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Content Creation: Time, Goals, and Sacrifice

This blog post is available in audio format as well on my podcast feed at:


 


Streaming is so much more than just playing games on the internet.


Well, let me rephrase that. Streaming with the intent to build a channel, build a brand, and potentially make a profit or a career out of it is much more than playing games on the internet. But people who read a Forbes article about Ninja making millions of dollars a year don’t want to hear about that. They don’t want to hear about the 7 years he spent before that, perfecting his craft, making a name for himself as a professional halo player, and streaming endlessly on Twitch.


Because that sounds hard.


Everyone thinks they can do what all their favorite streamers do. Fire up their sweet webcam and their favorite game and rake in thousands of viewers to “make bank, bro”. However, as any of those personalities would tell you, there’s so much more than that. There’s a serious time commitment involved with even the smallest of channels if you want to grow and build your brand.


So how do you manage all that time commitment?


The first step is to be realistic with your goals. What do you want out of content creation? What are you willing to sacrifice to work towards that?


Use myself as an example. I have a wonderful wife and a super cool son that I like to spend time with. They are my priority, I will not sacrifice time with them for streaming, and I do my best to disconnect when I’m spending time with them. I also have a great job that takes care of them financially but demands 50-60 hours a week of my time. But I also want to stream, create a podcast, make content for Youtube/Instagram, stay involved in my communities, write a blog, and support my friends.


So, I just don’t sleep.


Well I do, just not too much. And it’s probably not healthy, but luckily my wife is supportive but is also my voice of reason to tell me when I need to get some rest, disconnect, or just take a break to keep from getting burned out. She lifts me up and keeps me grounded. But I’ve also come to realize that with my current workload and priorities, streaming as a career just isn’t a realistic goal. But that’s okay. It’s still a fun hobby, that gives me a creative outlet, and sometimes puts a little money in my pocket on the side.


“Well I’m not you, Roc. I’m going to make millions”


That’s awesome, you should start by reading something from someone who knows what they’re talking about. If making a career in streaming / content creation is really your goal you need to know two things. It requires all your time and effort, it is a saturated industry with a relatively low barrier to entry. That means there’s a lot of competition, find your way to STAND OUT.


Focus on your processes.


Don’t try to do everything at once. Do one thing at a time, get efficient at it. For example, it used to take me 3-4 hours to produce a podcast episode when I first started. But I focused on my process, automated what I could (without sacrificing quality), and now can produce an episode in 1 hour. If you make your processes of content creation efficient, they’ll take less time, you’ll get more done. As you get more efficient, you can create more things.


Develop your routine.


Outline the time you have, define what you want to get done and when you’ll get it done. This will help you provide a consistent flow of content and get everything done. Iterate on that. With my limited time I dialed streams back to 4 days / week, then Fridays are podcast recording days, Sundays are podcast production days, and Saturdays are my day to flex my time as I need it.


At the end of the day, there’s no single answer for everyone. You have to determine what you want to achieve, what you can reasonably sacrifice, and then define your processes and routines around getting there.


Hitting Go Live is the best way to get started, but the things you do after you hit Stop Streaming will define your success.



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