If you are a student as well as an entrepreneur you know scheduling and planning is a vital aspect to your well being. Being a full time student and having my own business is not an easy task so I have put some strategies in place to help limit my stress and allow for free time.
Sometimes you have to really lay out your priorities and decide what you need to focus on that matters most at that moment. My education has always come first and I take pride in my hard work. I also take pride in my business and thoroughly enjoy pursuing my passion which is why I have had to find balance.
Balancing school, a part time job and my design business is not an easy task, but I wouldn't have it any other way. People may think I am crazy for working so hard this young, but in my mind if I keep working hard, I can build a life that I enjoy and love. Yes, I have spent Friday nights even some Saturday nights working on my business when I probably should be going out with friends but when you are on strict deadlines and have a million and one things to do you do what you have to in order to get it done.
I honestly can't imagine life without my blog and design business. They have become my baby and I work day in and day out on them to make them the best they can be. Here are some tips that I have put into place to help me manage my time better...
Be strict about your schedule: I schedule time to work on homework at certain times and schedule in time for clients at other times.
Allow yourself a longer design or business process: A design project that may take a week to complete, will most likely take me two weeks so I make sure to calculate that time to take the stress out and so that I can truly focus on making the best design possible. This is not only helpful to me but I feel as though it is fair to my clients.
Find as many scheduling and designation tools as possible: If you can afford to have a virtual assistant go for it! But if you are in the beginning stages of your business and money is tight there are plenty of apps and tools to help you schedule social media posts (Buffer and Hootsuite), schedule newsletters (MailChimp) and keep your schedule together (Tempo: free calendar app).
The key is to make the process of balancing as stress free as possible, you just have to find what works with your schedule. Once you get into a groove, it gets a bit easier and scheduling times for certain things becomes an easier task!
Some tips from fellow studentpreneurs...
Sienna from Modern Beauty Girl "I'm currently finishing up my senior year of high school and for the last two years I've been balancing school and blogging. For me, I think the most important thing is trying to make a schedule of when I need to film, photograph, write, and post and trying to stick to it as much as possible. I always keep a to-do list going in Evernote and I try to use my time wisely. If I have short breaks I usually like responding to emails and social media, but if I have longer ones, I try to edit videos or start drafting posts!"
Teddy from Coffee, Curls & Girls In Pearls "I just recently graduated with honors and a B.A in communications and digital media and a minor in journalism. Needless to say, keeping up with my personal blog amidst dozens of papers, articles and interviews was anything but easy! When I was actively blogging each week, I carved out at least an hour or two for strictly blogging. It's important to carve that time out for yourself to keep your focus, and to craft an exceptional blog post. Carving that hour out also allows for creativity to flow in the brain- not to mention, it's almost a stress relief if you're a busy student! I actually took a little bit of a break from my blog to really regain a sense of what direction I wanted to go with it. If your brain is all over the place, your blog might just be too. Now that I'm out of college, I'm able to focus on what path I'd like my blog to take. Narrowing down the focus will benefit my readership and overall appearance in the long run."
Are you a student entrepreneur? If so, let me know how you balance everything down below! I would love to hear your story!
