May Productivity Rebellion: Can Your Business Run Without You This Summer?
This is The Productivity Rebellion.
Once a month, I send you an email designed to feel like settling in with your favorite magazine — something you tuck into with your coffee on a Sunday morning. Real stories, deep thinking, and permission to do things differently. One focused topic. No overwhelm.
Key Takeaways
Summer business planning starts in May — before the season derails your schedule.
Good enough is a summer productivity strategy, not a failure.
Time management for women entrepreneurs means knowing when to let go, not just when to push.
Table of Contents
After my flurry of in-person events in March, I made a commitment to myself to not do any more meetups or coffee dates until the first draft of my book was done. Somehow, amidst the chaos of spring, I did it. Right now, the first draft of my book is on my desk, waiting for me to red-pen it before I send it off to my editor.
The Social Media Burnout Cure: How to Ditch the Scroll, Quiet Your Nervous System, and Market Your Business Without the Chaos.
It's the story of how I, as a former Special Agent and social media manager for Megadeth, finally stopped performing for an algorithm, and built a business that didn't require my nervous system as collateral. Part memoir, part practical framework, it's the book I wish someone had handed me years ago, and I wrote it for every woman entrepreneur who's been quietly breaking under the weight of showing up online.
Stay tuned for an email to get on the launch list.
As I step into a completely new experience (publishing and book launching), I’m taking a beat to plan out how my business is going to run mostly on its own this summer while I figure out how to launch a book while NOT using social media to do it (other than some sign-posting and pinned posts).
This Month: Summer Breaks for Business
Summer is its own special kind of chaos if you’re a working mom (hang with me if you don’t have kiddos though - I’ll get to you). We don’t have one job in the summer. We have FIVE.
There’s your actual job.
Then there’s summer camp scheduler.
Snack distributor.
Boredom fixer.
Emotional support lifeguard.
And somehow… you’re still expected to hit your goals and be “productive”?
That’s a tall order my friend.
The weekly plan you filled out in mid-winter, that carried you through spring energy, is now going to be tossed out the window like that stray Costco receipt in your car when the windows are rolled down.
Summer calls for good enough energy. It calls for laptops in the sunshine instead of at your desk. It calls for half days and adventures. All of that you can set yourself up for whether you have kids or not.
The best way to plan a summer slowdown is to…plan for it.
Shocking I know - but it’s amazing what doesn’t get planned when you’re just hanging on for dear life every week.
Look at the things that are big events in your summer calendar, like trips, summer camps, weddings, etc. If those will interfere with your typical work schedule (like weekly podcast episodes), then plan to batch ahead. If you’re going to take a break, let your people know (totally valid to take a vacation, btw).
Look at what things you can pause or not worry about much. I typically write 2+ new blogs per month, but in the summer I’ll update and refresh old ones instead.
Look for opportunities to combine work and play. Want to go to the beach (or the lake in our case?), bring your laptop and know what kind of work you can do while you’re distracted and have one eye watching kids. This time is excellent for tedious admin work like dealing with your email inbox.
Learn to let go a bit. If you have kids, you simply will not be able to run at the same pace with work on the same schedule. Fighting that will lead to stress and resentment at yourself and your family. Ask me how I know. ;)
If you don’t have kids, the only difference is you don’t have as much to coordinate with your time, energy, and attention. But you DO have the ability to take a real summer slowdown break doing all the suggestions I mentioned above - it’s a matter of planning ahead and being ok with good enough.
Will I take the trade off of enjoying the summer season for good enough (even as a type-A recovering perfectionist)? Every time.
Behind the Chaos: Sometimes You Just Can’t
Every month I host a local coffee meetup called “Chaos & Coffee” at my sauna studio in Coeur d’Alene. It’s one of my favorite things to do.
The day before our April meetup, I had something come up in our family that required me to stop everything and deal with it. I can’t and won’t go into details - but those of you that know me know I’m really an open book about my life - so please believe me and understand when I say it’s private.
I struggled with whether to cancel coffee or not for about 5 minutes. I’m aware of my own personality and know that often when I don’t feel like doing something I just need to honor my commitment and I’m always happy I did.
This was different and I could feel it on a core level. This was a stop everything and give it my full attention feeling. Decision done.
I appreciate all of you who reached out to me and made sure I was ok - I am.
What I want to highlight here is that knowing the difference between “not feeling like it” and an imperative decision let me let go of it without agonizing.
So this summer, even if you don’t have a serious situation to deal with, learn to tell the difference between something you don’t need to agonize over doing, and when to just let things go.
“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy.”
Ask Cara | Get Featured on The Podcast
Got a question about your business, your schedule, your sanity—whatever you're struggling with?
You can now send me a text or quick voicemail on Buzzsprout! Try it out!
I answer subscriber questions on the Ditch the Chaos podcast. Think of it as free expert coaching without the commitment.
If This Resonated
I’ve started a monthly series on my blog called Monthly Reset Series: Slow Living for Women Entrepreneurs.
Each month, we tackle one aspect of building a business without burning out. No hustle. No overwhelm. Just sustainable momentum that you can rely on when life gets chaotic and schedules change throughout the year. You can find each month’s published issue here.
It’ll publish on the first of each month, just like the Productivity Rebellion, with ideas and inspiration you can use to mindfully build a more intentional life and business (think more tactical and how-to’s, specific to the month).
On The Podcast:
Smartphone Addiction Is Killing Your Business (And It's Not a Willpower Problem)
Smartphone addiction is costing women entrepreneurs more than lost time — it's draining decision-making, creativity, and nervous system capacity in ways that show up as physical symptoms. This episode breaks down why phone addiction hits differently when your business runs on your phone, and what actually creates real boundaries with the device that's supposed to be making your life easier.
Listen Time: 12 minutes
On The Blog:
Addicted to Busy: How Overworking and Information Overload Drain Women Entrepreneurs
A health expert (Dr. Mindy Pelz) with 30 years of experience just admitted the productivity rules aren't working. Here's why that matters if you're a woman entrepreneur running your business on a fried nervous system.
That's it for May my friends. I hope you got a little joy, compassion, and feeling of being seen from this month’s issue. Take advantage of the energy you have now before summer chaos hits!
See you next month!
Here's to creating white space in your calendar and breathing room in your brain,
xo,
Cara
Ready to build a weekly planning system flexible enough to survive summer, swim lessons, and every Tuesday that falls apart? Chaos Detox teaches you the exact method I use to plan my weeks in under 60 minutes—with enough structure to keep moving and enough flexibility to handle real life when it shows up. Learn more about Chaos Detox here.
👉Looking for practical tasks you can do in your business that flow with seasonal energy? Read: How to Align Your Business with Seasonal Planning to Prevent Burnout
Need More Help Running Your Business This Summer?
If you're looking for more than a planning framework — if the overwhelm runs deeper than your schedule — coaching might be what's missing. Depending on where you're stuck, here's where to go next:
Burnout Coaching | Time Management Coaching | Business Coaching
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Hey, I'm Cara ChaceA time management and burnout coach for women entrepreneurs. I blend practical tools with mindset work so you can stay organized, protect your energy, and actually enjoy your business again — without rigid routines or pushing harder.
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Summer business planning for women entrepreneurs starts in May — before the chaos hits. Here's how to set up your summer operating mode, embrace good enough, and actually enjoy the season you built your business for.