Summer holidays used to be a nightmare to manage for me! I never had enough holiday to cope with the school curriculum and used to tear my hair out wondering how on earth I am going to cope.  I’m Angie Brown and owner of Angie PA Ltd. I’m a single mum and when I worked in corporate world, I found the school holidays, 13 weeks a year, to be really difficult to cope with. I’d spend ages trying to figure out what the plans were for each week. Book the holiday clubs, check in and book the grandparents, ask mums in my son’s class if they had capacity for any of the days I couldn’t get cover for. The organisation of it all was key and exhausting.  The holiday clubs only seemed to cater for school hours – 9am to 3.30pm.  I needed extended hours for my job, as that was what I got at the school – 8am to 6pm.  I don’t miss that time at all!

Now it is so much easier. I have been running my Personal Virtual Assistance business for three years. I celebrated my business birthday recently on 1st July.  This year, for the first time in what feels like forever, we are going on holiday! We checked out lots of locations and both agreed on one and I booked it last August. A trip to Tenerife for one week, all inclusive.  It also includes access to the water park, although I will be holding the towels!  I will be downing tools at Angie PA and having a complete break, for the whole week!

I have everything in control and associates to call upon to manage the work whilst I am away. My clients are aware and are happy that I am taking a break and more than happy to work with my associates.  I have built up a very good reputation and my clients trust me to have everything in order to work for them too.

The summer holidays will also be easy for me as I work from home, so I am here all day to manage my son. He’s 13 now and very independent. He no longer needs to get sent off to holiday clubs.  He will be spending a bit of time with his grandparents though and he can’t wait. Most of the time he is out at the park with a football and his friends and not behind the controls of his xbox!

Having the right work life balance/fit is essential. As is the planning ahead and organisation. None of this would ever work without that. I am looking forward to a fabulous Summer Holidays and even have day trips planned in for other time off during that period too. I am so pleased to have created a better life for my son and I.

Hope you all have a super summer holiday and get that vital time to relax.

Angie is the founder of Angie PA Ltd – find out more on Facebook or via her website. Please do post any thoughts you have on her blog below as she’d love to hear what you think!