August 3, 2023: 3-2-1, Con Time!

It's convention season, which means a lot of folks will be having fun and enjoying the latest and greatest gaming goodness (such as Wiz-War)! But in addition to having all the fun ever, it's important to take care of yourself. Shortly before attending my first con in my super-secret Steve Jackson Games polo shirt well over a decade ago, I was given important advice I haven't forgotten: the 3-2-1 rule. To wit, make sure you get, at a bare minimum:

• Three hours of sleep
• Two meals
• One shower

. . . every day. ("Is that three hours of sleep, two meals, and one shower for – like – the whole convention?" my smart-alecky self asked my supervisor, shortly before I was smacked for no reason.)

This is also known as the 5-2-1 rule and the 6-2-1 rule, depending on how much sleep you need as an essential baseline. This insight also gets more nuanced for each individual: try to eat healthily if possible (fruits, salads, and fiber are your friends), determine if a morning or evening shower is better, etc. But I found that my convention season greatly improved if I just kept the 3-2-1 rule as a mantra, and to this day, my brain will start muttering "3-2-1" if I'm at a con and it's been too long since I've eaten something real.

This may be old news to a lot of you – some quick Internet-searching indicates this is venerable advice – but I heard it for the first time myself once long ago, and it's not impossible that you are part of today's lucky 10,000 who are learning it for the first time.

-- Steven Marsh