Being a college student is basically a full-time job of its own. Between going to classes, completing assignments, participating in extracurricular activities, and more, your schedule is jam-packed. Throw a business on top of that and you become really strapped for time.
If there is one thing you shouldn’t do, it’s tell yourself that you’re unable to grow a business because you have too much going on with college. There is always going to be the opportunity to balance both your business and school–you just have to go about it the right way.
Follow our tips below for finding a balance between the two.
Time Block Your Schedule
When you have so many things to do and so little time to do them, using the time that you have wisely is crucial for ensuring everything gets done. Creating a daily schedule that designates certain time slots to specific tasks gives you an overview of what needs to get done and when… and it totally helps you to stay on track.
Although accounting for every hour of your day from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep seems tedious, it’ll help you to realize that you’re making the best possible use of your time. Plus, it feels great to cross off the tasks that you finish. A basic example of time blocking can look like this:
7:00 am – 8:00 am — exercise & get ready for the day
8:00 am – 9:00 am — eat breakfast, respond to emails, & prepare for class
9:00 am – 12:00 pm — go to class class
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm — eat lunch
12:30 pm – 3:00 pm — complete school assignments
3:00 pm – 5:30 pm — focus on business work
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm — eat dinner
You’ll want to be more specific with your schedule by listing exact school assignments and business tasks, but following that format will show you how you need to be spending your time.
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Use a Planner or Project Management Tool
Time blocking your tasks is one thing, but actually knowing what tasks you need to do is another. When you’re getting pulled in a million different directions, it’s easy for things to slip from your mind… but the last thing you want to do is forget to complete a project for a client or pass in a school assignment.
Using a planner or a project management tool like Asana can help you to organize your tasks and include their due dates so you can plan your time better.
Understand the Potential of Sacrifice
A big part of attending college, outside of getting an excellent education, is making lifelong friends and creating memories. Although owning a business while young doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun (because you absolutely should!), understand that sacrifices will need to be made… and you’ll have to be the judge of that.
Maybe it’s saying no to Friday night plans because you need to hit a tight deadline for a client project. Maybe it’s staying up later and waking up earlier because you have a lot on your plate that day. Maybe it’s choosing not to participate in a club because you need that time to focus on your business.
Whatever it may be, sacrifice shows in different forms, and you need to be able to identify what needs to happen in order to keep putting your best foot forward.
Although there will be times that you feel overwhelmed, stressed, and worried about everything that’s on your plate with being a college student and entrepreneur, keep your goals at the forefront of your mind and remember that it will be worth it in the end.
FREE DOWNLOAD: 5 Ways to Get More Done in Less Time
Have any questions about how to improve your time management or have helpful tips you would like to share with others? Leave a comment below.
