As you may have seen on our socials last month, we are having a baby soon! And by soon… we mean May 2025. Yepp. Our little baby girl is almost here. So, what does that look like for our business? Lots of prep work and planning. While you may not be planning for maternity leave, you may want to take some time off or go on vacation. This blog will hopefully help you prepare for while you are away so you can unplug and enjoy it!
I believe you can take a break and keep your business visible!
WHY PLANNING AHEAD MATTERS
Consistency builds trust—and disappearing for a month or two doesn’t help grow your community and keep you top of mind. And of course, you have to consider the algorithm. While your community may not care if you take some time off the algorithm does.
The algorithm doesn’t care that you’re out of the office. 🙃
The way I recommend showing up while taking a vacation or maternity leave, like me, is planning ahead! Planning gives you peace of mind so you’re not scrambling while you’re away (or worse—trying to post from the hospital bed). That sounds terrible.
WHAT I AM DOING TO PREP MY CONTENT
Back in November or December I sat down with a calendar and planned out my maternity leave and then worked backward. So, our little girl is due mid-May, but I have been told sometimes they can come early especially if it is our first. So, I am planning for our maternity leave to start May 1st. And to me that means, all client work and our marketing is DONE by May 1st.
Here is what I am doing this month to prepare:
- I decided we should not take on any brand shoots in the month of April. This is because it takes a lot of planning keeps us “out of the office” and limits our time to be able to work on social media for us and our clients.
- Batch-creating photo/video content ahead of time. For us and our clients, we are batching creating 3 months of content. Sounds stressful? It kind of is. But, I would much rather have it done so I can fully enjoy some of my time off.
- Scheduling everything in advance (I use Metricool). You can use Meta to schedule your Facebook and Instagram posts, but if you have other platforms consider a scheduling tool.
- Creating evergreen content that doesn’t rely on current trends or news. This can be educational videos or timeless videos.
TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR OWN TIME AWAY
Does taking some time off from your business but not abandoning it sound great?? It sure does! Here are a few of my tips for planning your own time away:
- Start Early — the earlier you start planning, the less you panic. I started planning my leave and work plan 5 to 6 months ago.
- Keep It Simple — don’t reinvent the wheel. Use what you already have. Do you have CANVA templates already made, or a content folder full of photos or videos? Use them! You can also repurpose some content you have put out before.
- Automate Everything — seriously. Let the robots do the heavy lifting. Pick a scheduling tool that works for you. Metricool does have a free option.
- Pick Your Priorities — you don’t need to be everywhere while you’re gone. Choose what is going to keep you connected to your audience the best. If showing up in email is best, focus on that. Do you have a Facebook group? Show up there.
- Communicate With Your Audience — tell them what’s going on (they’ll cheer you on!)
READY TO START PLANNING YOUR LEAVE?
Whether you’re planning for maternity leave, a vacation, or just need a break from being “on” all the time—your business doesn’t have to hit pause just because you do. With a little prep and a solid content plan, you can step away without disappearing.
And hey, if you’re looking for more tips like this (plus templates, resources, and the occasional pep talk), make sure you’re on my email list. I share the good stuff there first—like how to make content planning way less stressful.
Taking time off is healthy. Planning for it? Even better. You’ve got this.
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