This question was asked on one of the surveys I sent out during the newsletter. Now that I think about it, it’s odd that I never covered this. Obviously there aren’t many people who are going to be able to drop everything and suddenly have the chance to dive head first into streaming or YouTube. If only life were that easy, right? So, what’s the best way to make time for your stream? Or the best way to find time to publish new videos? There really isn’t a simple answer other then scheduling.
Priorities
One thing I do when I work with a streamer OR YouTube-er is force them to make priorities. Sure, work and other things will most likely come first because you’re not yet making money off your gaming endeavors, but hopping on the stream for a few hours, or devoting that time to creating your next video, will most likely come ahead of going out to the bar for drinks! Priorities can suck sometimes, but there rewards come after sacrifices. The reason I’m bringing up priorities is because the next thing I’m going to mention goes further into the scheduling. If you make a schedule to follow and then suddenly “something else” comes up, you’re going to be forced to prioritize. What’s more important to you? You should ask yourself this question before even starting your channel. Are you going to be able to choose streaming and/or publishing videos over something else? Especially when sometimes it may feel like NO ONE is watching in the beginning? It can be hard, but at the same time, no one wants to watch or subscribe to someone who is flaky. The worst thing you can do is start and stop a million times. You MUST be persistent. If persistence is the one and only thing you take from this article, although it wasn’t the main point, I’d still feel like I did my job.
Scheduling
Scheduling is the key component to this article. I know I reference Brittany from our Podcast Episode 3, possibly to often, but this is another example that she would be good for. She even posts her entire schedule as she plans it, for the stream to see. Some streamers have a set schedule that they live by, and this may be even easier for prioritizing reasons, but as long as you can make a schedule and stick to it, you’re on to something. What Brittany does is, every week or month, or however long she can plan ahead, she will make the schedule on a Google.Doc, and then also share it with her viewers on her stream page [as a link]. Sure, she most likely has her core days that she tries to stick to, but she this schedule not only helps her, but also allows her viewers to anticipate tuning in. It’s like killing two birds with one schedule. Yeah, I said that.
Prioritizing your Schedule
Okay, so now we can put both these bad boys together. First we talked about priorities, and now it’s time to make your schedule just that. Let’s pretend you decide to have a set schedule. That means for this example you will be set to publish a video or stream [depending on your priority] on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday for 3 hours. [YouTube-ers we’ll pretend that 3 hours is designated time towards creation/publishing] Now, on those given days you not only have an excuse to cancel a dinner date, but also a decision to make. You’ve set your schedule and made this new gaming endeavor your priority. What it comes down to now is: How bad do you want it? Are you going to make the sacrifices and actually put streaming and publishing ahead of other things? Will you stick to that schedule you make for yourself?
Other things in life/Creating a Habit
One thing I didn’t talk about are scheduling the other things in your life. If you’re going to be scheduling your streaming and/or publishing, it’s most likely a good idea to also schedule your other priorities. This means, work, the gym, school, etc. Make a list for yourself and let yourself know where your priorities fall. Is sticking to the gym important enough to cancel a designated stream time? Are you going to put off publishing that video until tomorrow? These are things that happen to everyone, but it’s your job to be different. Overcome the temptation of “other things in life” that aren’t priorities. It only takes 2 weeks to form a habit. That means, 2 weeks of doing something, and suddenly you’re used to it. Your welcome to use that in other aspects of life too. Hate waking up earlier but have to do it? Try sticking to it for 2 weeks consistently, it’ll be like no big deal. Same goes for the gym AND obviously streaming and/or YouTube-ing. Make yourself a promise to stick to your schedule for at least 2 weeks before even thinking about canceling one day. You’ll find that you are now in a groove. You’ll feel unstoppable. BUT, once you cancel one of those days, make sure to restart that two weeks or you’ll find your habit is suddenly more of a side burner then a priority.
Best of luck in your gaming endeavors. Make sure to form habits, prioritize, schedule, and be persistent!