I'm a Harvard senior who balances college and my OpenAI-backed startup through these 3 productivity tips

Ethan Shaotran; Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI

• Ethan Shaotran, a Harvard senior, is developing an AI scheduling assistant called Spark.
• Shaotran balances his startup with full-time studies, leveraging time blocks and AI note-takers.
• He received a $100,000 grant from OpenAI and aims to onboard large enterprises to Spark.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ethan Shaotran, 22, a startup founder and senior at Harvard University. It has been edited for length and clarity.