in Center City (near Independence Hall) as well as some over near Penn, including the hospital. I used to hate when the Flower Show was running as it made it a b*tch to find parking down there.

Speaking of accounts, I also had SEPTA as one of my accounts. At the time all of the buses had automatic radio frequency switching which was controlled by my company's systems.

All of our family is still in PA. It's just the 4 of us up here in New England.


Cheese Steaks, Hoagies, "Wudder" Ice?

Yeah Baby.

When I get bored I tear down all my stuff and try to do something completely different. Since I have been in Olive (late April) I have had an art gallery, two different castles, various underground hideouts, a couple of mazes, a camping area, and now it is a place to ice skate and listen to demented christmas tunes. I am really happy in Olive, but once I use it up and get tired of trying something different there, I will move and start it all over. I have lived in maybe 20 regions and the fresh locations help out tremendously.

My approach might not be so easy for you, because I dont run a business and dont have a sense of being tied to anything, but change is good. Do something else for awhile.

Jennyfur, come join us in WoW! WoW has been a great escape for me the past 3 weeks. Allows me to spend time by myself exploring this beautiful fantasy world at the same time as we have a Guild of over 60 SL members, I can still keep in touch and hang out with my friends.

www.fetedinnerhorde.com for details.

You know Jennyfur - this really is an excellent idea, find someone who can focus on selling the products you have already made and give them a percentage perhaps? Then just take a little break for awhile - stop by and say Hi once in awhile of course (otherwise we would miss you).

.