Freedom is one of the best benefits of studying at The Open University, making it easier to juggle different life priorities, such as starting your own business while you study. Even with this added freedom, though, the juggling act isn’t always easy. Take care to keep hold of the three following balls during your journey to increase your chances of success.
# 1 – Your Workload
Studying and starting a business are intensive processes, and many people trying to do both can let their workload slip in one or more areas. Simple things, like setting aside study time once too often, or overlooking key time-consuming business elements like content creation, can all be costly.
To avoid these issues, it’s first vital to develop a plan. At the very least, you should set aside certain times of day for study or business and not let the two meet. It can also be beneficial to accept that you can’t do everything on your own, and should instead consider employing help which could include a study buddy to mark things like mock tests, or an online marketing agency to tackle priorities like business content and social accounts when you’re otherwise engaged. These small steps will make your workload way easier to manage, and could just help you get in a more reliable swing.
# 2 – Your Passion
If you weren’t passionate about both your business idea and your studies, then you never would have committed to the major challenge of tackling both at the same time. Unfortunately, it’s easy to overlook one passion in place of another when times get tough.
The key here is to simply remember what different things each focus brings to your life, and also how those complement each other. If you’re tempted to ditch the studies and run away with your business idea, for instance, remember how important your studies ultimately are for your personal development and overall business capabilities. Equally, if your business feels like it’s getting in the way of that study-based development, remember your passion for this idea, and how much you’ll be grateful that you took this time when you’re earning great money with work you love down the line.
# 3 – Your Vision for the Future
Studying and working can be all-consuming, and you may begin to lose your vision for the future with regards to both priorities. This can lead to lacklustre business plans, ineffective studies, and a future that’s ultimately no better than your situation before.
Overcome the problem by always keeping an eye on what’s ahead, be that getting your qualifications, or taking your business overseas. By keeping these goals on the horizon, you make it way more likely that you’ll put in the work, and also that, even during those times when it feels like you’ve lost control, you ultimately always find yourself back on track again.
Juggling work and study is rarely easy, but if you can balance these three balls, then you should be able to get through even the most challenging times.
