For those of you who don’t know, I stream on Twitch. Well, I try to, with various degrees of success. I have been lucky enough to reach affiliate level (where you can get payouts via subscriptions and bits). I actually enjoy streaming, when I can bring myself to do it. After some discussions, I have figured out a way to incorporate it into my routine. Today, I’m going to look at some of the changes I plan to make, the reasoning behind them and how I hope that it will help me to build a better routine. It’s worth noting that I do not plan to use streaming as a way of creating an income, it’s about having fun and building routines.
As it stands, I try to stream at least once a week. I aimed to stream on a Thursday, but more often than not I end up postponing it until Fridays or Saturdays. From this week (Monday, the 3rd of October), I aim to stream three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There are a number of reasons, the biggest of them is emotional. When I do a stream, I often find myself feeling warm and fuzzy afterwards, as well as feeling energised in the period leading up to the stream itself. Having three streams a week scheduled (even if I am only able to stream once during the week) will hopefully help me to enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling that comes along with it.
There is also the routine aspect. As I’ve noted in previous posts, I struggle with building and maintaining a routine. My hope for my new stream schedule, is that I can take the enjoyment I feel during the build up to the stream and include more “day to day” tasks as a part of it. Day to day tasks (personal hygiene, eating, tidying up), are some of the more challenging to ingrain. They are typically boring and mind-numbing, by adding these to a routine that I find enjoyable, I am hoping that it will make them more rewarding. It will not be easy, but it is important that I find ways to make routines more appealing.
Finally, there is a learning aspect. More streams, means I will need to actively start to understand about what makes a good stream and the tools associated with streaming. While I have mostly got by with the help of my friends, there are many aspects of the process that I still don’t fully understand. A more frequent stream means I will always be looking for new ways to engage the audience, as well as pushing the boundaries of what I feel comfortable with. Learning is always a challenge (even without autism), if I am honest, it scares me that I may not be able to keep up with it. However, I want to enjoy my streams and bring enjoyment to others, and fully understanding the tools that are available to me will help to make that a possibility.
And now for the compulsory streamer related shilling. You can find me streaming over at twitch.tv/klethetemplar.
My new schedule is
Monday 6pm BST – Final Fantasy XIV
Wednesday 6pm BST – Destiny 2
Friday 6pm BST – Game that catches my attention (currently Cult of the Lamb).
You can subscribe using Twitch Prime, your own money, or you can just lay back and enjoy the show. It’s completely optional.
I also have a Throne gift list. This allows people to send me gifts (as well as suggesting some), without the need to exchange personal details with me. The items on my list are always chosen so that I don’t get money, only the gift. Money is nice, but I know how bad I am at impulse purchases.
In addition to getting gifts for myself, I am also raising money for the Trevor Project, directly through Twitch. Currently, they only offer US charities, however the Trevor Project is a charity that does amazing work in the US to support the LGBTQ+ community and is more important now than ever before. The money goes directly to the charity, without me needing to do anything other than streaming. As more charities are added, I plan to switch to charities that are closer to me.
In summery, I’m hoping that the increased streams will help to improve my skills and routine building. Of course, I could be overreaching and may fail terribly. Until I give it a try, I’ll never know. Only time will tell, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out. Do you have any advice for building routines, or making a better stream? Feel free to leave a comment below, and come back at some stage in the future to see how successful this has actually been.
Not Broken 