Cozy sims that don't demand your whole life

Cozy sims are wonderful right up until they turn into a checklist of daily chores. Meadowbrook Days walks that line well, but any game in the genre can tip into feeling like homework if you let it.

My rule is to never chase the daily quests. Treat them as suggestions. The moment a cozy game starts feeling obligatory, it's lost the plot — the whole point is to relax.

Play for the moments, not the numbers. Watering crops, decorating a room, having a daft conversation with a villager — that's the good stuff. The progression bar is just an excuse to keep doing those things.

Set a soft limit for yourself. Ten minutes a day kept Meadowbrook charming for weeks instead of burning me out in a weekend.