Summer is here, my friends.  This is my favorite and the busiest time of the year.  When I lived in Arizona and was just a mom to one, I started a tradition.  My husband was in medical school and Arizona summers were HOT!  So, I packed up my car and took my baby to Utah for a whole month while my husband got in all the studying he needed to do.  This was a win-win for both of us.  He really didn’t have time to hang out with us and I was so tired of being in 115 degrees.

Since then, I have taken my kids away to Utah for the summer every year.  This month riding horses and playing on the ranch where I grew up is the month that we live for and dream about all year long.  But, just because I am scheduled to party this summer, doesn’t mean that I won’t be getting work done.

I try very hard to balance time with my kids, having fun and getting work done so that my business keeps going and growing.  Because of this, I have created a system on how to create the perfect 8 hour work week for me.  This system gives me the flexibility and accountability I need to get my work done ahead of time and turn my business on autopilot when I need to.

Before I jump in, let me tell you how this works.  I will not begin to guess what your summer looks like.  Some of my readers have little kids, some have older, some don’t have kids at all.  This system is flexible.  It will help you make big decisions up front so that you can fit in work where it feels the best.  I’ve called it the 8 hour work week, but it can be more or less depending on how much time you are able to give.  So, I will be giving you an example of how I use it, but mix it up and do what works for you.

Into listening?  You can take a listen to the podcast here:

Here it goes:

8 hour summer work week: How to get your work done and enjoy the summer as a mompreneur

The Math:

I have broken down your summer week into different categories for your business.

1 hour planning/week

2-6 hours on your 2 big goals/week (you get to set how much time you can spend here)

2 hours/week correspondence (emails, dm’s, client emails, keeping up with the business)

2.5 hours/week social media

30 min-1 hour/week business growth and learning

Let’s break down the math:

1-hour planning will be explained through the rest of the blog post, but the bulk of your planning will be upfront.  I just spent an hour planning out the topics for my whole summer.  This makes it easy for me to know what to do when I sit down to work.  Then, after having this plan, each week, I will spend 30 minutes to an hour planning out the coming week.

2-6 hours working on the big goals.  This too will be explained in more depth below, but just know that I want you to choose two goals to work on throughout the summer.  You will be working on these goals when you have big chunks of time to accomplish things during your week.  You can plan for more or less time depending on how much time you have to work on your business.

2 hours working on correspondence with customers, emails, DM’s and keeping up with the business.  This will look different for different people.  If you are a Maskcara artist or other MLM, you could use this time to reach out to past clients, check on your downline and schedule a makeup party.  If you are a podcaster, you could reach out to people to interview, respond to emails and write blog posts.  It doesn’t matter what it looks like, these two hours are for you to work on building your business and accomplishing your weekly tasks.

2.5 hours on social media/week.  Maybe this seems like a lot or maybe it seems like too little.  The amount of time on social media really will depend on you.  I factored in 1 hour for planning your posts per week and then about 20 minutes interacting and engaging on social media a day.  You decide the right time for you, but just make sure that you are not going on social media without a goal.  Remember, any time you spend on Instagram that doesn’t build your business is wasting your time and taking the time away from your kids and family.

30 min-1 hour education and business growth. This is one of those things you can sneak in while doing the laundry or when your kids are asleep on those long road trips.  This education looks like podcasts and audiobooks.  Choose your favorite podcasts that expand your mind and your business.  Might I suggest the Michelle Gifford Podcast?  This summer it is going to be chalked full of good business building episodes.

Those are the numbers.  You can give and take where needed, but just be very honest with yourself about how you are spending your time.

Alright, before I show you the big plan, I have something for you.  I created a printable for you complete with worksheets and calendars and goal trackers for you to print out and use this summer.  You can get them here

 

8 hour summer work week: How to get your work done and enjoy the summer as a mompreneur

Step 1:  Make a plan

The summer is approximately 12 weeks long.  This is THE perfect amount of time to accomplish some big goals.  Wait, wait, Michelle!  How is this possible?  I have kids running around and bbq’s to attend.  Well, it all starts with making a plan and then breaking up this plan into manageable segments.

This year, I read the 12 Week Year by Brian Moran.  The basis of this book is that making yearly goals is unproductive, but making 12-week goals is optimal for getting them accomplished.  The book teaches to create 1-2 big goals and focus on those two for 12 weeks instead of trying to get 6 or more goals done at a time.  This is the basis of my 2 goal maximum when trying to set your summer goals.

When setting these two goals, think about the end of the summer.  What will you want to have accomplished by August?  What will you want to launch during those prime months before Christmas?  How can you serve your audience over the summer?  For example, I have some exciting things I will be launching and one big event at the end of the summer.  I want to have everything ready to launch by the end of the summer.  Those two things will be my two goals for the summer

Next in planning:

Look at your schedule and plan out your family vacations, time off and days that you want to be unplugged.  These things should always be plugged into your calendar first because family time is a top priority.

Then, set your rules.  How much time will you spend on your business?  How much time will you allow yourself to be on Instagram?  When will you spend time on your business?

For example, I love Instagram, but man, oh, man, it is a time suck.  So, for summer, I am setting up my own rules.  I will not be posting something unless I have scheduled it out in advance.  And then, I will only interact for 30 minutes a day and I won’t be taking those 30 minutes until I have exercised, read my scriptures and showered.  These are my rules, not yours.  You can make them whatever you want them to be.  The important thing is to make the rules and stick with them.

Step 2: Choose your goals and break them up

Now that you have your two goals for your business, write them out.  This is where the strategy of the 12 week year comes in.  Take each goal and break them up into 12 steps and then, if you are a real go-getter, break those steps up into 5 mini steps.  Those 12 steps will be your weekly goals during the summer and then those 5 steps for each of the 12 steps will be your daily task throughout that week.

I usually make the 12-week goals out in advance and then in my weekly planning session that I do every Sunday night to prep for the week, I will go through and make the daily task list then.

Step 3: Make a schedule

Pull out those calendars, friends.  You can do this digitally or on a paper calendar as I do.  I also created a printable for you, complete with worksheets and calendars and goal trackers for you to print out and use this summer.  You can get them here:

As I said, the first things that you mark on your calendar are your family vacations and other activities, then add any business related activities you have and then decide if there are days that are going to be work days.  Mark them on the calendar.

On this step, I don’t go too detailed into my calendar.  I will just add the big dates like reunions, vacations, trips, etc… and then will fill in the details in the next step.

Step 4: Weekly planning

I set aside an hour every week to plan the upcoming week.  The best time for me to do this is on Sunday nights.  I will sit down with my schedule and my goals and plan out the coming week.  I will also plan my meals and grocery lists for the week and anything else that can help me stay on top of things.  This practice usually takes less than an hour and it really takes the guesswork out of my week.

I will also do this with my Instagram.  I take an hour on Friday or Saturday to plan my Instagram for the coming week.  This way, I don’t have to stress on Monday morning and I have a plan that is based on my strategy, not just out of the necessity of posting.  Scheduling out my posts also helps me save time because I don’t have to spend all of that time on Instagram.

Step 5: Track and Report

During the weekly planning session, I will pull out my goals and see if I am on track.  Taking time to do this helps me to celebrate my progress and check-in with how I could improve during the week.

Remember, I created a printable for you, complete with worksheets and calendars and goal trackers, for you to print out and use this summer.  You can get them here.

I’m dedicated to bringing you quality content all summer long on my podcast.  My goal for you this summer is to keep your business growing AND for you to enjoy this time with your family.  It can be done, my friends!

I’ll be using these worksheets right along with you for the next three months.  Make sure that you are subscribed to the podcast and that you are following me on Instagram where I will be teaching and encouraging you throughout the summer.

And that, my friends, is how you have an 8-hour summer work week and how to get your work done and enjoy the summer as a mompreneur.