Splinterlands Land: Sometimes Inaction is the Best Action

A few months ago I asked for some advice on how to best use my ten land plots. They are spread out over two different regions and I am lucky enough to have of each kind of plots so I can farm grain, grow lumber and mine stone. I also have one plot that is prime for SPS production.

Now you would think that considering I started "playing" splinterlands since the very first day it started when it was still steemmonsters and I bought plots before they were even able to be opened, and I opened them as soon as they were available I would know what the hell I am doing by now... but I clearly don't. ;)

After getting some great advice form people like @bozz, @mattclarke, and @beaker007 I implemented a new plan and I have been pretty happy with it.

My main problem was that I was chasing the shiny SPS at all costs and that was leading to my being incredibly inefficient. I figured, "SPS is the most valuable resource in the game. I have a great plot for producing SPS so I should put all my best alpha cards on that (I told you I've been playing a long time).

I was also making sure that every week I collected every once of every resource even if it meant I needed to buy grain in order to harvest, chop down, or mine that particular resource. This was so dumb. I was actually spending so much to harvest every last resource that I was making less than I should have.

So I made some of the adjustments that people had suggested. First I took my best alpha cards and put them on my best grain producing plot. You see, it turns out that grain may be even more valuable than the shiny SPS I was chasing. This served two purposes. First I produced more grain (duh!). Second, it cut down on the resources I needed in order to harvest that shiny SPS. Yeah I was getting less... but it was also costing me far less. And now I even had some extra grain to sell in the trade hub. The profit I made from selling that grain was far better than amount of SPS I lost due to cutting back production.

But here is the real key (and the inspiration for the title of this post)... I had to embrace the idea of simply ignoring one of my plots of land. I have lots of stone quarries. I have more than enough to harvest my SPS. At first, I was sticking to my maximization point of view and was harvesting all my stone every week and selling the extra. But what I did not realize is that the grain I was using to harvest was actually more valuable than the stone I was selling.

So now, every week, I just ignore that one plot. It goes against every instinct and urge in my mind and body to just let a resource sit there wasted... but sometimes inaction is the best action. I had to let go of my preconceived notions and biases that "Must never waste! Always use every drop of the ketchup even if it means awkwardly storing it upside down in the refrigerator. Always get the last tiny bit of peanut butter out of the jar using a spoon. Always reuse the toilet paper..." OK I won't go that far. But it really did involve making a huge mindset change.

My next goal is figuring out how the heck these things work.

Like everything in life, in Splinterlands you have to set a clear goal and only take actions that make it more likely you will meet that goal. Sometimes it means doing things that knock you out of your comfort zone or makes you break old habits. That is good! If the goal is worth it, make those changes!

I just had to realize that my goal was wrong. And when your goal is wrong, it means all the actions you are taking to meet that goal are also wrong. So now my goal is no longer to feel good that I used every last resource. My goal is to make as much profit on my lands as possible (duh). Just like in life, in Splinterlands, every now and then you need to check your goals to make sure they are taking you in the right direction.

I am always looking for Splinterlands advice, so if you have any, fire away!

​