Your Twitch channel has been growing, you’re getting more viewers and then out of no where it’s the holiday season (or it’s time for you to head out on a much needed vacation).
Next thing you know the holidays have passed, your vacation ends and you feel lost, confused, and don’t know how to get your stream back on the track it was on before you left.
Zach and I have been live streaming Madden (other games too!) since 2009 and during that period of time we have fallen victim to this, which is OK, but we have also found a few ways to avoid this holiday/vacation hangover.
If you want to get back on track it’s all about organization and recognizing that a break in your schedule is approaching. Today we will talk about what’s worked for us and a few times where we “fell off the proverbial wagon”.
Plan Ahead to Get Back on Track
There should be never a time where the Holidays or a vacation “sneak up” on you, but this is often the exact way we describe them. “Oh dang, it’s Thanksgiving! I can’t believe it, it was just Halloween!”. “I can’t believe it’s time to go to (insert some awesome place here)”.
There is nothing wrong with taking a break from your Twitch stream for the Holidays or a vacation, but if you fail to prepare for the break it might be difficult for you to get back on track. From our experience we have seen this happen time and time again until we started preparing for the breaks ahead.
The truth is this…
You know when the Holidays are coming and you know when your vacations are scheduled. So, prepare for them, by planning ahead. If you’re going to be gone for an extended period make sure to get everything in order for when you return so that you can hit the ground running when you get back.
A few ideas for this: Let your audience know the exact days you will be leaving and returning , when they can expect you to be offline and then back online. This will help in two ways, your followers won’t wonder where you’re when you don’t show up for your regularly scheduled shows and it will hold you accountable to show up when you return.
Do you have a close friend that you trust to stream on your channel? This will help keep your channel active while you’re gone. If you go this route make sure to let your followers know. Try host mode. This is another way to keep your channel active while away and you can easily do this from any computer. Once again just be sure to let your fans know ahead of time.
Allow Yourself A Recovery Day
This always happens to us… We eat great food, visit with friends & family and don’t get the rest we need to literally fuel our bodies to feel in tip top shape. This leaves us feeling lethargic, tired and unmotivated when we return from our break. It makes it extremely difficult to get back on track when you physically don’t feel well.
So, what can you do about it? Give yourself an entire day to recover before you actually attempt to get back into your regular schedule. You will want to get up early, hydrate all day, eat a healthy diet and get to bed early (we’re all different, so be sure to check into your specific dietary needs). Give yourself a reboot so that you feel great when you get back into your stream.
Motivate Yourself Into Starting Back Up
What is your favorite thing about your Twitch stream? Do that on your first day back. You want to make it easy to get back into your schedule. So give yourself a break and schedule something that you will be excited to do. Play your favorite game, plan a big giveaway or schedule a special game that you don’t play enough. Do whatever it is you enjoy the most. This will make it easier on you to show up when you’re supposed to upon return.
Actionable Steps To Stick Too
We talk a lot about actionable steps here at Reel Gamer and for good reason. When you clearly list out what it is you need to do to accomplish the goals you have for yourself it creates a road map that is easy for you to follow. I personally have a million things in my head at once and this can lead me into different directions at different times and it prevents me from accomplishing my goals at times.
When I detail out exactly what I will do to accomplish my goals it gets my thoughts out of my head and on paper (or virtual screen) and allows me to think clearly. I can then follow the steps listed out and one by one I get closer to my goal. Before leaving detail out your actionable steps that you will take upon return. This will leave you with the exact steps you need to get the ball rolling.
Do This Now
Share in the comments below how you plan to get back on track after your next break. Has this happened to you before? How did you overcome it? Share in the comments below. Be clear. Be concise.
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