One of the biggest mistakes new content creators make isn’t just inconsistent posting—it’s setting an ideal schedule without allowing room for life to happen.

A lot of us start off with the best intentions. We plan to post once a week, or maybe even twice a week, because we know that consistency is key on YouTube. But what most creators don’t account for is that life is unpredictable. A busy workweek, family emergencies, creative burnout, or even just getting sick can derail even the best-laid plans.

That’s why I strongly believe that every channel—especially new channels and those struggling with consistency—should consider adopting what I call the 1+1 Strategy of Building a Content Bank.

1️⃣ WHAT IS THE 1+1 STRATEGY?

It’s a simple but powerful way to create content without constantly feeling behind. At its most basic, you start by taking your original upload schedule and cutting it in half.

➤ If you plan to post once a week, start by posting every two weeks instead.

➤ If you plan to post twice a week, start by posting once a week instead.

The point of this is to over-deliver and under-promise. But here’s the key—you still push yourself to create content at your original planned pace.

How It Works in Practice:

Let’s say your plan is to post two videos per week. Instead of telling your audience that’s your schedule, you announce that your plan is to post once a week while still creating two videos a week behind the scenes.

➤ Week 1: You create two videos, release the first one and schedule the second one for Week 2.

➤ Week 2: You create two more videos, scheduling them for Weeks 3 and 4.

➤ Week 3: You create two more videos, scheduling them for Weeks 5 and 6.

➤ Week 4: You create two more videos, scheduling them for Weeks 7 and 8.

By the end of just four weeks, you’re already a full month ahead. You now have a "bank" of scheduled videos, allowing you to stay consistent even when life happens.

2️⃣ WHY USE THE 1+1 STRATEGY?

🔹 It Builds Consistency Without Overwhelming You: Many creators burn out early because they set a schedule they wish they could keep, rather than one they realistically can keep. By starting at half-speed, you allow yourself to build the habit of creating without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

🔹 It Gives You Breathing Room for When Life Happens: Audiences and YouTube prefer consistency, which is why it’s better to under-commit but strive to over-deliver. When you have a backlog, you aren’t scrambling when things go wrong. Instead, you can keep your channel active without the stress of last-minute content creation.

🔹 It Keeps You on the Right Side of Expectations: Giving your audience more than they expect is always better than failing to deliver. If you have extra videos banked and feel like dropping an additional one? Great! But missing a promised upload creates disappointment. It’s much harder to recover from disappointment than to over-deliver.

🔹 It Helps You Develop a Workflow & Improve Faster: Having breathing room allows you to develop systems that make creating videos more efficient over time. As you practice and get better at scripting, filming, and editing, you’ll start recognizing patterns that help speed up your workflow.

3️⃣ FINAL THOUGHTS

As you push to start or grow your YouTube channel, I hope you find the 1+1 Strategy of Building a Content Bank useful. My goal is for this approach to help you prepare for when life happens while allowing you to stay consistent without unnecessary stress.

Whether you’re just starting out or struggling to keep up, I truly believe this method will help you take control of your schedule, not the other way around.

If you found this helpful and would like me to write more posts like this, please share your thoughts in the comments below. When time allows, I will continue writing more in this series, sharing additional strategies and insights that have helped me navigate this journey.

Until then… give yourself grace and keep pushing forward!

— George