From Jobberman and Propertypro to Printivo and many more, there are major companies that were started by students in tertiary institutions. University campuses are a hotbed for innovation, and invention. These companies demonstrate that ideas often transcend the dorm room to transform the startup world outside it.
Juggling school with business is one difficult task. There are individuals who had to drop one for the other due to how crazy things can get. But in this article, we have got you covered with some tricks to make that balance more manageable:
1. Make daily plans
Clearly establish your goals for the day and stick to them. Creating to-do lists is a good way to stay focused and organized, plus it can also give you a sense of satisfaction when you know you’ve completed a task.
2. Work with your academic calendar
There’s usually an academic calendar available to students to know when they’ll be going on holidays, the period of tests and assessments, exams, resumption, etc. There is also the timetable for your course of study. Based on all of these, one can know the week that will be pretty free and the time when things will be fast paced and demanding. You have to keep a strong command of your schedule, and do your best to manage your school and business stresses so they don’t all converge together in one totally hellish week.
3. Give yourself time-limits
Basically, manage your time. As a student entrepreneur, you should know your priorities and learn to work with time. Time will never be enough but you must work with what you have. Set alarms for your tasks and make sure that you don’t spend too much time and energy on something that won’t lead you to either achieving your business or academic goals.
4. You must take breaks
You’re not a robot. You’re human and too much engagement can lead to burnout. Bear in mind that you’re not taking breaks from school work by attending to your business, no. Taking a break involves you doing something entirely disconnected from work or school. You can go to the gym, your school’s sports centre, pamper yourself to a meal or go see a movie at the cinema. You must actively create time for recuperation and rejuvenation.
5. You can’t be down for everythingÂ
Now this is the difficult part. You’re in the University, a fun and exciting place with your peers. You will definitely have friends inviting you to hangout. You have to politely decline a lot of the time except this hangout fits into your schedule or your ‘break time’. The not-so-great news is that you might lose friends but this shouldn’t be a big deal for you if you have your eyes on the prize. And if they dont understand, then you might have to make new friends who would encourage you to be better.
