Doing a startup while attending university
Cailyn Yong
4 replies
I've currently founded a startup last September and have been working on it since. We've finished the idea development stage and are currently working on building the MVP, which has been finished 60 ~ 70%. However, I'm having a lot of difficulties managing my time keeping up with my academics and working on the MVP, and I've been stressing out a lot. Because I can't do both perfectly, I've also lost a lot of motivation for the startup. Is there anyone else who's dealt with this situation, and are there any tips for this? :(((
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Maxwell Davis@maxwellcdavis
In my opinion it's the best time to do one - you'll learn how to optimise your time, something most of us don't learn until later in life with other commitments etc.
I have a full time job, 3 kids and I'm currently working on 2 startups at the moment. I manage it through time blocks. There are certain amounts of time I devote to each one on each day
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Hunted Space
While I don't have advice for startups and uni, I've worked 2 part time jobs while studying in university full-time and I am now transitioning to work full-time while studying full-time so I feel like I can perhaps give some advice from my perspective.
The problem for most is burnout and the accompanying demotivation when doing too much at once. I think the main thing that's helped me is meticulous planning on my calendar with clear "fun" times to break up the workload. Whenever I'm going out with friends, doing something for myself, etc. I always mark it down in a bright, happy colour on my calendar to remind myself that there are things I can look forward to other than work. This was crucial for me and it's helped me through my worst burnouts.
Create things to look forward to and treat that like a priority. It sounds hard to begin with when you take a look at a jam-packed schedule but trust me, it gets easier. Putting those bright sections in your calendar can and will become second nature when you put your mind to it. In the long-term, you'll need to learn how to prioritise the fun things. This was just the first step for me, and helped me set boundaries for myself with my work and myself :) I hope this helps a bit, totally understand your struggle!
I'm currently doing the same. You don't need to do both perfectly. Focus on your studies first. Spend your free time building your startup (at least 1 or 2 hours a day, don't skip, otherwise you will lose motivation). Stay connected with your community. That's what I do. Good luck!
Entrepreneurial thinking helps solve the problems of today's society together toward a better society. I am in the Network Administration and Security program at ASA College, which prepares me to support network and systems administration. In the future, I will be able to design, install, configure, maintain and protect local and global enterprise networks in small and medium-sized corporations. I have also thought about going into startups, but I lack the confidence to do so.