Spring is always a busy time, but I seem to forget that when planning my calendar every year.
I guess as soon as the weather changes, all the activities start up again.
First you have spring break. And since the dates change every year, it can be a little challenging when trying to plan for your business.
Second, Schools have every night imaginable –
- Science Night
- Art Night
- Multicultural Night
- Sports night
…and the list goes on and on.
Third, there are usually lots of testing – Advanced Placement, Honors, IB tests, as well as SAT, ACT etc. Kids are inundated with testing. And some of the days with testing – have all the other grades out of school. So while you may have one child taking a test, the other kids may be home. Also – the tests are not the whole day. Usually only 3-4 hours. So the kids are home early every single day!
School sports, field trips, and “promotion” (graduation) activities – it’s all too much.
All crammed into the end of the school year.
I somehow forget when I’m planning the calendar for my small business in November – that I should basically scale back my activities and definitely not start anything new in May!
No launches, no large promotions, no contests, etc. I just don’t have the time.
I’ve already written some reminders to this effect for next year. It also shows me the importance of scheduling everything – and trying to take everything into account.
Unfortunately, the days and types of activities change each year. That’s why it’s easier to just block off time – and if I have time to work – I can. It’s a bonus! If not – I haven’t lost too much.
Scheduling Your Year
Maybe it’s an exaggeration to say “block off spring” – but I find with spring break and end of year activities – I don’t have a lot of the big chunks of time to do my larger projects. So it’s easier to block off the weeks for spring break – and then see how many days I actually have to work in March/April.
And for the end of year activities – I do basically block off most of May. At least only plan on working a couple days a week (and I only work part-time). You may have to “live through” a couple of springs to understand your kids’ schedule, your schools, etc. Try to make notes to yourself so you will remember when you’re trying to plan for your business at the end of the year.
There are a lot of options out there for creating a plan, but my biggest tip is – choose something and stick with it! (Need help planning? Check out my free Ultimate Yearly Planning Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs)
From a paper planner, to a Google calendar, or a productivity app such as Asana or Trello, try the one that feels the best.
When looking at your yearly plan, make sure that you take into account the end of the school year – so that you don’t plan a large project during this time. No need to stress yourself out.
Do you feel the same? Is spring a little overwhelming? What do you do to cope?
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