Six weeks. Forty-two days. More than one thousand hours. However you count it, the school summer holidays can feel like an endurance test for working parents, particularly those in the legal profession. It’s that time of year again when many of us are trying to juggle two full-time jobs – our career or business and family CEO – while simultaneously battling working parent guilt and hoping against hope that no one asks “Do you have time for a quick call?”
Let’s be honest: we often feel like we’re dropping all the balls, all the time. I’ve lived it, not just now as a self-employed coach and working parent, but in the thick of it as a full-time criminal barrister and mum of three. I know what it feels like to prepare a trial late into the evening after a day of wrestling suncream onto wriggly and demanding toddlers. I know what it’s like to say, “Just give Mummy five minutes,” 27 times before 9 a.m. And I also know that, with a little forward planning and a lot of self-compassion, it IS possible to emerge in September (relatively) unscathed.
So, here are 10 practical strategies to help navigate the school holidays without losing your mind, your professionalism, or precious time with your kids.
- Ditch the “Having It All” Myth (Especially All At Once)
I’m in the Michelle Obama camp here when I start by saying, clearly, at the outset, “having it all” is a fallacy, especially in the same school holiday day or week. You are not failing if you’re not doing everything simultaneously all at once. You are being human. Some days the work wins. Other days, the kids. Success is not a perfect balance. More, it is a series of conscious choices.
- Map Your Non-Negotiables
Start by identifying your priorities – both work and family – for the summer. Is there a case you have to be fully present for? Is there a week you want to block off completely for family time? Mark those dates and guard them like gold. The rest can flex.
- Make a Flexible but Firm Plan
Once you know your must-do dates, create a skeleton childcare and work plan. Include camps, grandparents, shared cared and, dare I say it, screen time, when needed. Treat your calendar like your cases: schedule everything in, then adjust as needed. Rigidity rarely works; diary adaptability and flex does.
- Work in Sprints, Rest in Earnest
Trying to work full-pelt for six weeks while parenting full-time is a recipe for resentment and burnout. Instead, figure out the absolute essentials, putting tasks in priority order (important, urgent, not important/ urgent or neither), then carve out focused work deep-dives – early mornings, nap times, or tag-team blocks with a partner or childcare – to get on with things, first things first, to be followed by meaningful breaks. Not “I’m on the trampoline while answering emails” breaks, but actual downtime.
- Create Physical Boundaries (Even mid-Chaos)
If you’re working from home, carve out a dedicated workspace. It could be a room, a corner, even a “when the headphones are on, I’m invisible” rule. Likewise, when you are with your children, put the phone down. No one wins when you’re half-listening to a toddler and half-drafting an important advice.
- Build Your “Good Enough” Toolkit
This is not the summer to aim for perfection, in either role. Embrace “good enough” meals (hello, pesto pasta, and carrot and cucumber sticks again), “good enough” screen limits, and “good enough” legal prep. You are not lowering standards. You are simply adapting them to a new context. That’s not only enough; it’s also a really wise move.
- Give Yourself Permission to Pause
August in legal practice is famously patchy. Courts slow, BD activities grind to a halt, clients go on holiday and, consequently, inboxes lighten too. Use the pause. Book a day off (or five). Take the kids to the park and don’t take your laptop or work phone. Think of it as strategic recovery rather than slacking: you will thank yourself come September.
- Be Honest – with your Firm, Chambers, Clients and Yourself
Managing expectations is key. Let your manager, team, clerks and colleagues know when you intend to be offline. Most people understand (especially when you explain in plain terms: “I’ve got two under 10 and a partner working away all week”). Transparency builds trust and avoids the online Zoom or Teams call guilt of having to hide a messy domestic background.
- Avoid the Comparison Trap
Just because another lawyer-mum on LinkedIn posted triumphantly about closing a deal during the first school holiday week off doesn’t mean you’re behind or failing. Social media doesn’t show the missed dinners, the bedtime tears, or the 11 p.m. case-prep marathons. Stay in your lane. You’re doing your summer, not theirs.
- Capture the Moments (Not Just the Minutes)
Ultimately, what you will remember, and what your children will too, are the little things: the ice cream, the splash in the paddling pool (hosepipe ban permitting!), the fact that you turned your phone off and weren’t distracted by it during a beach-combing, treasure hunt adventure. Don’t let the work in your head crowd out the joy in front of you.
Final Thoughts
This summer let’s not aim for perfect balance, but for conscious decision-making. Let’s build in buffers, prioritise what matters, and take care of ourselves as expertly as we take care of everyone else. You can absolutely be a brilliant lawyer and a present parent – just maybe not every single day.
And that’s OK.
Here’s to a summer of slower mornings, lighter inboxes, and memories made in between the hearings and the heat.