Jennie Wolek and her team help more than 100 families buy or sell homes in Tulsa every year. This takes hard work. But work, for Jennie, definitely isn’t everything. While she runs a successful business, she also understands how important it is to give time to the personal moments too. And in the summer months, when kids are home, vacations on the horizon, and people looking to let loose a little more, the right combination of work and play is incredibly important.

We want you to be able to have that all-important balance between doing a great business and enjoying life too.

That’s why Jennie is sharing her four pillars for staying productive during the summer months while making sure not to miss a second of the fun stuff.

Jennie Wolek’s Four Pillars of a Productive Summer

1. Prioritize what matters most The practice of time blocking is always beneficial, but it’s downright necessary during the summer. After all, if you don’t put things on your calendar, they tend not to happen. Taking time away with your family? Mark those vacation days as days out of the office as early as possible so they don’t surprise you, your team, or your clients. And as amazing as summer can be, it’s unlikely your business priorities will fall by the wayside. You still have a job to do. When you time block with purpose, it will help you from getting overwhelmed. Put time aside on your schedule for important must-dos like lead generation and appointments. When you do this, you enable yourself more flexibility to spend time with your kids during the times not blocked off. Lastly, don’t forget about self-care over the summer. When things get chaotic, time for yourself can quickly fall by the wayside. But remember, you need to take care of you.

2. Plan with purpose What does a good week tend to look like for you? Jennie recognizes most of productivity and planning time happens during the first part of the week, so she front-loads her week to ensure there is time for her most important activities to get done. Doing this requires some thinking ahead. Determine when you plan to be fully focused on your job. Then, think about those days Jennie refers to as “flex days,” where you can be super focused for part of the day and then the remainder of the day you may spend relaxing with family or friends. Finally, determine when you plan to have full-fledged family days. These are days where your family is your first and only priority and work doesn’t get done. When you can clearly define when you’ll have each of these types of moments, you can be purposeful in both work and play time.

3. Leverage systems and automation No question that using leverage is tough for most of us. And rest assured, it’s not an overnight occurrence. It takes time to build a team of people, create the right systems, and use the right tools. And even if you have the right combination of these three arms of leverage, you are likely still not off the hook entirely when it comes to your responsibilities. In fact, it’s often during the summer months where you’ll uncover the gaps in your business in these areas. Here’s an idea that allows you to get some extra leverage during the summer months while simultaneously getting some extra family time: leverage your kids! Jennie’s daughter has done all sorts of tasks for her during the summer from addressing golden letters, postcards, and mailers, to coming along on house viewings and recording videos. And remember, clients are busy during the summer months too. So rather than host large events, consider getting your kids involved in client pop-bys or online giveaways.

4. Stay connected and accountable Your goals may need to be adjusted over the summer months. This reality is perfectly okay. And if it sounds like something you need to consider, please give yourself grace to do so. There are simply times that arise when you may not be able to accomplish as much as you can get done the rest of the year.

Jennie recommends staying accountable to your goals. To do this, tap into communities like Pivot: Shift Ahead and Jennie’s Your Journey with Jennie, where you’ll be able to connect with others that are in the same boat as you.

Summer time can be precious family time. Ask yourself this: are you going to remember the special times enjoying moments with the people you love or are you going to remember how hard you worked?