It’s Saturday morning, my family is all still asleep and I’m at my favorite coffee shop, latte in hand, Focus at Will in my earbuds and I am cranking out a few hours of work, before I have to get back home and switch into ‘mom’ mode for the rest of the weekend.

This is not just a normal weekend work session for me, this is a strategically focused session.

I’m really looking forward to almost 3 weeks of time away from my business with my family, but I am nervous as heck too. Do I have everything in place so my business runs smoothly while I’m away? Is spending all that time with my family really going to be fun? (I mean sometimes I count down the minutes until bedtime!) Have I planned enough things to do? My husband is taking 2 weeks off during this time, and making sure all four of us get our needs and expectations met is a little nerve wracking!

So I do what I do best when I am feeling a bit overwhelmed … I make a list.

Here are the 10 things I am doing to get ready for my vacation.

1. Hire a sitter

I have extra childcare coming in to allow me to work a little more during my last week before break. At first I felt guilty about my kids having childcare their first official week of summer, but then I remembered I’m doing it so I can spend the next 3 weeks focused on them.

2. Make final decisions about what my vacation will look like

This has been a hard decision. Just how detached to do I want to be from my work? Will I completely unplug? Will I check email occasionally? Will I take the Facebook app off my phone? I’m not entirely sure, but I need to decide that this week!

3. Check in with all my clients

I need to make sure my clients are taken care of and know what to expect while I am gone. And I’ve added extra time to my schedule this week in case anyone needs support before I go.

4. Phone calls with my team

I’ve been talking with each member of my team so they know what they are responsible for while I am gone. Preparing for a break has made me realize there are things that I can permanently delegate to my team, even when I return! And we have put some systems in place that I want to continue long past the next 3 weeks (like the fact that we have 5+ blog posts done and in the queue!)

5. Finalize booking day trips and overnights with my family

As much as I’m looking forward to some lazy summer days, I have come to terms with the fact that unstructured time is not relaxing to me. So we created a bucket list of family activities to do during the 19 days we are together. I’ve planned different kinds of days too: full family days, meet up friends days, and a few dad and kid days.

6. Lay out my 90-day business plan (for when I return)

I’ll relax more if I know what will be on the docket when I return. I can take a break from my business, because I’ve prepared for the break—and for action when I get back. Also, I started panicking that maybe my business couldn’t take a break from a financial standpoint, but seeing the plans for July, August, and September put my mind at ease.

7. Photo shoot for my new website coming later this summer

I am super excited to be plotting a brand update with my design team over at Splendidly Curious. I rushed a bit to get on the schedule of photographer Jacquelyn Warner, but with this piece done, they can be working on my new design while I am away.

8. Create a prototype of a new free resource

Along with my site update, I have a new offer in the works (pst…its going to help you get the most out of each day!) I want to get a prototype done so my current clients can beta test it over the next 3 weeks and I can polish it up before releasing it to the world.

9. Book a spa day for my birthday

Remember how I said I wasn’t sure if I could spend the entire time with my family?? Well, I scheduled an appointment to finally use a spa gift card I’ve had for months. And it is at the kind of spa where you can book an hour massage, but then spend the whole day sitting by their pool, ordering lunch to your lounge chair. And my birthday falls right smack in the middle of my time off, so it will be the perfect break … from my break.

10. Triage and relax

I also realize, even as I write this post, that not everything I want to get done before Monday is going to get done. And that is OK. My business will be just fine.

Even with all my planning, there are going to be moments in the next 3 weeks when my kids are bored, or overtired, or over-sugared when I am going to long for a morning at a coffee shop with my Focus at Will app and my latte. And I just might take it … after all, this is my vacation too.

If you want to take a break too or just lighten your load, be sure to check in while I’m away. I’ve got all kinds of good stuff lined up for you!

That’s it! I’ll see you in 3 weeks (unless maybe I run into you on Facebook).