Time Management

Since school has started I have had less time for well, a lot of things. Most things, as it turns out. However, the thing about being a small business owner who is still in school is that you still have a client base you need to keep- no matter what obligations you have. To keep it professional, you must still meet deadlines, keep in contact and NOT use school as an excuse. This semester most of all, I have had to learn how to balance school (and along with school, extracurriculars, etc.) and business (and along with business, side projects, etc.).

The first thing you have to do is be straight with your client. Tell them that you are in school and let them know when you are available. Most will be understanding of that. If they aren’t, they probably aren’t the greatest to work with anyway. Once you have done that, see what services you want and give yourself plenty of time to complete them. Over at AlexKing.Org Alex writes about The Engineering Estimate, which explains that engineers (programmers, etc.) usually grossly underestimate the time they need for a project. Alex says that you should take the estimate and: Multiple the integer value by two, Increment the type of time used in the estimate (IE 2 hours = 4 days). If you are doing this type of work in school, you should take that estimate and at least multiply the integer value by 4, along with increment the type of time. This allots you not only enough time for the project, but also unforeseen school work, study time, etc.

I know the money will seem tempting, but don’t take up too many clients at the same time- especially while school is in session. You will find that you will get very overwhelmed very fast, and you will cut corners on all of your projects to find more time. Then your grades and your work will suffer. I find that with my level of involvement (17 credits, Student Government, 2 positions on USPB, a number of other clubs) I should max out at 2 clients a month. Anything else will be too stressful, and bad for business. On that same note, don’t get caught up in too many side projects. I have a hundred ideas bouncing around, but until I have sufficient time for them, I am not going to start any. If I cannot finish them it will have cost me money, and it won’t look so good on my end. Finally, if you know someone else in your field- who can do the same quality of work as you- see if they would be interested in teaming up. Having a helping hand doesn’t hurt as long as they know what they are doing.

If you can find a good balance between work and school enough to start and keep up with your own business, I say great- go for it. Hopefully these tips will help. However, keep in mind that while this is more than an extracurricular, your should always focus on your school work first. Failing at a side business while you are still in school is something you can bounce back from- it’s a little harder to bounce back from failing at a higher education. Later!