Share a tip for managing the creator lifestyle for $3!

Taking time off. Unplug & disengage.

EVERYTHING will seem to be telling you to do the exact opposite. But while it can be somewhat unintuitive, taking 1-2 days off per week and completely disengaging has HUGE benefits.

I streamed 7 days a week years ago, and I was so drained all the time, that taking 1-2 days off per week had a dramatic affect on my energy levels while interacting live with chat.

Also don't make your days longer for the sake of doing so. It can be far better to do 4 hour, higher energy broadcasts than say 10 hr sessions, where you are at a much lower energy for the majority of the time.

I'm relatively new to the content creation scene, but I have researched tremendously in order to give myself the best possible foundation to build a community and brand. Between that research and the practical application of my own solutions based upon it, I've managed to stave off burnout and have a very positive experience in content creation.

Community Toxicity is by far the easiest to handle. I don't give trolls the reaction they are looking for and have a wonderful team of moderators that will handle them for me.

In order to get into the right frame of mind to work and to avoid burnout, I set work hours for myself. Outside of those work hours, I force myself to break away from the streaming side of things and to relax. It doesn't hurt that I enjoy interacting with my community, so the time I spend creating content doesn't feel like a chore at all.

A few tips to fellow fresh content creators, which I have learnt during the past few months:

Don't try to outrun already established content creators. They might be able to post any type of content and get high views on it, because they already have a huge subscriber base, who will simply click on anything new from them. Try to create something which is as timeless as possible, and not just attractive in the moment of uploading it, so you'll have content people will constantly look for.

For example I've made a few 'fist clear' videos of new encounters in FFXIV. This type of content is only valuable if you can be among the very first people putting it out, and this is not easy, especially if you are not a full-time content creator. No matter how good looking my videos were, no one was watching them after a few days. On the other hand my guide videos I've made for FFXVI are still constantly getting views, people will look for it even years later if they get to the game late.

Make sure to have some fun time for yourself as well. Have a game you play outside of streaming, or if you really want to enjoy a content alone or with friends off camera, save that for yourself. So not every moment of playing a game will feel like you're working.

And if you are doing 'lets play' style streams, just enjoy it, have fun and engage with your viewers. And remember to treat everyone the same way you would like to be treated. Of course there will be people who upset you or leave negative comments, but never get down to their level. You can block them and then you won't have to see their comments again, but otherwise be kind, it will work it your favour.

my tip is to not be on every single social media at once.

I learned the hard way that it’s far too much of a burden to manage all of them and to give the required attention to all of them to have them bear fruit.

My recommendation, have one core platform where you want to grow huge, where your content fits best.

Then one more complimentary platform that will help advertise your content who aren’t on the first platform and this platform can be one you use to socialise and connect with your audience. (This is just to begin with to give your content the attention it needs and so you aren’t stretched too thin)

EXAMPLE: for me my core platform is YouTube (long form content with my best quality content)

And the second platform is Twitter because I find it a good way to keep up with current events in gaming and I can post short videos and links to content when I make them.

I have slowly started incorporating Instagram too but only because I feel I have the space for it with my personal life and content creation.

Most importantly, Don’t be afraid to have fun and go out, don’t feel guilty taking time away from content creation. Those moments are what relieve the pressure and allow for you to perform better 👍

As a content creator, you will face challenges like burnout, creative recessions, and platform changes. To overcome them, prioritize quality content, engage with your audience, go outside enjoy nature or go on tour.