We know. You dread summer break year after year. Not only do you have to manage your already overwhelming business, but you now have to manage the business AND tend to the little ones who have energy for days. The thought of it makes you want to take a nap, right? We’ve been there! 

As moms ourselves, we’ve had a few mental breakdowns during the May, June, and July months. Running a business and being a mom while the kids are at home is NO JOKE, and at one point, we questioned if harmony between the two truly exists. Thoughts we had were: 

Can we do both? 

Will TGND Consulting fail if we spend more time with the babies? 

Will our babies feel neglected if we spend a little extra time running the business? 

Are women for real when they say they successfully do both?

The answer is yes. They are for real because they’ve cracked the code. The real secret to creating harmony between running a business and spending time with the kids during the summer lies in mastering the art of one thing: Planning. 

Hack #1: Systems, Sis 

Sure, you have a to-do list, a planner, and a timer, but that won’t cut it, mama. While those tools are amazing for time management, they don’t get rid of the busywork, which is essential to do when you are creating a solid summer plan. Assuming that the goal of your plan is to work less, so you can love up on the little ones more, your plan must center around eliminating busywork. In other words, plan a workflow that frees up your time and allows you to do the work you actually want to do. Here’s the play: Implement systems (get 15% off Dubsado using the code Dwayna), create a team (even if it’s just one contractor or a company like TGND Consulting), learn to delegate, and get comfortable with offloading. When my sister and I do this before or at the start of summer break, we notice a huge difference in the amount of free time we have. 

Hack #2: Segmentation, Sis 

So, once you have your systems and your team in place, your to-do list, your planner, and your timer will come in handy. With your busywork now being taken care of, you now have extra time to be intentional and efficient with the things you truly want to do. This is where segmentation comes in. Segmentation is the art of splitting up your day to ensure you spend time doing everything you desire. For us, this looks like splitting our days up to ensure we get some work in, some playtime in, and a nap. Those are our desires when our kids are home for the summer. This is how segmentation looks for us in real time: 

• 6-9am: Wake up and work for 2.5 hours.  
• 9-11am: Wake up the little ones, get them fed, and set them up with an activity for the day.  
• 11am-1pm: We get more work in and have our little ones work too. We set them up for success by giving them instructions and teaching them how to follow directions. 
• 1pm-2pm: We prepare lunch for ourselves and the little ones and enjoy the meal together.  
• 2pm-3pm: This is naptime for everybody. Mommy hack: Take naps while your children nap. 
• 3pm-4pm: We squeeze a few easy admin tasks in before the workday ends.
• 4pm-7pm: When is playtime?We have about two hours of mommy-son playtime before we start cooking dinner around 6:30pm or 7pm. After dinner, we get them cleaned up and ready for bed. Depending on our mood, we’ll either continue working or lay it down early. 

Note: Both of our sons are involved in extracurricular activities, so on the days that we have to transport them to class, we end the workday early. On the days that they don’t have class, we work a little later. Have fun with your mommy-son schedule and be flexible! 

Think these hacks are great, but you STILL don’t want to be bothered with planning anything? Book a PR and Brand strategy session with us! That way, you’ll have a done-for-you plan to work from while you enjoy the summer with the babies. 

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Led by Donna and Dwayna–twin sisters and mompreneurs–TGND stands for The Girls Next Door. At TGND Consulting LLC, the duo provides public relations, brand imaging and brand strategy to moms with lifestyle brands. Interested in taking your brand from good to magical? Book a FREE 30-minute PR Analysis. Want more tips and support? 

Written by TGND Consulting, LLC