it depends on the game, but in general, shinyhunting doesn't take too much attention, so it's a good idea to shinyhunt while watching a movie, as long as said movie doesn't require you to pay too much attention to it (so don't go for like, Inception or something). If you're soft resetting (for a legendary/starter/gift Pokémon), rather than going for wild encounters, don't get too distracted; I've seen too many youtubers get distracted for just a moment and SR over their shiny.
I can give you more advice depending on which version(s) you're planning to hunt in and, if necessary, the Pokémon you plan to hunt.