How I Built a Business While Studying Full Time

Key Concepts:

• Time allocation and discretionary time
• Sacrifice and trade-offs
• Making the process enjoyable
• Balancing studies, work, and side hustles

Sacrifice and Time Allocation

The core argument is that building a business or side hustle while studying or working full-time necessitates sacrifice. The speaker emphasizes that time is a finite resource, a "budget of time" allocated daily and weekly. After accounting for essential activities, individuals have "10-20 hours a week of discretionary time." This discretionary time can be allocated to various activities like sports, socializing, entertainment, or entrepreneurial ventures.

Examples of Sacrifices

The speaker shares his personal experience of building businesses during medical school and while working as a doctor. He explicitly states that he sacrificed partying, watching TV, and prioritizing his health (sports and gym) to dedicate time to his businesses. He highlights that he spent "a lot of weekends," "a lot of evenings," and "a lot of holidays" working on his ventures.

Making the Process Enjoyable

A crucial element in sustaining the effort is finding a way to make the process enjoyable. The speaker emphasizes that he "found a way to make the process fun," which prevented it from feeling like a hardship. This intrinsic motivation is presented as a key factor in his ability to balance his studies/work with his entrepreneurial pursuits.

Trade-offs and Opportunity Costs

The speaker implicitly discusses the concept of opportunity cost. By choosing to work on his businesses, he was forgoing other activities that his peers were engaging in, such as "watching TV," "social media," "going to parties," or "going to raves until 4 in the morning." He suggests that success in side hustles requires a willingness to sacrifice these activities.

Conclusion

The main takeaway is that building a business or side hustle while studying or working full-time requires a conscious decision to allocate discretionary time away from other activities. Success hinges on a willingness to make sacrifices and, crucially, finding a way to make the process enjoyable to sustain the effort over time.