Patch notes are in progress. I love patch notes. They give you great insight into the mind of the developers and the direction that they are wanting to take the game. Having a clear picture of the state of the game and then looking at the big picture of how they are adjusting everything is great. Does it make me a better player? Probably not except that I have more general knowledge about the game. It certainly won't increase my performance in a raid.
It used to be that I got excited about patch notes. When I say excited, I mean that I got fired up. I was frustrated by nerfs and ecstatic over buffs. Often verbally, with great volume, to anyone who would listen. I am not that way anymore. Why not? And why does it matter?
Well, I have been playing WoW for six years. Over the course of six years I have experienced a lot of different changes to the game. I have watched Blizzard ignore problems for months and years. I have watched them fix things the very next day. I have seen the game evolve, killing my class/spec. I have seen patches that make me the most overpowered thing the game has ever seen. Through it all I have gained a few things, one of them being perspective. Another is trust.
I trust the WoW dev team. Over time they have fixed every major issue, balanced every overpowered spec, fixed every glitch, and made solid improvements to every aspect of gameplay. I have also seen a steady increase in speed and accuracy in their ability to solve these problems. They have earned my trust, and I know that they will continue to improve.
So what happens when I am overpowered? I know I will soon be nerfed and just enjoy it while I can. When I am lagging behind it doesn't bother me, I know it will get fixed shortly. The joke 'Soon™' started back when the rare, once-a-quarter blue post hit the forums and nebulously said, "We are aware of the issues and they will be fixed soon." Then months and years went by with no fix and no updates. Everyone quickly became aware of the famous Blizzard use of the word 'soon' and what they really meant by it. Now Blizzard jokes at themselves by using it, and 'Soon™' has turned into a month or two.
This understanding and trust ends up turning into apathy. I read the patch notes diligently, and I care in that I keep myself acutely aware of the state of the game including class/spec specifics for all classes, but I feel entirely apathetic to the feelings of frustration or elation that others may experience when reading the same patch notes. I don't get up in arms about things because I know they will come around, and dealing with an issue in the short term is not a big deal.
This attitude has a great affect on my gameplay. I have to admit that my mood affects my performance. Anyone who claims otherwise is either not self aware or is lying. Morale matters. The apathy that I feel towards the nerf/buff swings in the game allows me to sit back and enjoy playing, untainted by the frustration of a favorite ability getting the nerf bat or my fellow raiders getting buffed to overpowered levels while I sit at the average. I don't suffer form over excitement whereby I make stupid mistakes in a raid because I am inappropriately using a newly overpowered toy. My performance remains more steady, more consistent, and thus allows me to push it ever higher as I perfect my skills and not backslide due to patch note feelings.
For what its worth, I know that this is something that is not available to everyone. Some people are just excitable and they always will be. But if you can become more self aware in this area, and perhaps learn some strategic apathy, it can help your play as well.