The Big Summer Balance

Calling all my mama entrepreneurs who work from home during the summer!

I know, I know. That last day of school you saw your teacher buddies frolicking out of the schools with relief, but for you, it’s the beginning of the most intense multi-tasking season of the year.

I hear ya.

I love my kiddos, but summer time is a true test of my small business mama balancing skills. And we all know we can’t put them in every summer camp out there! So here’s how I approached it this year. I can’t say I’m mastering it every week, but it sure helps me feel like I’m winning sometimes!

• The Pep Talk – First, I sat with my kids that first Sunday night and shared with them that while summer can be fun, mommy still has to fit work in. We made a deal that if they would just give me until a certain time in the afternoon to work, I’m all theirs after that. It’s amazing what some details and expectations up front can do! Especially for my very detailed son. I gave him a time on the clock, and he waits patiently until that time comes. If I had left it up in the air, I would have some pretty frustrated children every day.

• Time Blocking – This works wonders for my productivity! Somehow grouping tasks into time frames makes for more productivity. I time block my projects, my email time, and even my breaks! (Have you heard? Breaks actually produce better productivity! More on that soon).

Here’s what a typical summer day looks like for me with time blocking:
7:00am-7:30am – Breakfast and reading while the kids are still asleep
7:30am – 10:00am – Work like a mad woman until they wake. (Luckily, my kiddos are sleep-in bosses!)
10:00am -10:30am – Break + breakfast for the kids.
10:30am – 12:00pm – Work while the kids are occupied.
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch break
1:00pm – 3:00pm – Work like a mad woman! For the kids: Movies, board games, keeping the dog company! Mia Wins.
3:00pm – I’m all theirs for some pool time at the neighborhood pool and back home for dinner routine.

The KEY to time blocking is that you stick to it! Sure, life throws it off at times, but most days, if you’re a stickler with stopping and starting at the intended time, you’d be surprised how much you can get done.

This schedule has worked so well for us and it helps with expectations on both ends.

• Time Bank – If you’re a part of my newsletter tribe, you’ve heard me mention my TIME BANK before. It’s my trusty Google Sheet that calculates how much time I really have for projects so that I don’t over schedule! Starting back in the Spring, when scheduling projects I was very intentional about keeping my summer load much lighter than the rest of the year. I can’t say I got it as light as I wanted, but pretty close! So there’s actually room to breathe and not neglect my children!

We don’t all have the luxury of  daily nannies or affordable summer long camps, so these are my little ways of surviving the summer balance.

Do you have any summer tricks up your sleeve? Do share!

 

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