How To Manage Your Business When Your Kids Are Home On Summer Break

Oh, I’ve been there - summer rolls around, and suddenly your quiet(ish) workdays are replaced with weekly Costco runs to replenish the snack cabinet, refereeing arguments over the remote, and dealing with the non stop chorus of "I'm bored"...all before 9am.

Your Google Calendar used to hold client calls and content deadlines. now it’s packed with camp pickup times, swim lessons, and playdates. The rhythm you worked so hard to create during the school year? Completely out the window.

Summer Vacation is magical, yes, but it’s also messy.

You’re juggling the desire to be the “fun parent” with the very real pressure to keep your business running. It’s not easy to write a catchy hook for your latest IG Reel while your toddler dumps Play-Doh on the carpet or your teenager needs a ride to the movies right now.

That’s why prepping ahead matters so much. With a little planning, the right systems, and some serious flexibility, it’s absolutely possible to run your business and soak up the summer - without losing your mind!

Manage Your Business Over Summer Break By Focusing On What Really Matters

If you do nothing else to prep your business for summer, do this: get crystal clear on what actually matters. When your time is limited, every task needs to earn its spot on your to-do list.

That means letting go of the pressure to “do it all” and focusing instead on the things that truly move the needle in your business. One of the easiest ways to do that is by doing a quick Business Task Audit.

This isn’t necessarily about color-coding a master spreadsheet (unless that's your jam), it’s about taking a simple inventory of what you’re doing right now, what’s working, and what can be paused or trimmed down during the summer months.

Things to consider:

• What projects or deadlines are coming up in the next 2–3 months?

• Are you planning any launches, collaborations, or big shifts?

• What recurring tasks keep your business running? (Email newsletters, social media, invoices, client work, etc.)

Grab a notebook or open a Google Doc and list out all the recurring tasks you handle in your business - things like client work, marketing, admin, content creation, inbox management, etc.

Once you've written those down, it's time to categorize:

• Must-Do: Client work, invoicing, lead follow-up

• Nice-to-Do: Blog posts, extra visibility efforts

• Can Wait Until Fall: New product creation, backend reorganizing, long-term strategy
  

Pro Tip: Use a Trello board or Google Doc to sort your tasks into these categories. Make it way easier with the Simplify Summer Planner that will walk you through all this, step by step.

This audit will give you a clearer picture of what’s essential and what can take a backseat while you're juggling sunscreen, snack duty, and summer memories. Once you’ve got the big picture, you’ll feel more in control, and you’ll know what to cut or delegate without guilt.

Set Summer Work Hours That Actually Work With Kids at Home

(Seriously, this one’s a game-changer.)

Spoiler Alert: you are not going to be able to work the same way you do during the school year. And that’s okay. The goal isn’t to keep your usual pace; it’s to stay consistent enough to keep things moving without burning out or resenting your kids for just being kids.

This starts by getting honest about what time you actually have available. Maybe you can snag a few hours early in the morning before the house wakes up, or work during quiet time after lunch, or batch your calls on one or two days a week when your partner or babysitter can step in.

What matters most is being intentional. When trying to manage your business over summer break, you'll want to choose a work schedule that fits your actual life, not your ideal life. If you only have 10 hours a week to work this summer, don’t try to cram in 20 hours worth of tasks. Instead, trim your to-do list to match your real capacity.

Communicate your availability clearly with clients. Set boundaries around when you’re working and when you’re unplugged. You’ll feel more in control, your family will know what to expect, and your business won’t be built on borrowed time and mom guilt.

Here's how to get started:

1. Count how many work hours you’ll actually have each week. (Early mornings? Quiet time? Camp days?)

2. Block those hours in your calendar using a planner or time-blocking app.

3. Match your most important tasks to your most productive times.
   

Example:

• You may have 90 minutes before the kids wake up and 2 hours during nap or quiet time.

• Block those out in your weekly plan and assign your “must-do” tasks to those windows.
  

If your kids are older, try the “mom is working” visual signal, like a desk sign, timer, or colored light system. Give them an activity box or screen time pass so they know what they can do while you’re working.

Want help mapping this out? The Simplify Summer Planner includes fillable weekly work schedule templates and planning prompts to help you map your time before the chaos hits.

Delegate and Automate to Lighten Your Business Load This Summer

You don't have to do it all yourself this summer. Consider offloading some tasks so you can breathe little easier - and this doesn't mean hiring a full time team member. Even if you’re not ready to outsource business tasks just yet, think about what life responsibilities you can hand off.

The mental space you’ll free up by not doing everything yourself is worth it's weight in gold, and it gives you the breathing room to show up for both your business and your family without feeling stretched thin.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Asking your partner to handle breakfast duty a few days a week so you can knock out your top-priority task.

• Hiring a virtual assistant to manage your inbox or respond to client inquiries for 5 hours a week.

• Swapping tasks with a biz bestie - “You schedule my posts, I’ll set up your emails.”

• Getting your kids involved! Older take over a few household chores with the help of a chore chart, or even help with things like organizing files in a Google Drive (remember these kids are way more tech savvy than we were at their age!!)

Next, you'll want to automate! An automation doesn't necessarily have to be a specialized piece of software or tech, it just has to be something that occurs without any hands on work required from you. Automations can save you TONS of time, allowing you to be more productive, and giving you space to step away from your lap top and live your life. You can read more about the automations I use in my business HERE. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Email autoresponder: Let clients know you’re working summer hours and what response times they can expect.

• Social media: Use a tool like Tailwind or Later to pre-schedule a few weeks’ worth of posts.

• Client workflows: Use platforms like Honeybook or Moxie, to automate invoices, forms, reminders, and onboarding.

• Email marketing: Write and schedule weekly newsletters ahead of time (batch 3–4 at once if you can).

The Simplify Summer Planner includes an Automation Setup Tracker and Delegation Planner to help you figure out what to hand off or systemize first.

Organize Your Home Life To Make The Most Of Your Time

If your home life is chaotic, your work time will suffer - it’s just how it goes. You can’t focus on writing a client proposal or troubleshooting tech issues when the sink is overflowing with dishes, someone can’t find their bathing suit, and everyone’s asking you what’s for lunch. That’s why prepping your household flow is just as important as prepping your business. The more decisions you make in advance, the fewer things you have to juggle in real time, and the less mental whiplash you’ll experience trying to switch between mom mode and CEO mode every five minutes.

Start with the basics: meal planning, activity planning, and realistic daily routines. You don’t need a Pinterest-perfect color-coded schedule, but a general rhythm helps everyone know what to expect.

Here are a few ideas:

• Create daily or weekly rhythms (e.g. Mondays = park day, Wednesdays = grandma’s house, Fridays = movie and popcorn).

• Meal prep or theme meals: Taco Tuesdays, pasta Thursdays. Kids love routines.

• Stock up on snacks: A self-serve snack drawer or basket can reduce interruptions.

• Make a Summer Activities List:

  • Have a list of easy go-to ideas sorted by indoor/outdoor and quiet/high-energy.

  • Include screen-free and screen-time options.

Remember, the goal isn’t perfection - it’s reducing the number of “what now?” moments so you can stay focused and present in whatever hat you’re wearing.

Embrace a Lighter Season - Your Business Will Thank You!

Summer doesn’t have to be a sprint, it can be a slow, meaningful stroll. That means shifting expectations, not just in your business, but in your mindset too. You don’t need to launch something new, scale to six figures, or conquer your entire Asana board in the next eight weeks. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is sustain what you’ve already built while giving yourself space to enjoy the season you’re in - literally and figuratively. Let this be a season of maintenance, not growth. Of showing up just enough to keep your business steady while soaking in the sun, the sidewalk chalk, the lazy mornings, and the messy popsicle afternoons.

Give yourself permission to do less. That doesn’t mean your business has to stall, it means you’re choosing to be intentional with your energy. Maybe this summer is about staying consistent with content, wrapping up current client projects, or cleaning up your inbox. Maybe it’s about taking Fridays off or working shorter days.

Whatever “lighter” looks like for you, lean into it. Your business will still be there when school starts again - but this time with your kids? It’s short. Let your summer reflect your priorities, not just your productivity.

A few summer tips:

• Choose a “maintenance” season over a “growth” season. Focus on staying visible, not going viral.

• Celebrate smaller wins, like sending one email a week or booking one client a month.

• Be willing to say “no” to projects that add stress.

• Build in rest time for your brain, your body, and your relationships.
  

Remember, your business was built to support your life - not the other way around.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a perfectly mapped out schedule or a full-time nanny to survive summer as a business-owning parent. But you do need a plan.

Take the time now (before the last day of school creeps up) to organize your time, prep your business, and simplify your home life. That way you'll get to enjoy your summer and extra time with your kids without feeling like your business is taking a back seat.

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Ready to create a summer that feels more intentional and less overwhelming? Grab the Simplify Summer Planner for working moms (and dads) -it's your flexible, fill-in-the-blank roadmap to prepare for a season that supports your business and your family.