Lately, earning testnet points has been a bit too addictive… I started out just to practice, but the more I grind, the more it feels like I’m waiting for a “future airdrop ticket.” Once my mindset shifts, I start adding drama: opening multiple accounts, staying up late to camp by the faucet, and getting an itch whenever I see others posting screenshots. Plainly put, at this point you have to set stop-loss for yourself; otherwise, “practice” turns into expectations, and the end cost is time plus emotions.

My stop-loss is pretty basic and a little old-school: set a total budget for each testnet project (mostly time, with a small amount for gas/tools). Once that’s reached, you stop. Then set “exit conditions”—for example, if the chain gets congested to the point where sending a transaction means waiting half a day just for it to get through, or if the mempool is packed with a bunch of similar interactions. Basically, when you’re getting beaten down and rolled over by scripts, I won’t keep running after it. Recently, retail users have been complaining that validators/miners are taking too much, that MEV and ordering are unfair. The funny thing is, you can feel that same vibe even on testnets: you think you’re practicing operations, but other people are already practicing “how to get in front of you.”

Anyway, I’d rather miss out than turn myself into a points laborer… I’m going to get to work.