How 6th grade study habits can make entrepreneurs more efficient

As founder and chief executive of Best in Class Education center, a premier supplemental-education center with 29 locations in six states, Hao Lam has overseen the curriculum and methods taught to nearly 10,000 students. One of the most important skills his tutors impart to students is developing good habits for organization, which Lam said applies directly to entrepreneurs and business owners like him. Accomplishing anything important is exceedingly difficult until business leaders organize their schedules and mental tasks, which often start with straightening their physical spaces and offices, he said. “Being successful in school is not only about knowing the material,” Lam said. “Being well-rounded is the name of the game, and part of that is instilling good habits in our students and teaching them how to be organized and efficient.” National Get Organized Week hits close to home for Lam, as he is constantly reminding both his students and himself of the importance of being organized and having a plan. “It’s a physiological thing,” he said. “If your room or desk is messy, your day is going to be messy. If you can’t find something, you will become stressed and waste time trying to find it. If you don’t prioritize your day, how do you know where to start?” Lam’s top tips to get organized and end the year with a bang can apply either to students or business leaders also looking to make the grade: • Spend your first 15 minutes in the morning organizing your physical work space. Make sure desk surfaces, screens, etc. are clean, garbage or excess paperwork is put away or thrown out, and you can freely navigate around your work space. A mess will distract you from the things you should be focusing on. • Set priorities at the beginning of each day. Lam noted that 6th grade students only have a set amount of time for homework in a day: from 3 p.m. when they get home from school to about 9 p.m. when they go to bed. During that time they need to navigate homework, extracurricular activities, dinner and of course some free time. The same is true for the work day; there is only so much time. Lam suggests setting five priorities each day, which must be completed: one big one (a research paper or perhaps a quarterly report) and four smaller ones. Have the deadlines for these tasks visible, whether you enter them into your calendar or put them on sticky notes. Always know what is due when. • Minimize distractions and do not multitask. Turn off electronics and email when working on a project, and focus on one thing at a time. “We tell our students if they have homework in 3 subjects, finish one before starting another.” The same is true in business; focusing on one client or one task at a time will increase effectiveness. Keep all of your work and documents for a given task or project separate from one another as well. According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, we waste an average of 4.3 hours per week looking for things we’ve misplaced. Whether you have folders on your desktop or folders in a cabinet, utilize organizational tools and keep things clearly labeled. • Make yourself a schedule and stick with it. You know your priorities, now decide and keep track of when you plan to work on them. Lam adds: “It’s also not healthy for us to sit in one spot all day. It kills creativity. I use what I call the ‘25-5’ rule all day, and I highly recommend to anyone at any age.” Work for 25 minutes and take a break for five minutes, whether it’s to grab a drink of water, listen to music for a few minutes (Lam suggests music with no lyrics to avoid too much distraction) or go for a quick walk. • Make time in your schedule to reward yourself, too. When you finish your top priority for the day, take a 15-minute break instead of a five-minute rest. Rewarding yourself will keep you fresh and alert and make the day go by faster. Lam suggests that in the event that you haven’t been practicing these organizational tactics and you’re just starting out, the most important one is probably making a schedule and sticking to it. “If you know ahead of time what you’re working on and when,” he said, “even if something unexpected comes up causing things to shift, you still have a structure for your day to work around and you have an idea of exactly how much you can accomplish.”