Hey friend!
I don’t know about you, but for me, May is a lot.
Field day, end-of-year programs, class parties, teacher gifts, preschool getting out early while your older one still has two weeks left. And somewhere in the middle of all of that there is a business that still needs you to show up.
That’s my reality right now, and I have a feeling it might be yours too.
For a long time I would white-knuckle through this season. Trying to keep up, feeling behind, running on fumes and too much caffeine. Then summer would hit and I’d feel like I was already starting from an empty tank.
This year, I am doing something different and planning for my summer before June even gets here.
Here’s what that looks like for me:
I start with intentions. Before June hits, I sit down with my planner and I write out what I want this summer to feel like. Not just for the business but for my family as well.
What memories do I want to make? What does the business need to accomplish in these three months?
I write it all down so I’m steering toward something, not just reacting.
You know those summer bucket lists? YEP! I sit down with my kids and we talk about what they want to do, and we try to make it all happen in the short 2.5 months. We write it all down on a sheet of paper with fun markers and stick it to our fridge so it stays top of mind.
Then we put it on the calendar to protect those priorities. We choose which days we will do the bucket list items and activities and make sure it happens by scheduling it in. For us it’s beach trips, family visits, going to the museums — and we protect those days. We aren’t scheduling heavy work on those days. I am not doing launches during those times. That is protected family and fun time.
I batch in May so I have margin in June and July. This means I’m filming content, writing emails, and prepping what I can now while I still have my full work window.
When summer hits and my schedule shrinks, I’m not starting from zero every week. Outside of summer, I actually batch most of my social media content at the beginning of the month, thanks to Claude. But in the summer, I am a little more intentional about slowing down on social media and allow myself the chance to rest before going full throttle in the fall when we are in launch mode.
This might not work in your business, but I have found it works for mine. Find where you can ease back in your business to make your work a little lighter.
I set a minimum for work tasks on the heavy kid days. I give myself permission to just do the minimum for the business. What’s the one thing that absolutely has to happen today? Just that. The rest is a bonus.
And every month, I reflect.
What worked? What didn’t? What needs to be adjusted for next month?
This keeps me from barreling through the whole summer and waking up in September wondering where it went.
Here’s what I want you to hear underneath all of this: you don’t have to choose between a great summer and a thriving business. You just have to be intentional about both.
Your kids aren’t watching you be absent when you sneak in a work block during their movie time. They’re watching you build something. And then they’re watching you close the laptop and be fully present with them. That’s the example I want my boys to have.
Give yourself grace this month. Plan what you can and let the rest be imperfect.
You’ve got this, mama!
Taylor