Running a business is time-consuming on its own. Once you start adding in other elements of your life – family, hobbies, taking care of yourself – it’s easy to feel like you don’t have enough time in the day for anything. Add in taking business courses to help you run your small company, when will you sleep?
The truth is, by learning time management skills and balancing the workload, it is possible to take courses and continue managing your business. Furthering your entrepreneurial skills is essential for a business owner, but so too is having time to take care of yourself.
If you’re in the middle of taking courses and run a business, use the following tips to help you manage everything.
Create and Prioritize Your Schedule
Having a schedule is essential to succeed in both your course and in your work. You already know when you need to work to run your company. Now you need to incorporate study and homework time.
At the start of each week, plan out your days. Make a note in your calendar when your tests and assignments are due and work around those. Add in any priorities for work that week as well. Schedule in your study time. If you’re a morning person, wake up a little earlier than normal, or do some homework on your lunch hour if you prefer the extra sleep.
Budget Your Money Like You Budget Your Time
If you’re taking courses while working, you may end up having to scale back how much you do in a day, which will cut into your monthly income. Instead of frustrating yourself and worrying about your finances, budget accordingly.
For any unexpected expenses that may occur, have an emergency fund set up, or look into small personal loans (Credit Ninja for example) that can get the expense out of the way as quickly as possible.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Your body will need all the help it can get to manage the extra workload. The best way to do that is to eat a healthy diet that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, fruits, and nuts. You want foods that won’t just fuel your body, but that will feed your mind as well. The sharper and alert your mind is, the better you’ll be to study and focus.
Incorporate Quiet Time or Meditation
After a busy day of running a company and working on your course load, you need to take care of yourself and incorporate some “me time.” Overloading yourself can lead to high amounts of stress, which won’t help anything.
Set aside time in the day that you can relax, meditate, read a book, work on a hobby, or even watch television. It could be in the morning before starting your day off or right before you go to bed.
Learn When to Say No
No matter how much you think you can do it, there may come a time in which you reach your maximum workload. At that point, it’s time to say no to something. Know your limitations as not to overwork yourself. If needed, extend the length of your program or delegate work to other employees in your business.
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