Strategies to Avoid Burnout in FIRST LEGO League Challenge:

Goal Setting : • Have the students establish achievable goals for the team based on their abilities, schedules, and effort levels. • Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps. • Celebrate hitting milestones and achieving smaller successes to keep the team motivated. • Emphasize quality over quantity. For example, it is often better to complete less missions more reliably than to complete lots of missions.

Time Management: • Keep track of dates and deadlines. A large team calendar and task list can help students visualize clearly what needs to be completed by when. • Take breaks in the middle of team meetings to enjoy a snack and do a team building activity. • Be prepared for additional meeting times closer to a competition and build these into the schedule rather than making them last minute. • Avoid last-minute stresses such as making changes to the code or robot in the last week before a competition. • Avoid making changes (other than minor ones) at the competition.

Positive Mindset: • Encourage a growth mindset where challenges are seen as opportunities for learning and improvement. • Focus the team on making progress and learning new skills rather than on winning awards and achieving high scores. • Celebrate large and small successes. • Discuss and learn from failures together as a team.

Communication and Support: • Establish rules and procedures so everyone knows what is expected of them. • Maintain open communication within the team to address any concerns or challenges early on. • Encourage team members to support each other and seek help when needed. • Encourage students to share their accomplishments and frustrations at the end of each meeting in order to celebrate, brainstorm, and get new ideas.