As a full time student who also manages multiple businesses, I am quite often asked how I manage to stay on top of both my academic and entrepreneurial responsibilities. The secret lies in careful organization, strategic planning, and maintaining a disciplined approach to every aspect of daily life. My own journey as both a student and an entrepreneur has taught me invaluable lessons on balancing multiple high commitment endeavors, which I believe will serve me well for the rest of my life.
Understanding the Challenge
The life of a student entrepreneur involves more than just attending classes and completing assignments. It includes making critical business decisions, managing teams, and always constantly innovating. As the head of TO Ventures and several other startups such as Swing Supplies, I find myself frequently transitioning between the role of a student and a business leader. This dual persona requires an extraordinary level of organization and focus.
Prioritize and Plan Meticulously
The foundation of effective balancing acts in life is prioritization and meticulous planning. I rely heavily on my digital personal calendar in which I put specific times for schoolwork, business tasks, and personal activities. Each type of activity is color coded. Yellow is for school, brown is for business, and green is for personal time. As soon as I learn about an upcoming activity or event, I immediately put it in my calendar so I don’t forget it later on. This method provides a clear visual snapshot of my weekly schedule, which helps me manage my time efficiently and prepare for upcoming commitments without any overlap or conflict.
Effective Time Management
Effective time management extends beyond sticking to a schedule. It’s about optimizing your day to maximize output without giving up the quality of my work. My daily routine is highly structured, especially after school hours, when I switch to business mode. This routine is crucial because it reduces the mental load of deciding what to do next, therefore conserving energy for important tasks. Steve Jobs had a similar thought on this for why he only wears the same clothes every day, but I’m not that intense, though. Anyways, the first hour after school is usually dedicated to my homework, after which I turn my attention to business, allowing me to handle high priority tasks with my full undivided attention. Although, I try to complete all of my homework during school hours to allow me to focus my time outside of school on my numerous projects going on during that day.
Creating Task Specific Environments
The environments in which we work can significantly impact our productivity and focus. Inspired by James Clear’s concept in Atomic Habits (which I believe is a fundamental book that everyone should read), I maintain specific zones for specific activities. The SMU Library is my designated spot for business related tasks. James Clear’s advice, “Every habit should have a home,” is particularly true for me in my own life. By associating different locations with different tasks, I have minimized distractions and maximized focus in balancing my numerous activities.
During school hours, I try to stay in school mode by minimizing checking work emails unless absolutely necessary because I found myself not paying attention in school during lectures when I would be distracted thinking about what’s going on outside of school throughout the day.
At home, my bed is meant only for rest, and no phones are allowed. I used to have trouble sleeping sometimes, but that was completely eliminated as I turned on the rule suggested by James Clear. This strict rule helps condition my brain to associate the bedroom with sleep, ensuring I get quality rest. Similarly, my desk is associated with school work so my brain knows when I sit down it’s time to put 100% attention into schoolwork. You should also avoid doing your homework on the couch, since it’s designed for relaxation and it tends to give you a less productive mindset. Similarly, when I go to the gym, I put my phone in a locker so I don’t get distracted during rest time in between sets, scrolling through Instagram. This allows me to give 100% to whatever the activity is at hand.
Maximizing Every Moment
Efficiency is key when juggling multiple responsibilities. I use every possible moment to increase my knowledge or progress in whatever I’m doing or learning at that time. For example, during daily routines like showering or driving to school, I listen to audiobooks to my current business interests instead of music. This not only makes efficient use of otherwise passive moments but also keeps me continuously learning and thinking about my fields of interest during my moments of idle and dull time to keep my brain working at a fast pace.
I also consciously avoid activities that might create a high before a low, such as listening to music before engaging in a productive task, or scrolling on TikTok before you start your homework. This helps maintain a steady motivational level and prepares my mind for the work ahead. I found it helpful not to have that dopamine rush before you go do something productive because then you will be missing that dopamine that you just had and the other tasks will be more challenging because they don’t release as much dopamine.
Working in Sprints
Another important strategy that I have implemented into my own life is working in sprints. This involves intense bursts of focused work followed by very short breaks. This method takes advantage of natural energy peaks, allowing for high productivity while also accommodating quick rests to avoid common burnout. For example, when writing this article, I’m working non stop while my motivation is high, and then occasionally taking short one minute breaks to walk around before continuing where I left off so I can get right back on task. Remember not to check your phone during these short breaks, because as I said earlier, you get that rush of dopamine which will in turn lower your desire to do the important task at hand. This is where a lot of people go wrong when they do their breaks because they start “doom-scrolling” on social media.
Overcoming Challenges and Starting New Projects
Starting any project is often the hardest part due to initial resistance and procrastination. However, once the first steps are taken, momentum builds and progress follows a lot more smoothly. It’s very similar to how in school when you are writing an essay, the hardest part is when you have a blank paper and you just stare at it, but once you get going, it just flows from there. I believe this is very similar to business. My approach is hands on and experimental and just seeing where it takes me. I dive into projects with a “figure it out” mindset, learning and adapting as I go along. This has not only accelerated my learning curve but also increased my resilience and problem solving skills in both my academic and business ways of thinking.
Conclusion
My own journey as a student entrepreneur is characterized by a continuous balance between education and business. As I continue to scale TO Ventures and engage in other entrepreneurial activities, these key strategies will remain crucial to my daily routine, ensuring that I can meet my academic goals while pushing my businesses towards success. I also aim to empower other young entrepreneurs by sharing insights and offering mentorship based on my own real world experiences.
In the next coming years, I plan to take TO Ventures to all new heights by incorporating more innovative technologies into our investment portfolio. This includes supporting other educational endeavors to help other motivated young entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of starting and running a business while managing other life commitments. If you’re interested in learning more about this, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact me through the website.
The ability to manage education and business simultaneously is not just a skill but a form of art that requires creativity, patience, and a lot of hard work. For fellow student entrepreneurs, the path is demanding but immensely rewarding. I know it may seem tough in the beginning, but that’s a part of the roller-coaster. Embrace each challenge with enthusiasm and persistence, and remember that the key to balancing multiple priorities effectively lies in structured planning, disciplined living, and that initial courage to take the very first step.
Through my own firm, TO Ventures, I am committed to building a platform that not only invests in promising startups but also raises a supportive community for the next generation of innovators and leaders. Together, we can transform challenges into opportunities and continue to make significant impacts in the world of business and beyond.
In conclusion, balancing school and entrepreneurial activities is achievable and fulfilling if you use the right tools. By using effective strategies such as time-blocking, environment specific task management, and maximizing productivity, I believe that student entrepreneurs can excel in both their academic and business lives. My ongoing experience has proven to me that with the right approach, the journey of a student entrepreneur, although complex and often very difficult, is one of the most rewarding paths one can pursue. I look forward to the continued journey and for what is yet to come.
