AUTHORTUBE: HOW TO DO IT ALL
I have now been on Authortube for almost eight years I think it is. While that first year of videos have been deleted and will never return, I am now into a place where I have a set routine for when I film, edit, and all of that, when I post, and all the other bits and pieces that take place behind the scenes. If you're someone who's trying to start an Authortube channel, or even just wanting to know how to get to a place where you can manage to juggle that, as well as writing and all the rest, then look no further, I'm going to give you some of my tips when it comes to doing it all alongside Authortube.
#1 PLANNING TIME IS A MUST
I say this and know that there will be those reading who'll roll their eyes and think that they can't and don't work that way, and if that's the case, then you do you, because you're the one who knows your routine and how you work best. I can only go by what works for me, and planning has been a massive help in making sure that I get my videos done in advance, and also have everything ready for when a Thursday rolls around.
I will admit that I didn't start that way. To begin with I didn't have a set schedule for when I recorded, or posted, my videos, and then when I got into a routine of it, it made sense to keep on top of it. Those who've followed me for a while know that I do a weekly spread and set myself at least one work thing a day. The majority of my days in a month are for writing, while there's the occasional one here and there that I set aside for recording. I like to record my videos a month in advance so that when it comes to the first, whether that's a Thursday or not, I have a month's worth of videos to give me a little breathing room.
This has been the way that works for me. If you want to batch film and do it that way, that also works well, but if you're looking to have the time, and energy to do videos, and all that goes with that, as well as writing, admin work, and social media, then you need to have some idea when and where you're going to get all of that done. So planning, whether that's in detail or not, is a big must for this.
#2 KNOW YOUR LIMITS
I include this one not just because I'm disabled and chronically ill, but because for everyone there are limits. While I, and other disabled and chronically ill people, will feel those limits more greatly, abled and healthy people have them too. If you're someone that knows that if you record and edit and all of that, you'll be done for the day, then make sure you don't schedule a bunch of other stuff after you record. If you want to write and the like beforehand, and you know you're able to do so, then schedule your time accordingly.
Personally, I know that I do better getting the recording out of the way first. I generally will do a video first thing, and then do revisions on the same day, after all the recording, editing, uploading, and such are done. It means that I can tick that off in my planner and move onto the next part of the process. I also know that I will be limited time, and energy wise, in what I can hope to do on recording days. Lately my sleep schedule has been out of whack and so I know that I'll start to tire around 6am. I wake up between midnight and 2am on recording days and then set myself up for success by planning to be back in bed and, hopefully, napping by 6am. It works for me, and I know some people will see that wake up time and panic, but I promise I'm not saying you should do the same! It's just the natural rhythm of my own body.
#3 START SMALL AND BUILD UP SLOWLY
I have never batch filmed, I just don't have the mental or physical energy to do more than one video a day. If this is something you're able to do, then I applaud you, but for me it's just not going to happen. So if you're wanting to jump into Authotube and know that you have all the time on one day only, then maybe consider batch filming for the week/month, whichever works. It can be a lot of work to edit everything, and while recording can be a pain in itself, it's usually the editing and exporting that takes the most time for me.
Start small, a lot of people who start out on youtube, will aim to do one video a week but they don't always have a day in mind. If you do, great, if you don't, don't worry about it too much to begin with. Like I said, for me it was a good year or so before I went onto Thursdays as my upload day, and from there I made sure to have the videos done in advance. I personally caption every video, so that adds a chunk of time to whatever day I choose to upload and the like, but you gotta do what works for you.
As with anything new, it's better to start small and work your way up to your ideal slowly. That way you know what it's costing you time and energy wise, and you should fall into a routine of some kind. However you choose to do it, it is possible to balance writing and Authortube, it just might take a while for you to get there!
Good luck, and if you have any questions, lemme know in the comments!
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