I’m taking a summer break – see you in September!

Hi there and thank you for reading my blog! I’ve decided to take a little break for the rest of summer, read on to know why and for an idea of what is in stock for September!

Why I’m taking a break now

Even though this was a bit of a spur of the moment decision today, there’s actually quite a few reasons for me taking a break.

My PhD maternity leave ends on the 24th of August…

Which is in less than two weeks! I’ve been on maternity leave since the 24th of November, but I’ve never allowed myself to be properly “off”, which means that I didn’t have enough “clean rest” and in turn I wasn’t as productive as I could have been. Even in the rough first few weeks, I hadn’t made much of a plan and probably felt a bit guilty for not making progress on my online business. (I can’t actually remember much from that period haha, but that seems like it could have been possible.)

In any case, I’ve never intentionally let myself take time off for more than a few days. Before I had Baby J (and the whole coronavirus thing…), I had visions of going to art classes and doing lots of fun things during my maternity leave. Well, even though there are still restrictions in place and it’s not as easy to get out the door with a little one, now is the time to embrace some of that spirit!

I want to have some summer fun

As I mentioned above, this might look slightly different this summer, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try to do more “summery” things. And even non-summery activities, but relaxing things like working on the paint-by-numbers sets I bought from Etsy (this one and another one with Monstera leaves). Or I’ll admit it, even just playing video games (someone buy me a Game Boy Color and let me be a Pokémon-playing child again please haha) or organising our new home.

(Note: this post contains Etsy, Amazon and Todoist affiliate links. That means that if you purchase something I recommend, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!)

I want to take the time to be clearer on my blog and online business strategy

It may have transpired from my last post and from what I’ve been sharing on social media, but I’m feeling a bit unclear on my online business strategy. Some people’s posts might go viral on Instagram and they get lots of sponsorship deals “overnight”, but for most people having an online business involves creating well-thought out “funnels” which guide people from free content to paid products / services (all while providing value along the way!). I’ve been toying with a few ideas, like having a podcast, finishing my Sane Mama course and offering coaching services.

However there’s only so much this mama can do! So, as I alluded to in my last blog post, I’m taking some time out of producing content etc. to really focus on the Uncage Your Business course I bought and the Full-Time Formula lessons I get access to by being a member of Perfectionists Getting Shit Done.

What my break is going to look like

I’m matching my break to the school holidays here, so I’ll be “off” until the 2nd of September. As you may remember from above, my PhD starts again before that. I might take the first week of my PhD restarting to organise everything and come up with a clear strategy for my research going forward.

In any case, even though Baby J is a few years off being in school, I do like the idea of taking time off at regular intervals when the schools break up here!

What I won’t be doing

• Reading my emails. Because of the uncertainty I mentioned above, I’ve been falling for every freebie about how to sell courses online etc. etc. etc.! Which means that my inbox is clogged up with many different strategies that I don’t have time to follow up on. Also, I invested in two programs, I’m going to follow them to their completion before trying anything else.
• Scheduling social media posts. I might still share the occasional video on Instagram Stories and I have some things queued up for the weeks to come, but I’m taking a break from adding anything else to that queue.
• Writing blog posts. I’m still figuring out the direction I want this blog to take (conscious living?), so I’m taking a couple weeks off to figure that out rather than posting lots of random stuff.

What I will be doing

• Attending the Full-Time Formula webinars and doing the work that goes with them. They’re every Monday (or late on Sunday, so I’ll catch up on Mondays). This training is about being a coach. Even if I decide that 1:1 coaching isn’t ultimately for me, it might help me to create more passive income streams like courses and ebooks.
• Completing the Uncage Your Business modules. This is all about finding my “niche”, tailoring my message and developing packages to sell. I’ll be doing this on Wednesdays, as that is the other day that The Man is at home to look after Baby J (and work on the house!).
• Sharing my weekly struggles, progress and joys in the Living the Goodenough Life Facebook group. Please join us if you want to know what I’m getting up to with defining my online business + “in real life”.
• Tidying the house. We’re still living in a house full of boxes and it stresses me out. Also I want to do things to make it look nicer, like hanging the massive world map I’ve had for years in the lounge.
• Trying not to work. The problem with being a (recovering) perfectionist is that I’m addicted to my to-do list. But I’m going to do my best to not do anything business-related on days that aren’t Monday or Wednesday.

Back to you

• Is there something you could do with having a break from? Have a think and share in the comments below for extra accountability!
• What would you like to see more of from me? What blog topics are you interested in? Would you like to listen to a podcast or take part in 1:1 coaching? Tell me in the comments below!
• Subscribe here to stay in the loop when I get back in early September (and as a bonus, get my free guide to making time for what’s important to *you*).