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How to Survive a Busy Season: Maycember Survival Guide
If May feels like a second December, you’re not imagining it — and you’re not alone. There’s actually a name for this: Maycember. It’s that stretch of weeks when the calendar fills up with end-of-year everything, work deadlines stack on top of each other, and summer is barreling toward you faster than you’re ready for. In this episode, time management coach Anna Dearmon Kornick shares four practical strategies to help you survive a busy season with more clarity, more calm, and less last-minute scrambling.
Key Takeaways
- Protect your calendar by removing non-essential commitments from May before the chaos peaks
- Get a big picture view of the full month to spot curveballs before they sneak up on you
- Guard your weekly planning session — especially when life feels too busy for it
- Look ahead at your summer schedule now, before the routine shift catches you off guard
What Is Maycember — And Why Does It Feel So Hard?
May has a way of filling itself up. End-of-year school events, work deadlines, social invitations, and the general energy of a world wrapping up one season and launching into another all collide at once. For parents of school-age children, this means field days, spring concerts, preschool graduations, birthday parties, and teacher appreciation week — all layered on top of normal life. And even without kids at home, the pace of May is uniquely relentless.
Then summer arrives — and the routines that held everything together suddenly stop working. Different schedules, different rhythms, different everything. It feels like whiplash: go, go, go — and then screech — nothing fits anymore.
The good news? A little intentional planning right now, before Maycember really gets going, can change everything about how this season feels.
4 Ways to Survive a Busy Season Like Maycember
1. Protect May by Putting Less on It
The busiest seasons don’t reward the people who try to do the most. They reward the people who decide in advance to do less.
Take a look at what’s on your to-do list for May and ask yourself: what could actually wait until June or July? Medical or dental checkups that aren’t urgent, nice-to-have meetings without hard deadlines, house projects that could just as easily happen when the pace slows down — these are all candidates to move. May already comes with a mountain of extras baked in. You don’t need to add to it.
This isn’t about doing less forever. It’s about doing less right now, in a month that already has so much, so you have the energy to show up for what actually matters.
2. Get a Big Picture View of the Month
One of the most powerful things you can do before a busy season hits is to get the whole month in front of you at once. This is where Anna’s Big Picture Year Calendars come in — poster-sized printable calendar files designed to help you see your full year (or full month) at a glance. You can grab those in the resources section below.
Whether you use a printable calendar, a planner spread, or the month view on your digital calendar, the goal is the same: look at the whole picture. Which weeks are already packed? Which weeks have a little more breathing room? And what is hiding on your calendar that’s going to sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention?
This is where you spot the curveballs in advance — the costume that needs planning, the gift that needs buying, the deadline that lands on the same week as the school carnival. A monthly preview doesn’t have to take long. Even fifteen minutes with your calendar and a cup of coffee can change the entire trajectory of your month.
3. Guard Your Weekly Planning Session
Weekly planning is always important — but in a busy season like Maycember, it’s essential. Here’s the thing: the busiest times in life are exactly when we’re most tempted to skip it. But skipping your weekly planning session when life gets busy isn’t self-care. It’s basically an invitation to wing it.
Every week in May has the potential to throw a curveball. A rain delay that reschedules field day. A sick kid who can’t go to the birthday party. A work deadline that shifts. If you’re looking ahead at your week every single week — even for just twenty minutes — you have a fighting chance of catching those things before they derail you.
If you’re someone who plans sometimes, when life is calm, consider this a loving challenge to commit to it every week in May. No exceptions. Especially when it feels like you don’t have time for it.
4. Look Ahead at the First Few Weeks of Summer
This is the step most people skip — and it’s the one that makes summer feel like a smooth transition instead of a scramble. Before school lets out, take a look at what your life is actually going to look like once the schedule changes.
If your daily routine shifts when summer starts — earlier mornings, different pickup times, new childcare logistics, a different work-from-home arrangement — make those updates to your calendar now. Block the new windows of time. Adjust your Ideal Week. Note the new rhythms. Even if your schedule doesn’t change dramatically, your energy and your team’s availability likely will. Plan for that too.
Future you will be so grateful you thought this through before the shift happened.
Episode Links + Resources
- Anna’s Big Picture Year Calendars — mybigpictureyear.com
- Apply for a free time management coaching session: freetimecall.com
- Connect with Anna on Instagram: @annadkornick
Related Episodes
- Ep. 113 – 3 Reasons Why You Need a Weekly Planning Session
- Ep. 48 – My Secret for Getting Everything Done: Why You Need an Ideal Week
- Ep. 215 – Not Enough Hours in the Day? 5 Reasons Why You’re Overcommitted and Overwhelmed
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Maycember? Maycember is the nickname for the month of May, which tends to feel just as chaotic and overwhelming as December. Between end-of-year school events, work deadlines, social commitments, and the general energy of a world wrapping up one season and launching into another, May has a way of filling itself up fast — leaving many people feeling stretched thin before summer even begins.
Why is May so overwhelming for working moms? May is uniquely packed for families with school-age children. Field days, spring concerts, preschool graduations, teacher appreciation week, sports banquets, and end-of-year parties all land in the same few weeks — layered on top of regular work responsibilities and everyday life. Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly behind or just surviving from one event to the next.
How do I prepare my schedule for summer when the kids get out of school? The key is to look ahead before summer arrives, not after. Once you know your summer schedule — camp drop-off times, childcare arrangements, or any changes to your daily routine — update your calendar and your Ideal Week now. That way, when the school year ends and everything shifts, you’re not scrambling to figure out a new normal. You’ve already planned for it.
What should I stop doing in May to reduce stress? The most powerful thing you can do in May is protect it from unnecessary extras. Look at your to-do list and ask yourself what could realistically wait until June or July — non-urgent medical appointments, nice-to-have meetings, house projects, or commitments without hard deadlines. May already comes with a built-in mountain of obligations. Giving yourself permission to move things out of May is one of the most effective ways to reduce overwhelm before it peaks.
How do I stick to my weekly planning session when life gets busy? This is exactly when it matters most. The busiest seasons of life are when we’re most tempted to skip our weekly planning session — but skipping it during a packed month like May is basically an invitation to wing it. Even twenty minutes on a Sunday evening or Monday morning can make the difference between a week that feels manageable and one that completely derails you. Treat it like a non-negotiable appointment with yourself, especially when your calendar is full.
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