How to get work done in the Summer holidays... working with kids!

Do you have kids? I have kids. This is how I get work done in the Summer Holidays…

Running your own business and looking after the kids is more than a full time job!

My kids are now 9 and 11 which means they can look after themselves… sometimes.

Here are my top tips for getting through the Summer and still having a business and non-feral children in September!

1. Reduce your hours! – Be realistic, you can’t do everything…. You are not Super Woman or Hermione from Harry Potter with that magic time turner thing. Go through your diary and mark out the essential calls – client 121s, networking, etc. Don’t add in any other meetings that aren’t essential.

2. Talk to the kids – make sure they understand that you are working and do need some quiet time. Prepare some snacks and drinks and let them know where they are and what they can and can't do ahead of sitting down to work.

3. Don’t forget your marketing – spend a few hours or a day getting all your social media scheduled in, 1 thing less to deal with!

4. Dropping the kids off at an event/training session/swimming? Don’t stand and chat with the other parents – turn your car into an office for an hour or 45 mins.

5. Work in pockets of time. You know you have certain jobs to do, A is going to take 30mins, B is 2 hours, and C can be broken up into 15 mins here and 15 mins there. Get the C jobs done during the day, save the B job for when you know you will have some kid free time and job A – bribe the kids with some screen time.

6. It’s ok to let the kids watch TV or use the iPad. You still have to put food on the table after all, it’s more important that you earn the pennies so a few hours extra screen time here and there isn’t the end of the world. After all, they are on holiday.

7. Work outside – if you’re lucky enough to have a garden and a laptop or mobile device, get outside. The kids can play and you can supervise whilst doing the ‘mundane jobs’ – The bits of running your business that you find easier – this could be checking emails, checking social media, creating a few social media posts on canva, doing some basic data input.

8. Work one day on and one day off – or one week on and one week off. This works great especially if your kids are older. Plan the timetable with your kids so that they understand when they get to spend quality time with you and when they need to entertain themselves.

9. Buddy up with a partner/friend or colleague. This only works if you have kids of similar ages or if you have amazing friends/family. Do a kid swap and have both yours and their kids at your house 1 day a week or for a few hours, in return they can do the same for you – meaning you both get some kid free time to crack on!

10. Breathe! – Don’t forget to take some time out for yourself – the summer holidays can be very stressful, especially when trying to run your business too.

Print yourself out a calendar and tick off the days until normality resumes – remember its only until September!

Have a great Summer, see you on the other side!

Andrea x