Sunshine & Systems: How FMBOs Can Stay Productive Through Summer Without Burning Out

Summer as a female micro business owner can feel like a strange mix of chaos and calm. Your inbox is quieter, but the guilt of stepping back hits harder. Clients are on holiday, you’re juggling childcare or craving your own break but the business doesn’t stop just because the sun’s out.

So how do you stay on track without giving up all the sunshine and sangria?

Here’s how to actually stay productive this summer - without falling into hustle mode or losing your rhythm completely.

1. Get Clear on What Matters (and What Doesn’t)

Start by being brutally honest: what actually needs doing this summer, and what can wait?

Take an hour with a notebook, your favourite tea or coffee, and brain-dump everything. From client projects to your own to-do list. Then split it into two columns: “Essential” and “Nice to do”.

If you're not sure what should stay on your plate, this is where hiring a VA (Virtual Assistant) becomes game-changing. Hand off the small-but-essential stuff - like inbox management, blog formatting, or batching pins for Pinterest - to someone who can keep things ticking while you take time off or work reduced hours.

You don’t need to do it all, especially not in July.

2. Use Tools That Actually Help You

Let’s talk about tech.

Asana is a dream for staying organised during a slower season. Whether you’re solo or have a tiny-but-mighty team, mapping your tasks by week can help you keep the big picture in mind. Set realistic goals for summer - like updating your services page, scheduling content, or finally finishing that mini course - and break them down into bite-size chunks.

Metricool is another summer life-saver. It helps you schedule all your social media content in one place (including stories and reels) and track your performance with actual insights that make sense. If you’ve got one eye on the beach, you don’t want to be scrambling for captions or checking the algorithm - Metricool does the heavy lifting so your socials stay visible without you being constantly online.

(Pro tip: use summer to recycle your best-performing content. Metricool makes it easy to spot the posts that hit well the first time - so bring them back with a fresh caption or visual.)

3. Batch What You Can (and Bin What You Can’t)

We’re not here to glamorise the “just batch it” method if you’re burnt out. But if you do have some creative energy, use it to your advantage.

Pick a day where you’re feeling on it, and batch:

• Instagram posts using Metricool or Canva

• Email newsletters for July and August

• Blog outlines or lead magnet ideas

• Client onboarding templates or proposals

• 
  

Even batching just one or two things can help you feel calmer and more in control when everything else is a bit sticky, sweaty, and unstructured.

And if it’s not realistic to get ahead? Be okay with going quiet. Communicate your summer availability clearly, update your email signature or autoresponder, and trust that your business won’t crumble if you don’t post every day.

4. Work With Your Energy, Not Against It

Let’s face it - kids are off school, your brain’s a bit fried, and 9–5 isn’t happening. Instead of fighting it, adjust your schedule to fit your life.

Try working in short sprints: 90-minute focused blocks with proper breaks. Or flip your day and work in the evening if that’s when your house is quiet and your brain is calm. As a FMBO, flexibility is there to be used.

Also: get outside. Answer emails in the garden. Walk while listening to a business podcast. Not every productive moment has to happen at your desk.

5. Remember - You Built This Business to Work For You

Summer is not the time to put pressure on yourself to do more, grow faster, or suddenly become a content queen. It’s the time to sustain. Keep your clients happy, show up with intention (not intensity), and make room for rest.

Productivity isn’t about doing it all - it’s about doing what matters, with the least resistance possible.

So whether you're outsourcing some bits to a VA, scheduling with Metricool, or using Asana to give your future self a gift - you're already doing enough.

Want more support staying productive this summer - Without the burnout? 

Join The What She Said Collective and get access to our catalogue of Grab & Grow sessions including June’s session which is all about summer productivity. It’s packed with practical tips, time-saving tools, and ideas you can use right now to keep your business moving while still enjoying the sunshine.

Join the Collective here.