I know so many of you were shouting very loud Amens and Praise God yesterday morning!!!! I was a teacher for 7 years so I remember the looks on the mamas’ faces as they shoved their sweet little ones into my door on the first day of school….with barely a wave and a kiss that lasted .25 seconds.

And yes, I know everyone was ready for the Fortnight Detox that is coming this week!!!! (we don’t do video games much at our house, so this wasn’t a big deal for us this summer…now cell phones are a different story!)

Needless to say, as our girls have gotten older I am cherishing these summer moments and days even more because I can tell you that once they leave the nest, it’s never the same. In some ways it’s even better (they suddenly realize you’re actually smart and will call on your regularly to ask you questions…and they realize you are kinda cool again) but in other ways it’s really hard (they are GONE…and you miss them immensely!!)

However, as a mom who works from home, summertime is a bit of a challenge. You are home with maybe a flexible schedule…yet, you still have work to do. We got a pool this summer so the girls could enjoy it with friends while I was here working and I didn’t have to take them to a local pool in our area. It becomes such a delicate balance of enjoying the summer schedule and your kiddos, but also getting your work completed.

We had a family meeting at the beginning of the summer so that we could set expectations. I explained that I had several projects going on and that I would get up early to work so that we could possibly take the afternoon off for an adventure. I also made sure I completely walked away from all work commitments while my family was here visiting for a week in July. Hello “out of office” reply!!! My assistant and I looked at my calendar along with my family commitments and made sure we didn’t schedule big things around the time we were moving our daughter home for the summer or back to college in the fall.

It basically comes down to giving yourself lots of GRACE!!!!!!!

Most of us cannot completely shut our businesses down for the summer….if you do, you’ll pay for it big time when you try to get your fall momentum going again. But it may be a time that you take your foot off the gas just a little or at least plan some time in your business for a little coasting. But now it’s time to get back into the game!!!

Here are three tips I have for getting back in the game after the kiddos have returned to school and you’re ready to go full throttle into the last quarter of the business year:

Jump back in and set yourself up on a strict schedule. It’s tempting to still meet friends for coffee or take a long lunch. But if you want to finish strong and get back in the groove, I suggest you get back on track with a schedule. I like to do my social media and blogging on Mondays. I edit and do photography tasks on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then I work on Camera School on Wednesdays. It helps my brain to segment these super important tasks so that I’m not jumping from one part of my business to another. They all need attention…and I feel like it’s better to give it a full focus than little bits here and there.
Try to create dedicated family time in your week. It may look different for us all, but I suggest that you set those work/life boundaries as soon as possible. This is where I struggle and the line gets blurred sometimes. Like right now, it’s 5:40 pm and I should be starting dinner but this blog post was the last thing on my list for today and I’m determined to finish it before I log off for the night. So I’ve asked for a few more minutes and then I’m done and back to mom and wife mode.
Put some systems in place that help you keep your sanity. I like the way I have my week scheduled…it helps me stay focused and get everything completed. Hire some help too. If you stink at Social Media, hire a manager. If you need office help, consider a virtual assistant. If you can’t seem to clean your house and run your business, hire a housekeeper. Having a hard time getting your kids to all the activities, work early in the am and then have your afternoons free or hire a teen or college kiddo to drive carpool for you. Just find the areas of your life that are a struggle and get a system in place to make them easier.

Here’s to a great new school year and I’m “cheers-ing” you with a big ole glass of wine….we SURVIVED another summer of being MOM and CEO!!!!

Blessings,

Corry

Some of our summer highlights….