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Anyone who has been in the hobby for any length of time has had to deal with it; Hobby Burnout. This can be losing the mojo to paint, abandoning a project half-way through, avoiding playing, etc.

I posted some thoughts on how I deal with it on my Wargame Design blog here:

https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2024/11/wargame-design-dealing-with-burnout.html

The highlights are:

1. Just Do It! - The hardest part is starting. Therefore, start.
2. Move the goalposts - Change your due dates and goals for yourself
3. Expose yourself to inspiration - Seek out things in other genres to help kickstart you
4. Touch Grass - Go clear your mind with some fresh air

However, there is no "right way" to manage Hobby Burnout. In addition, my incentives for dealing with it are different from yours. Therefore, what I do probably won't work for you and vice-versa. Sometimes, what I listed above doesn't help me either!

Therefore, I am interested in what you do to manage your Hobby Burnout?

Or just... take a break and walk away from the hobby as a whole for a while. The games/community will still be there in 6 months or next year...

I’m currently taking a break from my Hobby Odyssey. Having fully painted two sizeable armies for AoD and LI, plus a bunch of stuff for Necromunda terrain, my main projects are mostly done, and the motivation has left me.

But, there’s nowt wrong with a rest.

What I do not recommend is a scorched earth approach, do not get rid of everything.

Put in storage, lock it in the attic... just don't listen to others and get rid of it all.

I regret that most of all. You have only so much time, enjoy what you want.

Above all, don't make any rash decisions when you have burnout. Don't go and sell all your stuff, or even some of it unless you REALLY need the money for some reason (in which case burnout might be the least of your troubles). And don't go and buy a bunch of new stuff hoping to find your spark either; chances are it'll just make your burnout worse, not better (I've experienced this).

One thing I like to do when painting is to save special characters/vehicles/monsters as "rewards" for painting a rank and file unit. This way I don't paint all the interesting stuff and leave myself an endless sea of "boring" models. That kind of thing will kill motivation fast.

Above all, as others have said, remember that this is just a hobby, something you do to have fun. If it's not fun for you right now, take a break and do something else for a while. I play video games in addition to painting and modeling, and those make a good diversion when I'm just not feeling like painting. Others might find fun in other things, different strokes for different folks.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
What I do not recommend is a scorched earth approach, do not get rid of everything.

Put in storage, lock it in the attic... just don't listen to others and get rid of it all.

I regret that most of all. You have only so much time, enjoy what you want.

And $.

Sure, the community/games will still be here when you return.
But if you've sold off all your stuff you've just cost yourself alot of $ & time when you eventually return.
While you very well might build a new/different army anyways, you can at least be enjoying the game with your old stuff while you buy/build/paint the new.

Every time I've sold hobby things I've always taken a long time over boxing them up and really making sure its the right choice. I then also made sure that when I sold my stuff I put that money right to use with something good.

I'm lucky that I've never been forced to sell due to financial pressures; so for me selling hobby stuff always meant that I put that money to use right there and then.

This really helps reduce the impact of selling and the regret. Eg I sold my Skaven collection of unbuilt models - I kind of regret it sometimes; but I can ease that regret with two simple facts

1) I had owned them for years and built 4 clanrats from the whole lot in that time. Ergo it wasn't being used

2) I put the money right into two battlefoam cases which have seen a good amount of use since getting them. These were purchases I might not have made without selling the bunch of models in one go to generate the lump sum of money to put into the cases.



Getting something positive out of the sale, when not pressured into it through financial pressures; is a huge benefit.

But yeah to swing back to the "don't sell it" all my sales were after years of models just sitting there doing nothing. I was getting nothing from them and I was still in the hobby doing other things

ccs wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
What I do not recommend is a scorched earth approach, do not get rid of everything.

Put in storage, lock it in the attic... just don't listen to others and get rid of it all.

I regret that most of all. You have only so much time, enjoy what you want.

And $.

Sure, the community/games will still be here when you return.
But if you've sold off all your stuff you've just cost yourself alot of $ & time when you eventually return.
While you very well might build a new/different army anyways, you can at least be enjoying the game with your old stuff while you buy/build/paint the new.

This is what I'm going through right now. What I wouldn't give for any of my old Armies back, from B5 Wars, to BFG, to FOW. It would financially destroy me if I tried to rebuild my old armies.

If I have hobby burnout I just stop for a while, tidy things away and take a rest. No need to feel guilty, it's merrymaking, not business as Bilbo says.

My bigger problem is general life burnout meaning I don't have energy to hobby. And sometimes I'm looking at all my boxes depressed because I barely have energy to move, and I feel like getting rid of them all. But the problem isn't the hobby but my life more broadly.

 Da Boss wrote:
If I have hobby burnout I just stop for a while, tidy things away and take a rest. No need to feel guilty, it's merrymaking, not business as Bilbo says.

My bigger problem is general life burnout meaning I don't have energy to hobby. And sometimes I'm looking at all my boxes depressed because I barely have energy to move, and I feel like getting rid of them all. But the problem isn't the hobby but my life more broadly.

Oof, really felt this one. I'm in a very similar situation. Moved into my current house last March and still haven't got a hobby space set up, so the stacks of boxes is like a tease.

I have a silly busy life and only do hobby at very late hours, so I can relate to being too tired sometimes.

I tend to power trough but one thing I also did as a massive cleanse getting rid of hundreds of models... Its not for everyone but for me felt liberating.

Oh one other thing that I think helps a lot with burnout - sorting


It's super easy to get a very messy hobbyspace full of halfstarted projects; half finished others and unbuilt stuff. This can create not just a mess where you can't find things and quickly lose energy to do something because it took you 20mins to find the one tool you needed for it; but it can also clutter your setpu so that you burn out because you can't focus on model A because you can see models B,C,D all unfinished too.


Sorting your stuff and organising it can seem like a chore, but it can also be fun when you find a few things you forgot you had; and it can also give you a new lease of energy when you then come to hobby after. Because now the desk is clear; the boxes are stacked and sorted; the tools are put back where they should be etc....

Nice thread, thanks for posting.

I find the hobby is where I go to escape when I need a break - a break from parenting, job, reality, etc. I have my paint desk set up so I can work 10-20 minutes on a model, if I only have a little time, and my "pile of shame" is always prepped and ready to go. If I lose interest in an army I'm working on, or the terrain I'm building just doesn't look exciting at the moment, I can grab something from the Reaper Bones kickstarter pile (or anything I have ready to go, that catches my eye), and knock out a goblin or some undead thingie, and then that might "reset" my desire to get back into the bigger project I have on my table. I am lucky in that my family has allowed me to use the garage as mostly my space, so I have a paint table set up and ready to go, and just today I'm putting together another workbench to serve for airbrushing.

I suppose I'm very lucky to have never experienced anything like this, I always enjoy playing with my toys.
I'm very lucky with all of my family involved with the hobby in some way, in many ways it brings our family together and has actually helped through some dark times. For example my daughter has a young baby which is a lot of work so just today she asked me to babysit my grandson for a few hours so she could have some time for herself. I get to babysit so I'm happy and what did she do with her alone time? She painted some more Sororitas for her army as she found it very relaxing, which I believe makes her a bit unusual for a young mother.
I'm from the mindset that doesn't discuss mental health but the time to herself was good for her.i have always found doing something hobbywise helps if I'm not feeling great.
I'm a true believer in growing older is compulsory but growing up is optional and I have no intention of ever growing up.

Jaxmeister wrote:

I'm a true believer in growing older is compulsory but growing up is optional and I have no intention of ever growing up.

I've long joked that I'm really just Role-Playing being an adult (and a reasonably competent/successful one at that).

ccs wrote:

Jaxmeister wrote:

I'm a true believer in growing older is compulsory but growing up is optional and I have no intention of ever growing up.

I've long joked that I'm really just Role-Playing being an adult (and a reasonably competent/successful one at that).

Oh, I rolled a series of critical failures on Sense Motive checks and Will Saves to Enchantment effects.

Jaxmeister wrote:
I suppose I'm very lucky to have never experienced anything like this, I always enjoy playing with my toys.
I'm very lucky with all of my family involved with the hobby in some way, in many ways it brings our family together and has actually helped through some dark times. For example my daughter has a young baby which is a lot of work so just today she asked me to babysit my grandson for a few hours so she could have some time for herself. I get to babysit so I'm happy and what did she do with her alone time? She painted some more Sororitas for her army as she found it very relaxing, which I believe makes her a bit unusual for a young mother.
I'm from the mindset that doesn't discuss mental health but the time to herself was good for her.i have always found doing something hobbywise helps if I'm not feeling great.
I'm a true believer in growing older is compulsory but growing up is optional and I have no intention of ever growing up.

I love this!

My solution when I feel burnout creeping up is almost always to put aside the project and play some games with friends. If I don't paint a mini or build terrain for a while that's fine, they'll be there when I'm in the mood to do that.

Playing with friends is easy fun and since I host games in my home twice a month there's always a dose of that fun just around the corner.

Easy E wrote:1. Just Do It! - The hardest part is starting. Therefore, start.
2. Move the goalposts - Change your due dates and goals for yourself
3. Expose yourself to inspiration - Seek out things in other genres to help kickstart you
4. Touch Grass - Go clear your mind with some fresh air

Deadnight wrote:Or just... take a break and walk away from the hobby as a whole for a while. The games/community will still be there in 6 months or next year...

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:But, there’s nowt wrong with a rest.

As someone who has had burnout, but in the hobby and in life, I think this is all pretty good advice. There's also a lot to be said for stepping back and sleeping on it. The trap that a lot of folks (me included) fall into is guilt. We look at a swath of half-painted minis (or even a stack of unopened boxes) and then we take a huge, heavy block of guilt and dump it right on our shoulders. Eff that. Blaming ourselves for not getting it done? Okay, but that's over now. Can't change the past. Time to look ahead. We should be looking forward to working on these things. And if we're not? Cool. Step back. Reevaluate. Do something else.

But whatever you do, don't beat yourself up over it. You don't deserve it.

Seconds what Fugazi just said.

If it makes you unhappy/guilty, walk away.

I have enough unbuilt / unpainted stuff to take YEARS of my retirement.

I'm spending three days on and off converting two additional squig herders from the optional parts in the box and a couple of gnoblar bodies. I MIGHT finish today. They might get painted next year. Do I feel guilty? Not remotely.

I hit rock bottom a few years ago. 9th killed my enjoyment of the hobby. 7th and 8th is where it started to die. I've downsized a lot over the years but still have way more than I would ever need if I were to play editions I actually enjoy. The problem is no one I know wants to play editions I enjoy. I hope to keep some of my Orks which I loved and my DIY imperial Guard because it's the army I always wanted. And I still hole out hope to have the chance to try Pro-Hammer one day. I'm getting rid of the rest. I will never buy a new edition of 40K again. I HATE what it has turned into in a very inexpressible way. I was ready to just sell everything and throw the rest out until last weekend. My group is finally trying to get back together for HH2.0. I had to drive 100 miles for the game but it was an absolute blast. Probably the only GW game I'll continue to play. I wish this system was compactable with every 40K army, get to work GW (you lazy swine.)

My advice on burn out is just to really take stock of what you have, what you actually enjoy and who you enjoy playing with. If enough boxes are checked that suggest you might play again then keep some if not all of you models. If not then start down sizing if your collection is rather large. My Orks were in excess of 20,000 points in 7th- ed points. We played 5000 point games and I bought way more than I should have. 90+ % of my collection is painted. When I started to down size I sold off the models that weren't painted first.
My real problem is that a some point the things I own start owning me. I have this stuff and it brings me no joy to have it and I think about how much money I spent and that I will likely never get it back. I've swapped and sold armies off and on since 1998, though I got in to 40K in 96'
It becomes overwhelming to have so much and know you'll never get to use it again.

I told myself, if I don't enjoy HH2.0 then I'm done. I gave myself one last opportunity. I'm very happy I enjoyed playing as much as I did.

My other problem is that I only want to play with friends. I've played with randos since 8th dropped and each experience was less and less of a good time. I don't want to be around those people. Simply put " we are not the same. " They're like MGT players pushing combos and using bro-speak. I'm not into that and never will be. I'm happy for them to have their fun without me.
My group, we've been friends for over 20 years and play to have a good time as much as we play to win. I can't really put it into words, I just know that's not what I found in randos at the game shops.
I also despise the constant updates and patched for 40K. I realize it's not constant but when you are a casual player it feels that way.

Honestly nu-40K feels like it wants to be a video game but it's analog instead. As a pc rts game it would probably be amazing. As a table top game yuck. I don't have the time or energy for what it's been asking for.

I hope this rant was in some small way helpful. I think it's good to evaluate what you like ad want to play or collect against what you don't like and what you simply are not into before deciding if you're finished for good or just need some time away. Time away is perfectly healthy. You might come back and fine you are very happy to both be back and that you have a new found enjoyment of your hobby. < -- that's always what I hope for every time I've dipped my toes back in. I love to paint, build terrain and roll dice but I need the game to be enjoyable and the people I'm playing with to be people I enjoy sharing that with.

I think my brain is empty now.
Best of luck sorting out your burn out.

One thing I do recommend is to throw out the belief that you have to paint everything to enjoy a game. I paint the wargames and leave the board games unpainted. Sometimes I go for a middle ground approach...

For example, my 40K army is fully painted and based. Frostgrave models are single colours & washes, and dark gray bases. Castle Ravenloft is left unpainted.

SamusDrake wrote:
One thing I do recommend is to throw out the belief that you have to paint everything to enjoy a game. I paint the wargames and leave the board games unpainted. Sometimes I go for a middle ground approach...

For example, my 40K army is fully painted and based. Frostgrave models are single colours & washes, and dark gray bases. Castle Ravenloft is left unpainted.

I’ll go one further: the idea that every mini needs to be painted to be played is toxic. For people who enjoy painting, it’s great. For people who find painting a burden, or find it unnecessary, it’s a huge waste of energy and time that makes the hobby less rewarding.

I like to play with everything painted myself, BUT my rule for painting is simple.

If it looks good at arm's length, then it is good enough! Most of my painting is base coat + wash and that does the job!

Lower my standards and batch painting helps me finish a lot of projects in a timely way. Speedpaints make it even easier.

 Easy E wrote:
I like to play with everything painted myself, BUT my rule for painting is simple.

If it looks good at arm's length, then it is good enough! Most of my painting is base coat + wash and that does the job!

Lower my standards and batch painting helps me finish a lot of projects in a timely way. Speedpaints make it even easier.

Amen! My standards are pretty low (but that's relative to my friends, who are very good painters) but all my wee dudes look fantastic at arm's length.

And I should learn to be nicer to myself. They look pretty darn OK up close too!

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

SamusDrake wrote:
One thing I do recommend is to throw out the belief that you have to paint everything to enjoy a game. I paint the wargames and leave the board games unpainted. Sometimes I go for a middle ground approach...

For example, my 40K army is fully painted and based. Frostgrave models are single colours & washes, and dark gray bases. Castle Ravenloft is left unpainted.

I’ll go one further: the idea that every mini needs to be painted to be played is toxic. For people who enjoy painting, it’s great. For people who find painting a burden, or find it unnecessary, it’s a huge waste of energy and time that makes the hobby less rewarding.

I really enjoy painting and play fully painted mostly because I enjoy doing so. It's not an expectation I place upon anyone else. I will say, when I don't feel like painting, the number one thing that shakes me out of it is playing more. Buy less, play more games tends to be my cure for burnout.

 Easy E wrote:
I like to play with everything painted myself, BUT my rule for painting is simple.

If it looks good at arm's length, then it is good enough! Most of my painting is base coat + wash and that does the job!

Lower my standards and batch painting helps me finish a lot of projects in a timely way. Speedpaints make it even easier.

I have the opposite problem, in that the miniatures’ “paint jobs” always look better in my mind than they do when I actually paint them. After I paint them, I have a harder time mentally superimposing the correct paint job over them because the real, flawed paint scheme overpowers it. Unpainted miniatures look better to me because they’re blank canvasses. I tend to lose interest in miniatures after I paint them compared to when they are unpainted.

That’s in addition to the process of painting not being fun for me. So, it’s a tedious burden that results in miniatures I enjoy less.

 pancakeonions wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
I like to play with everything painted myself, BUT my rule for painting is simple.

If it looks good at arm's length, then it is good enough! Most of my painting is base coat + wash and that does the job!

Lower my standards and batch painting helps me finish a lot of projects in a timely way. Speedpaints make it even easier.

Amen! My standards are pretty low (but that's relative to my friends, who are very good painters) but all my wee dudes look fantastic at arm's length.

And I should learn to be nicer to myself. They look pretty darn OK up close too!

Requiring myself to paint before play actually helps with my motivation and prevents burnout. Thinking of the results I will get on the table helps move things across the paintbench.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:


I’ll go one further: the idea that every mini needs to be painted to be played is toxic. For people who enjoy painting, it’s great. For people who find painting a burden, or find it unnecessary, it’s a huge waste of energy and time that makes the hobby less rewarding.

Disagree. Having expectations and standards is not toxic.

Franky it ruins my emersion. My fun is as important as their fun. Better for me to not leave the house than drive an hour and a half minimum just to be disappointed. I don't have time or money for that. This was another reason I was ready to abandon the hobby. Drive that far just to encounter an unpainted army commanded by a player who wanted to win at any cost and rules lawyer the whole time. No thank you. I've been involved with 40K for 28 years I am not toxic because I have standards and expectations. Do what ever you want. I'm find with you having your fun without me. Especially if your fun would not include me.

I find that a happy medium can be found.

My American WW2 tanks and my 40k Armoured Company were the exact same color:

Olive Drab...and mud.

Were they the most exciting color scheme? Nope. Was drybrushing my goto style? Yep.

But they were painted to a gaming standard and I had a lot of fun with them.

When I build my new toys next year, I will paint them to a gameable standard and have fun with them too.

By the way, play how you want, play how you want.... but... if you want others to invite you back, you sometimes end up having to force yourself to paint some stuff.