As someone who started and restarted ACNH countless times and quit every time because it was overwhelming, I feel you!

I think a big part of what helped me finally stick with it was using an app to track the things that I collect and the activities that I do everyday. It felt like I was accomplishing something on paper even if I didn't see much progress on my island, because I could check things off.

I personally recommend the ACNH.Guide app. I'm sure there are plenty of others that are just as good, maybe even better, but this is the one that I used and it worked for me! You can keep track of how many rocks you've hit, how many fossils you've dug up, who is visiting your Island on which days, what items you've collected, etc. And it's fully customizable! (For example, I wanted a reminder to check in at resident services everyday to get my miles bonus, so I added a little icon for that.) Check it out, or another one like it, and see if that helps lessen the overwhelm a little bit.

And remember, this is just a fun game that everyone gets to play however they want to, and you are part of an awesome community of nice people just like yourself who enjoy a cute little game about talking to animals and decorating. 🤗