by Adam Toren 15 May 2013

You’ve read the book, you’ve got your idea, but now you’ve got to start living the kidpreneur lifestyle to back it up. Whether you end up starting your own business or not, it’s important to build your life around good habits. Spending a weekend fragging noobs in Call of Duty, though tempting, isn’t going to get you any closer to your dreams.
Here’re some good habits that have worked for me. I very much hope that you’ll give them a shot.

5. Carry a Notebook

You’ll never know how many good ideas you have until you start writing them all down. Besides looking like a hardboiled reporter from the ‘50s, carrying a notebook and writing down your ideas gives you a chance to think over your ideas. Take an hour every week or so to read over your notes and then transfer your best thoughts to the computer and work them out as needed. All entrepreneurs will tell you that luck is a big part of their success, but luck is a combination of chance and readiness. Taking notes is an important aspect of that ‘readiness’ thing.

4. Be the Example

Group projects were always one of the roughest parts of school for me. I was always the kid who got stuck doing 90% of the work and I couldn’t ever figure out what to do with the guy who came down with an unexplained illness when we had to present our final product. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to be organizing people. Granted, you’ll have the freedom to pick your own team, but this is a perfect opportunity to spot talents that someone doesn’t know they have. Talk to the laziest person in your group outside of class and tailor their job to what they’re good at. I promise you they’ll be glad to contribute.

3. Donate Your Time

Charity is good. It’s good for the community, your resumé, and most importantly connects you with other good people. If you’re too young to get a job, you’re definitely capable of helping something out with a car wash or fundraiser. Organizing events is great experience for publicizing your product and connecting with your peers.

2. Read Early, Read Often

Reading is one of the only ‘active’ forms of entertainment there is. When you watch TV, you’re watching something entertaining. The parts of your brain that TV engages don’t require active thought. Training your brain to analyze something critically is an important skill you’re going to need in the future. Reading, aside from being one of the oldest forms of entertainment, is one of the best ways to engage the critical thinking and imagination muscles that’ll help you dream up the next great idea.

1. Make Your Dang Bed

Someone once told me that the state of a bed is a good indicator of what’s going on in your brain. If you can do something that takes about three minutes every day, then you can do more important stuff every day too. Making your bed seems like a useless chore, but it’s more about respecting what’s yours and the space that you live in. If you can manage that, I’m sure you can manage something much, much more awesome.