Productive things to do on Maternity Leave
As there is a wave of new first-time mom’s in the late 20-30 something age range, I thought it would be fitting to discuss awesome productive things we can do during maternity leave!
If you happen to be an anxious millennial first-time mom that struggles with doing basic adulting tasks, and self-care and hopes to one day have an advantageous side hustle, this post is for you!
Disclaimer:
Always give yourself grace, the most important thing right now is to get all the baby cuddles you can! Never feel bad about “not being productive enough”. Let’s be real, there isn’t an insane amount of time for you to be doing productive things, however, it can be done!
Productive side hustle tasks I’m doing each day on Maternity Leave
Every single day, take 30 minutes that advance your side hustle goals. No matter how small the task, I am ensuring I take at least 30 minutes a day that help me move forward in my side hustle goals.
First, write out 1 or 2 side hustle goals for yourself.
Second, you’ll have to write out a list of things that will help further your side hustle goals. This can include anything from:
Research and Development (educating yourself)
Brainstorming ideas or content
Outlining a plan of attack
Scheduling when you’ll have certain things done by
Planning social media content (per social media platform)
Creating imagery (taking photos, editing photos, creating marketing layouts using Canva, etc)
Example: My side hustle goals during maternity leave (below)
For me, I want to grow this blog up until the point I can make some side money using AdSense and Amazon affiliate links. Therefore my goal is to increase traffic to this website.
I also want to grow my Instagram account to the point that at least small brands might want to reach out for a paid post or story, or something like that. Therefore my second goal is to increase my followers and their engagement with my accounts.
What am I doing to further each of these goals?
I brainstormed an outline/content plan. I wrote out a bunch of ideas and how I should display or write about said ideas. I wrote it out physically so it is something I can easily read through/flip through in my spare time.
I’m creating a bank of imagery and videos to use across all my different platforms.
I’m doing research on ways to create content via YouTube and Tiktok
Thanks to taking the time to brainstorm all these different ideas, I feel organized moving forward. I take on one idea at a time. For instance, I brainstormed an idea of how my husband and I are splitting babycare.
Here is the content I created per social media platform regarding my idea on how my husband and I split up babycare.
For Instagram, I planned to post a reel and write a caption about it
For Tiktok, I made a similar video with a shorter caption
For my Blog, I wrote a long-form post (read here!)
Doing even one of these things on maternity leave took a long time, and that’s ok!
Here’s why it took so long:
It took a couple of days to film the content for my IG and Tiktok posts.
One day all I did was film parts of my life.
Another day I planned out my IG Reel caption.
Over a couple of days, I wrote out my blog post.
On another day I found some images to use in my blog post.
This is to prove that even though your productive pace might be slower on maternity leave, it can still be highly effective! The key to success is to make sure you have a plan of attack.
My plan of attack is written out in my side hustle journal and it really helps keep me focused. I recommend physically writing out your goals, steps to your goals, and a general plan of attack (what you can work on for 30 minutes each day).
Learn some basic “adulting” tasks you’ve never bothered with before!
If you’re an anxious millennial, the chances are high that there are many basic adulting tasks you either never learned or tasks that you fully avoided bothering to learn. There are things you know you PROBABLY should be able to do or upkeep, but just haven’t bothered with, am I right?
For me, I’m good at doing random chores, however, upkeeping my house with a regular cleaning schedule has felt completely out of reach.
During maternity leave, I created a schedule for myself to keep up on cleaning and maintaining my house.
Some other embarrassingly easy adulting tasks I want to do are things like using dryer balls and finally separating my towels from the rest of the laundry. Just things I never bothered doing before that I’d like to do!
What are some basic adulting tasks you struggle with? Perhaps maternity leave is the perfect time to develop a system and practices that will help you keep things in check.
Create time for proper self-care during maternity leave
Productive use of your time would also be to do some much-needed self-care while you are on maternity leave.
For instance, I finally researched some dermatologists’ recommended skincare items for aging skin. I now am very purposeful about making time to do a full skincare routine each morning and evening.
Beyond that, I have a list of beauty/self-care things I want to improve upon.
For instance, I want to learn how to:
Properly contour my face
Shape my eyebrows better
Draw a fuller lip
Create a relaxed glam look
Style my hair in other ways beyond a ponytail and messy bun
Use hair oil
Moisturize my body more regularly!
And much much more
By writing this list of things I want to learn, when I have free time or I’m busy feeding my baby, I can refer to my list and watch YouTube videos, Tiktoks, or check Instagram accounts that teach me about these things.
Then, when I have spare hands, I can practice them at some point in my day.
Create a “luxurious” self-care night-time routine that you can do nightly while your partner watches the baby for an hour or after the baby has been put to bed.
For me, I do my full anti-aging skin care routine, have a shower or a bath (when I don’t want my hair to get wet), and actually make time to moisturize my whole body (something I was really bad at doing before)
Always be learning on Maternity Leave
Beyond learning how to care for a baby human, in your spare time, you may want to expand your mind even further.
In the mornings I have inspiring YouTube channels on in the background. I have recipe channels playing, personal finance and budgeting tutorials, tips on social media and SEO, etc. I find learning from people like this always inspires me to keep creating and moving forward in my goals.
I try to have a fun podcast playing when I go for a stroll with my baby, not always as I do like the sounds of nature.
As I’ve already got a healthy dose of trashy reality television, I’ve decided to work my way through ALL of the Netflix documentaries shown on the homepage!
I also make time to read as I go to bed very early, around 9:30 PM. Part of my bedtime routine, to unwind and make myself tired, is to read once I’m in bed. This usually helps me drift off.
By doing all these things my mind is either learning new things or being engaged creatively from morning to night!
Hammer out your budget and finance goals while on Maternity leave
During maternity leave, I finally had time to really look at our expenses.
We were spending way too much on food so we created a plan of attack on how to save money on monthly groceries. Hence, stay posted on cheap and easy eats in the days to come!
We got back to simple meal prepping and our budget is definitely thanking us for it.
On top of that, we reduced our monthly “allowances” and allocated what was previously “spending” money into pools for eating out gifts, and gas. This way, instead of dipping into our savings to cover these expenses, they are covered by our money that would usually just go to monthly spending (eating out or ordering in mostly!).
I’d really encourage you to take this time to critically review what you are spending your money on and if there is a better way you can utilize the money for your larger goals.
Declutter your home
If you haven’t already thrown out half your possessions during your nesting phase, here is your next chance!
You have time to carefully go through each room, drawer, closet, and box in your house, and decide if you really truly need these items.
I am currently challenging myself to post one item a day on some kind of listing service, such as Poshmark, Craigslist, or Facebook Market Place. My hope is to have a rather big total by the end of it all. If you want to keep posted on it or join in on the #listingchallenge follow me on TikTok!
Anyways, by clearing out things that don’t spark joy and just create visual clutter, you will feel energized and destressed. It’s also great to make a little petty cash while doing it!
Improve your wardrobe
I hated pretty much all my pregnancy clothes and most of my postpartum clothes. Purging my closet of all those clothes felt therapeutic and amazing.
Making sure you dress in a way that is truly authentic to yourself is a huge thing when it comes to improving your overall mood. It’s crazy how much the way you dress can inhibit your confidence, productivity, and overall sense of self.
Being on maternity leave, you have time to re-evaluate your clothes and plan what clothes truly inspire you and feel amazing on, no matter what size you are currently are.
For me, I want my style as a new mom to have a little more effort in it than I used to put in before. I don’t want to blend in with (many) of the Vancouver moms. I want to have color in my wardrobe, I want textures of interest, I want interesting cuts, etc.
I created a Pinterest to help myself define my style. From there, I brainstormed pieces that really stood out to me. I then like to search for these pieces at thrift stores, however, if I can’t find them there I will shop for them at regular stores.
Now is an amazing time to redefine your personal style! So much in your life has changed, I think it’s fair to upgrade your style to match!
Work on your fitness
This is always easier said than done. However, in order to increase your energy and feel optimal in your body, you’ve got to get active with it.
Whether or not you were a gym rat or never went before, now is the time to figure out what form of physical fitness is fun for you, challenging enough, and makes you feel good!
For me, I’ve started things out by doing long walks with the baby. This is great because it gives her a chance to finally nap!
Now, further along, I’ve started doing hot yoga to ease myself into more all-over body strengthening. Yoga is also great for the pelvic floor, so that’s a definite bonus.
I encourage you to talk with your partner about ensuring you both have time to take care of your physical fitness. IT IS SO IMPORTANT!! It is something you should both help each other have time for. Therefore if you alternate evenings, each partner can stay active during this time.
Find small ways to sneak fitness into your schedule!
Brush up on another language
Apps, YouTube Tutorials, Books, Podcasts, and more, now make it easier than ever to brush up on a language.
Using a fun app like DuoLingo and watching foreign films on Netflix can be one of the ways you feel more productive with your time on maternity leave!
Set a goal, such as 10 minutes of practice a day and one foreign film a month. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn within a year of maternity leave.
Learn to eat the way you’ve always wanted to
Have you been curious about a certain way of eating but never had the time to really get into it? Perhaps now is the time.
I’m always trying to find new incredible plantbased recipes. Also, I’ve always been in love with Japanese food. I recently got a cookbook that specializes in vegan Japanese food! I’ve made it my goal to work through that cookbook throughout my mat leave.
There are so many blogs, YouTube channels, and more, that it’s never been easier to find new recipes to try.
Why not become a more masterful cook or culinary genius while you are at home? You can pick a cuisine to start learning about or dishes that pique your interest.
Work on mental health
This is so important. Important to do all the time throughout your life; but why not use your mat leave to really take some time to do some inner work?
Take time to write about what you are thankful for. Take time to write down negative thoughts that keep reappearing in your mind. Take time to journal when you are feeling anxious. Read some books on emotional intelligence and mindfulness. Write about times you’ve felt incredibly loved. See a therapist (virtually even)! Practice meditation and breathwork with a mindfulness app.
There are so many powerful things you can do to start healing your mind and creating healthy mental habits that will benefit you and your babies in the long term.
Find someone to talk to if you are struggling. You deserve to feel loved and healthy and live a life free from needless anxiety and fears. Take the time at some point in your day to start doing something that is good for your brain and emotional wellbeing.
For me, right now I mainly write about what I am thankful for as well as say what I am thankful for out loud during the day, as well as get back into working on mindfulness via yoga and meditation.
Wrapping up productive things to do while on maternity leave!
Sometimes we get over-excited and try to literally do everything at once. Then it feels disorganized and overwhelming, and you feel like you haven’t actually gotten anything done!
I recommend taking it one thing at a time.
I’d also recommend buying a physical daily planner where you can start your day with a list of things you wish to do. Remember to always remind yourself that the list should be open and flexible, you have a baby and your ability to crush through lists isn’t the same as it used to be, and that’s ok!
Hold your to-do lists with “open hands” if you will. If you get wrapped up staring into your baby's eyes instead or napping when you finally get the chance, those are both incredible things!!