Live streaming and gaming are very demanding. This blog post gives a few tips on how to run a healthy life balance.

“Work-life balance” implies that work comes before actually living. Contemporary society seems to feed off of hustle culture and check off as many things as possible on a to-do list. It implies that people should sacrifice their personal time, social time, and family time in favor of furthering their careers.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Shouldn’t it be work-life balance? Let me explain the difference and why one motto is preferable over the other.

Instead, we should refer to having a “life-work balance”. 

Life-work balance 

This term was deemed by a recent speaker I listened to at an American Marketing Association meeting. Jonathan Warner, a seasoned Marketing Strategist and business growth expert, frequently ran into wear out and worked long hours early on in his career. What better person to present on burnout than he?

On Twitch, many streamers struggle to manage daily responsibilities like laundry, cooking, and cleaning with the demand they put on themselves to stream. One of the largest and most influential streamers, Ludwig, admits that streamers are “barely able to survive as humans. Half of them Uber Eats every single meal. They never pay any of their bills”. Ludwig goes on to explain that streamers aim for a large number of hours each month, which can interfere with college or work. Additionally, being an Influencer, you may become hypercritical and lose motivation to post content.

Here are three ways you can help prevent burnout and make living your life your number one priority.

Plan ahead

First, create a plan. Instead of spending every spare moment creating content or streaming, schedule work hours and breaks in a content calendar. Also, make sure the calendar is realistic – leave some free time for yourself in between your day.

Social media detox

Second, take a break from social media. As a streamer or any social media consumer, you are, consciously or not, taking in information from people you follow. You may constantly be on the hunt for inspiration from another creator or streamer, so scrolling or clicking in itself feels like work. Taking breaks and putting down your phone can benefit your mental health and rejuvenate you to avoid burnout.

Setting Boundaries

Third, set boundaries for yourself. This can go hand in hand with taking breaks from social media. By setting boundaries for yourself, you are honoring your wellness, mental health, and life-work balance. Setting boundaries can look as simple as creating separate work and personal emails, walking away from your computer, or silencing your phone.

Bottom Line

Overall, create a plan, take necessary breaks, and set boundaries to aid in avoiding burnout. In doing these things, you can start embodying a “life-work balance” more with each passing day. Happy streaming!