Life lessons from creating a board game

Two years ago, we had an idea: What if we made a board game about modern work culture and mental health?

At the time, my business partner and I had zero experience designing games.

We naively thought we could go from idea to launch in six months. Instead, it took over two years of iteration, setbacks, and learning, and today we just finalised our box cover design!

But along the way, I realised that the skills required to make a great board game—iteration, patience, taking feedback, and making tough decisions—are the same skills needed to succeed in business and life.

Here are three of the biggest lessons I learned:

1 - The importance of iteration — everything starts ugly

The first version of Burnout (https://www.burnoutgame.com/) was … not great. Playtesters got confused, the rules were unclear, and some mechanics were just not fun.

If we had been stubborn and refused to change things, we wouldn’t have a game today.

Instead, we tested, tweaked, and iterated relentlessly.

2 - Learning to take feedback without ego

It’s not nice to hear people say, “This is a stupid mechanic to include,” or “This doesn’t make sense at all.”

It stung—after all, we had poured our hearts into it.

But taking feedback without getting defensive was the only way to improve the game.

We had to separate ourselves from our ideas and focus on what would improve the final product.

3 - The sheer amount of work required, you just have to keep chipping away

I was taken aback by how much work and detail goes into a board game.

It was daunting.

Yet, there’s no other way than to approach it one by one and keep chipping away.

Today’s Prompts

1 - What’s something you’ve improved by embracing feedback and iteration?

2 - Reflect on the last time you received tough feedback—how did you react?

3 - What’s something in your life that you’re holding onto, even though it no longer serves you?

4 - Have you ever underestimated how hard something would be? What did you learn?

Get the most out of your journalling:

• Choose one prompt: Focus on just one prompt each day to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• Be brutally honest: Reflect openly and honestly. This is your safe space to explore your thoughts and feelings.

• Take your time: Sometimes it takes a few days to clarify your thinking. Here’s permission for you to take your time to unravel a prompt and not take on any new ones during that time.

• Journal your way: Whether you prefer writing, audio recording, or video, choose the method that suits you best.

• Don't stress about streaks: If you miss a day, don't worry. You can always revisit a previous prompt.

I’d love your feedback

What was your favourite prompt of the day? Is there any specific challenge you want prompts for? How can I improve the content of the newsletter? Reply this mail and let me know!