How I take off 12 weeks every year.
I’m not a huge fan of the new year, new you posts. Sure it’s a good time to recommit to whatever your goals are, but it’s not about making YOU new, it’s about recommitting to how you want to show up for yourself (and others) and being intentional about it.
That’s why this year, my word is INTENT.
As in, being intentional with my time and actions, focusing on what matters, and handing over the stuff that I don’t enjoy or don’t have time for (like housework, scheduling social media, and keeping myself accountable in MY business).
So what is that?
psst — make sure your images are displaying because you want to see the fluffy puppy pic right below
Part of it’s hanging out with the newest guy in my life (Douglas — the puppy pictured above, who at 15 weeks already weighs in at 25#). It ALSO includes spending time with my husband and kids, but puppies are fun to talk about.
Because, sure, I have my annual business goals (revenue, profitability, time). This year, I’m focused on seasonal business goals based on my personal needs and schedule. Sort of quarterly, but more in tune with the school year.
→ Winter (Jan through March)
→ Spring (April and May)
→ Summer (June through August)
→ Fall (Sept through December)
Based on the title, you can see that I take 12 weeks off a year. That’s one week a month or about 25% of the year.
A lot of people ask me how I make that work, taking off 1/4 of the year, while still running a business that’s actually profitable.
The truth is that it’s about being intentional and making conscious choices about my priorities (and yep, sometimes, I break my own rules, but more on that in a minute).
Here’s how I do it:
First, you should know that there are no rules. For me, it’s not always about taking full weeks, but about splitting up as it makes sense for me, including:
- Blocking off all “no school” days during the school year
- Blocking off at least 5 working days a month where I don’t take meetings.
- Completely taking off the first few days and last week of summer break.
- Building flexibility into my summer schedule so I can work primarily in the mornings and then hang with the kids (and now the puppy) in the afternoons.
It’s also about being intentional about my time during the workday, which means:
- Blocking 5-minute breaks every hour so I can take this puppy out and actually close the stand rings on my Apple Watch.
- Sitting down to eat lunch without “working through it”
- Working while the kids are at school (officially 9 am to 3 pm, but may go until they get off the bus)
It’s not just about the scheduling.
It’s also about being intentional in how I work my business:
1. Taking on projects that light me up and that drive results for clients
2. Taking calls during specific windows
3. Splitting my time between client work, strategy, and teaching
4. Holding CEO time 2x a week to work on my business, planning, and marketing.
5. Outsourcing the stuff that I can’t do.
So why is my word INTENT for this year? Because I need to hold my own feet to the fire…and stay focused on what matters. That means I need to evaluate how I spend my time and put some skin in the game for my goals to make sure that I’m taking the right actions, and actually handing off the stuff that’s out of my arena.
And that’s what I want to remind you — just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
So, let me ask this:
Is there something that you’ve been trying to do because you can, but that you should probably outsource? If so, who do you know that can help?
Xo,
Erin
P.S. Have you been spinning your wheels, trying to get your OWN website copy done for months, without actually getting it done? I have my own projects that I keep saying “I should do that…I’ll get to it next week.”
But remember, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Fortunately I can help. Email me or grab a slot on my calendar, and I can give you some options.
P.P.S. Want the newest article on the blog? How to write thought leadership content that ranks for SEO.
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This originally appeared as an email sent to my list. To get updates like this, visit www.erinpennings.com/newsletter.