The holidays are nearly here.

Whether you’re off for sun, sea, or just a break from the laptop glare… if you are starting or running your own online business… there’s one small act of kindness you can do for yourself right now:

Batch a few key things before you go.

I know, I know it doesn’t sound glamorous.

But if you don’t have a team (and even if you do ;-)), this is the difference between genuinely switching off… and “holidaying” with your laptop lurking in your beach bag.

Because when your brain is still trying to remember if you posted the thing / sent the email / uploaded the lesson… you don’t really rest.

And you need to.

And rest is when all the best ideas show up.

What to batch before your break:

Obviously this depends on your particular business and obligations but here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Social media posts – Scheduled posts of value or personality keep you visible (and don’t rely on real-time inspiration).

Most social media platforms allow you to easily schedule posts in advance or you can use scheduling tools (many of which have free options) like: https://metricool.com/ or https://later.com/

• Emails / newsletters – Again – most email systems let you schedule sends in advance (I use a few different ones but Brevo has a free plan and is easy to use).

Just get them written in advance and then queued up for while you’re away.

• Course content / reminders – If you’re mid-launch or mid-delivery, get those lesson drops or nudges scheduled. Again – so you don’t have to think about them.

And if I know I have training I need to deliver soon after I get back. I try to record in advance so it’s not a mad rush when I return.

• Ad creative ideas – There is no reason to stop your ad testing (if you do it) while you are away. Use AI to brainstorm variations on what’s already working.

• Customer FAQs or messages – If you can get someone to cover your inbox (even part-time)… leap at it. Your peace is worth it.

If you can’t then be kind to yourself and spend time now drafting great template replies to your most frequently asked questions so that even if you do decide to login from time to time to answer queries, you don’t have to think of the full answers from scratch (some email platforms let you set up these template replies so you can add and edit them in quickly and easily).

And YES – do lean on AI!

It’s getting better and better and can really speed up your batching… use it to:

• Generate post ideas
• Tidy up messy first drafts
• Come up with great template email responses and replies to frequently asked questions…
• Suggest headlines, hooks, and CTAs
• Summarise old content so you can repurpose it

You don’t need it to write everything for you. Just let it be your helpful brainstorming assistant, especially when your brain is already halfway to the airport.

My Top 3 Tips for Batching Success:

1. Batch in a box.

Choose your batching window: one morning, or two half-days max.

Put it in your calendar like you would a call with an important client or contact. Non-negotiable. I also tend to batch by type… i.e. Creating social media posts in one window, drafting eletters in another… and then doing the set up in yet another window. Do what works for you.

2. Repeatable formats = ease.

Create go-to templates for posts, emails or lessons.

Less staring at blank pages. More flow, less faff.

3. Outsource the noise (if you can).

If you have someone who can check your inbox or manage customer queries while you’re away – let them. Even if it’s just to forward anything urgent.

You do not have to be on call 24/7 to run a brilliant business.

So just a few hours of focused prep now could give you actual, wonderful mental space later.

And of course if you have set up your own online course and online sales funnel – you can leave that running in the background making you sales while you are on holiday (here’s a video I did of what happened to my sales last time I went away).

(If you want to find out how, just click to join the waitlist and I’ll let you know when a place comes up).

So go on… be kind to Future You!