*Me and the gang after our trip through the* *treetops of the redwoods*.

As I write this, I’m holed up in my bedroom, and every other room in my house is currently occupied. Which isn’t always the case—and will certainly NOT be the case come September—so I’m trying to marinate in the fact that all my favorite people are so close.

I want to sit outside and drink margaritas. I want to go on adventures to the city. I want to zipline, then go to the beach. I want to be with my kids for as long as they are here and want to be with me.

In short—I want to do all the things.

But I’m also a freelance web designer and photographer. And if I’m not working, delivering, and marketing, then… it just doesn’t happen.

Which brings me here. Hiding from my to-do list, scouring productivity blogs, and realizing I need a few summer hacks—because this season is too short to spend it stressed, but also too expensive to ghost my business.

1. Asana for the Win (Yes, I Know You’ve Heard of It)

This isn’t revolutionary. People have been using Asana forever. I tried it once before and honestly? It didn’t stick. Felt clunky. Too much. Didn’t “get it.”

But after it came up again recently—paired with a short and not-boring tutorial from a business course I purchased—I gave it another go. And suddenly, it just clicked. It’s basically a giant to-do list that lives on your phone. You create a project, add all the tasks, set due dates, and assign them to the people doing the work (yourself, your clients, your collaborators… and yes, even your husband).

Highly recommend assigning tasks to your husband, by the way. Mine is a Zoomerarounder— and he likes structure. Asana is now our shared accountability system. And I don’t have to repeat myself three times anymore.

Also, the magic is in not needing to remember anything. Think of something? Add it. Done.

PS - Asana has a free plan - which is what I use, so you can try it out - and keep using it - without putting in a credit card. While my tutorial came with a business course, they do offer tutorials on their site. It’s been a total game changer for me.

2. The Mel Robbins Reset (AKA Ruthless Reprioritization)

A few weeks ago I got this “7-Day Reset” in my inbox from Mel Robbins. I love a good freebie—worksheets, checklists, quizzes, all of it. I could spend an entire day doing worksheets about how to be more productive, which is probably... its own issue.

Anyway, the first exercise was a full brain dump—everything you think you need to do. It was a mess. But the next part? Free Yourself. You cross out what doesn’t need to happen immediately.

That exercise felt like a deep breath. It gave me permission to punt stuff to next week, next month—or never. I popped the whole list into Asana and started reassigning due dates accordingly. Prioritizing suddenly felt possible.

3. Early Morning Me Is Shockingly Efficient

This is wild for me to say, but I’ve actually started liking the early mornings. My window faces northeast, and the summer sun starts streaming in around 5:45 a.m.

I used to toss and turn for an hour. Now I just get up and make the coffee. When I do, those first couple hours are hands down my most productive all day. It’s quiet, there are no texts or emails, and nothing is competing for my attention.

If early mornings aren’t your jam, I also find late evenings—before or after dinner—can work for tying up loose ends. The key is finding the pockets that work for you and protecting them.

4. Stealth Work Time is a Real Thing

Some of my best ideas hit when I’m doing something totally unrelated. Last week on the golf course, I found myself thinking about what people might need help with this summer—and it hit me: I am my own ideal client.

That’s when I pulled out my Notes app, mid-golf-cart ride, and started jotting things down.

This is what I now call Stealth Work—those random moments where your brain suddenly decides to be useful:

Walking
Driving
Waiting in the long line at CVS for my anti-depressants
Doing literally anything besides “working”

If you’re ready for it, those ideas don’t get lost. I keep my Notes app open and use voice memos when I want to talk something out. I’m sure there are fancier ways to do it, but this works.

5. Batching Is a Sanity Saver

Trying to jump between photo edits, writing, web builds, marketing, and admin? That’s a recipe for chaos. I’ve started grouping like with like:

A block for photo editing
A block for writing
A block for admin and billing

This helps me get into flow, which is the only way anything substantial gets done when your time is limited and your brain is half in vacation mode.

6. Mini Offers > Mega Burnout

This summer, I’ve been leaning into smaller, time-boxed offers. Stuff that’s easier to deliver but still valuable. Things like:

A website refresh in a day
A mini brand shoot
Hourly rates for strategy sessions

These let me keep working (and earning) without committing to giant, time-consuming projects that don’t fit my current bandwidth.

7. Marketing... But Make It Minimal

There’s a lot of pressure to be everywhere. And honestly? No.

This summer I picked one main thing to focus on:

A short weekly(ish) newsletter
1–2 social posts a week, repurposed from that
Repeat

Content doesn’t have to be fresh every time. It just has to be real, consistent, and not draining. You can also keep a list of past content that worked well and tweak/reuse as needed. No one’s keeping score but you.

8. Say No So You Can Say Yes

If it’s not a great fit, it’s a no. If I have to contort myself to deliver it, it’s a no.

It took me a while to get here, but the more I say no to the “meh” projects, the more space I have for the ones that actually light me up. And the less I resent my own business. So… growth?

9. Done > Perfect (Yes, Really)

Over-analysis can kill any good idea. Sometimes you just have to hit send, publish, or post and move on.

That blog that’s 90% polished? Send it.
That proposal you’ve already re-read four times? Let it go.
The Canva graphic that’s off-center by a pixel? It’s fine.

Nothing is too precious. Especially not in summer.

So yeah, this is where I’m at: trying to stay productive while also being present. Trying to honor both my work and the season I’m in. Trying to not lose my mind in the process.

If any of this resonates—whether you’re juggling kids, clients, or just your own expectations—I’d love to hear what’s working for you.

And if you want help streamlining your summer offerings, writing a few “good enough” posts, or figuring out what’s worth doing now vs. later—I’m just a Zoomerarounder away.