Summer is here.
Although for me, summer started long before June 20.
In addition to running See Jane Write, I’m a teacher, so for me summer began the moment I left work on the last day of school.
But I am also a small business owner.
For the teacherpreneur summer is a difficult dance.
We want to take a break. We need to take a break. We deserve to take a break.
But we also know that summers are for slaying. We know that with no papers to grade and no lectures to write, we have the opportunity to take our businesses to the the next level.
But we also know we can’t pour from an empty cup. We know that we need to rest. We know self-care is a feminist act.
After the school year ended, my husband and I took a short trip to visit his hometown. I lounged around reading books. We went to the movies and to the beach. We ate way too much food and spent quality time with family and friends.
But now it’s time to get back to work. Now it’s time to slay.
Here are five ways to slay this summer:
Resolve to treat your body like a temple. I know you’re eager to change the world with your ideas, but be sure not to neglect yourself along the way. Whether you’re a religious person and you see your body as a vessel for God’s spirit or an artistic person and you see your body as a vessel for your muse, treat your body like a temple. For me this means going for a run most mornings and doing strength training most evenings. For me this means I’m going to get more sleep and drink more water. And for me this means I’m finally going to stop eating like a college frat boy. Most of the time. (I refuse to give up pizza or tacos.)
Resolve to love like crazy. “Find your tribe and love them hard” — if you know me well you know this quote by Danielle LaPorte is one of my life mantras. This summer be sure your bae and your babes know how much they mean to you. This summer I will be my husband’s girlfriend. And this summer I plan to spend many hours laughing and lounging with the lovely ladies in my life.
Resolve to get paid, babe! This summer it’s time to do some pruning. Are you doing things for your business that are costing you a lot of time, but not making you much money? It’s time to let those things go. It’s time to charge what you’re worth and it’s time to only focus on the things that are helping you, your business, and your clients grow. This summer with See Jane Write I am going to focus the membership program — recruiting new members and taking good care of the members I already have. I also have a mastermind program I might do and a couple of e-courses I want to launch.
Resolve to win at work. Are you juggling a 9 to 5 with a side hustle? Resolve to slay at both. When the 2016-2017 school year starts in August I will be faced with teaching the largest group of students of my career. So I’m going to spend time each week this summer revamping lessons and lectures and recreating rubrics to make this year a success. Figure out what you need to do to win at work and put that plan into action. But don’t forget your side hustle or passion project. Resolve to spend a little time each day working on building your business and your personal brand as a writer and blogger.
Resolve to write every day. I’m so tired of being a writer who doesn’t write! I’ve been so consumed with See Jane Write that I hardly ever get to see Javacia write! This summer I’m going to write every day, whether that is here on my blog, in my journal, or for a freelance assignment. I will write every day. I’m even planning to start on a book!
What are your resolutions for the summer? Share them in the comments!
A version of this post originally appeared on WriteousBabe.com.