A Streamer's Guide to staying focused

A Streamer's Guide to staying focused

As a streamer, you have surely been steadily enhancing your performance over time. However, when it comes to additional tasks such as troubleshooting, designing visuals, managing social media, or monitoring channel metrics, maintaining focus can be a challenge. This lack of concentration is a common issue faced by many of us, whether it is struggling to get started or losing focus mid-task. Prioritizing your streams is important, but ensuring that your shows are maintained and improved efficiency during your downtime is equally as valuable. Our goal in this article is to explain how to approach these tasks with a complete focus, so we can accomplish them faster and more efficiently.

The key to effective multitasking

When faced with a heavy workload, many people start seeking ways to maximize their efforts and minimize the amount of time they use. You might think, “I want to complete two hours’ worth of stream improvements in just one hour”. To do this, you adopt a multitasking approach, attempting to accomplish multiple objectives at once. However, what many people don’t realize is that multitasking is not effective. Contrary to popular belief, the human brain is not equipped to handle two vastly different tasks simultaneously. Instead of performing both tasks concurrently, the brain alternates its focus between the two, leading to a subpar performance on both tasks and actually taking longer to complete both tasks than if you had done them separately. 

Therefore, eliminate multitasking and dedicate specific blocks of time to focus solely on a single task related to your stream. Whether it’s designing graphics, updating hardware, adjusting audio, or engaging on social media, concentrate solely on that task without any distractions. Create a space free of distractions by silencing your phone, placing it face down, and avoiding it during these times. Avoid any background noise or distractions such as music, Netflix, YouTube, etc. While these suggestions may seem obvious, they can prove to be difficult to implement. To learn more about blocking out time and developing good habits, refer to the article Develop a consistent streaming habit. Once you have mastered the art of simplicity, you can progress to the next level. 

Simplifying your workflow

Tailoring your environment to specific tasks to a specific environment can greatly help improve your focus and productivity.  For example, when preparing for a stream, you will set up your pc with a specific configuration of tabs and programs needed to succeed. This creates a familiar and comfortable environment to entertain. Similarly, when working on graphics, you’ll close all unnecessary programs, and keep only what is needed for the task at hand, creating a different and dedicated environment for that task. By separating tasks into different environments, you can train your brain to associate each one with a specific task and avoid distractions. 

If you are having trouble focusing on a particular assignment, consider altering your surroundings to see if it will improve your concentration.  Additionally, cutting out unproductive habits, such as excessive social media usage (scrolling through TikTok), can also help clear your mind and increase your daily focus. Social media can have a dangerous yet subtle effect on your attention, gradually eroding it without you even realizing it. By reducing the time spent on sites like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Reddit, you can regain control of your focus and free up more time for your stream tasks.

Final Thoughts

The benefits we obtain by training the mind to focus on streaming is that it not only makes it easier to get into a productive state but also helps us sustain it. Regaining our focus is difficult once lost, so avoiding distractions and preserving is important for completing tasks efficiently and effectively. By eliminating multitasking, changing environments, and minimizing distractions, you can see substantial improvements in the work you produce in a shorter amount of time. With these modifications in place, the only question remains: “What amazing projects can you accomplish with all the extra time that you have gained”?