How To Work For Yourself While On Maternity Leave

Becoming a new mother can be a daunting experience for any woman, especially if you’re also trying to launch your own business.

Combine the two challenges and you’ll be left with scary-sounding questions like: “How will I pay my bills?”, “How do I afford childcare?”, and “Do I really have to spend every waking moment with my baby?”

While it’s true that being an entrepreneur while on maternity leave can be stressful, there’s no reason to let your anxiety get the best of you.

With a few smart tips, you can put yourself in the right situation to take care of your child while continuing to freelance or run your company. Here’s how!

How To Plan for Maternity Leave As a Self Employed Creative

Takeaways
Freelancing during maternity leave is possible with proper planning and organization.
Prioritize self-care and set boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Consider adjusting your workload and client expectations to accommodate the needs of both your business and your newborn.
Seek legal advice to understand your rights and obligations when working during maternity leave.
Building a support network and seeking assistance can help alleviate the challenges of working for yourself while on maternity leave.

Table of Contents

1. Take Care Of Yourself

It’s important to take care of yourself, even if you’re working for yourself. The time you spend on maternity leave is a time to relax, exercise, eat well, and sleep. It’s also a time to go out with friends and have fun.

You should try to take some time each day or every other day for whatever activities relax or energize you personally—whether that be reading a book or going for a walk in the park or watching TV shows from your childhood (I am currently obsessed with “Full House”).

In addition to taking care of yourself physically and emotionally during the first few months postpartum, it’s crucial that you also take care of your mental health during this period as well.

Maternity leave can be an extremely stressful time as new mothers adjust their lives around caring for their newborns 24/7 while simultaneously trying not only to maintain their careers but also stay sane!

This is why I recommend starting an appointment with a therapist before returning to work if possible!

Juggling freelance work while on maternity leave can be challenging, but it’s definitely possible. Our article on how to freelance from maternity leave provides valuable tips and insights to help you maintain your career while taking care of your little one.

2. Carve Out Your Time

If you’re a freelancer and have control over your schedule, it makes sense to work on your own time. By setting up a regular schedule, you’ll be able to keep up with the demands of running a business while being able to spend quality time with your baby when they need it.

If you are an employee who needs to find extra time in the day, tries taking advantage of lunch breaks and after hours at home while they sleep (or play on their own).

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

When it comes to working from home, you are going to need some support. Asking for help with childcare and other household duties can be a great way to ease the strain of being away from work. But before you do this, make sure you’re clear on what your current situation is.

Is having someone else watch over your child okay with them? Are they old enough to take care of themselves in certain situations, such as doing their laundry or cleaning up after themselves?

Be honest about your own needs as well if there’s something that will make things easier on you while raising your child, ask for it!

Your partner may also have ideas about how they can pitch in without putting too much strain on their relationship with the two of you (or vice versa).

If one parent can work from home full-time while the other works outside the house part-time during maternity leave, these types of arrangements can be mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

If none of these options sound feasible at first glance due to financial constraints or other factors like distance from family members who could provide childcare services instead… don’t worry! The easiest solution might be none other than taking advantage

Are you a freelancer navigating the complexities of maternity leave? We’ve got you covered. Check out our comprehensive guide on freelancing while on maternity leave for 10 essential tips to help you balance your work and family life during this special time.

4. When You Don’t Have Enough Time, Ask Yourself What Is The Most Important Thing To Do Today?

Your first instinct might be to pick and choose everything that needs to be done, but this approach can quickly leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

For you to stay productive while working from home, it’s important to prioritize tasks based on their importance (not just in your mind).

After prioritizing your tasks, focus on doing one or two things at a time until they are completed before moving on to the next one. If all else fails and there is still too much for one day’s work then ask yourself “what is the most important thing for me/my business today?”

5. Schedule Your Work Around Your Baby’s Nap Or Sleep Schedule

Don’t feel guilty about taking a nap, going to sleep, or spending time with your baby. If you can schedule your work around the baby’s nap schedule, great.

But don’t feel like a bad parent just because it doesn’t work out that way. I know some of my best working hours are between 4-6 am when the baby is sleeping!

Do what you need to do for yourself and your business. There will be times when you need to put in extra hours and there will be times when things take longer than expected (and it’s okay).

Don’t beat yourself up over being behind on something if it means being with your family or doing something fun or relaxing instead!

6. Work Whenever You Can, Even If It Doesn’t Seem Like A Lot

Even if you can’t work a full day or a full week, the little bits of time you do have will add up. If your baby is sleeping, do some writing. If he’s awake and playing, try doing some editing. You’ll be surprised at how much progress can be made in small amounts of time.

The important thing is to be able to be flexible with your schedule this isn’t going to work if you’re so rigidly structured that every hour of every day needs to be accounted for by something else (and let’s face it: when we become parents it’s easy for our routines and habits to fall by the wayside anyway).

So set aside an hour here and there where you can focus on something related to your business and make sure that other things don’t get in the way of getting those tasks done!

The nature of work is rapidly evolving, and freelancing is at the forefront of this transformation. Discover how freelance work is changing the traditional work landscape and explore the opportunities and challenges that come with embracing a freelance career.

7. Download Evernote Or Asana (Or Both) So That You Can Create To-Do Lists

If you’re going to work for yourself, it’s important to stay organized. That’s why I recommend downloading Evernote or Asana (or both).

Both of these tools are great for keeping track of all the tasks that need doing so that you don’t lose sight of what needs doing and do end up losing some time because you weren’t aware of a new task that came up.

These tools help me stay organized and on top of my work.

They also help me stay focused because if I’m working with a client who needs something done right away, then having an app like this will remind me immediately when said client needs their project finished so they can send it back in time.

8. Don’t Be Afraid To Say No

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of working for yourself and accepting every job that comes your way. But before you accept a new assignment, stop and think about whether it will take you away from your family or business.

If the answer is yes, then that’s not a good idea right now. You want to be able to spend as much time with your growing baby as possible and when you’ve got a newborn at home, there are only so many hours in a day (or night).

On top of that, if you say yes too often while on maternity leave and then go back to work on a full-time basis after your leave ends (as most people do), one thing led inexorably to another: before long, I was overwhelmed by my workload again and feeling stressed out all over again.

9. Find A Few Key Things You Can Delegate And Have Someone Else Do Them For You So You Don’t Have To Worry About Them

Whether it’s filing paperwork, processing orders, or dealing with customer support, find one or two tasks that would be super helpful if someone else did them instead of you.

Once you’ve identified the tasks, start looking for people who might be able to help out. If your business is small enough and your workload manageable enough, maybe there’s even room for an intern!

Or maybe other freelancers in the area could help out on short-term contracts.

Once you’ve found someone who seems like they’d be a good fit (and can prove it by doing some work beforehand), see how their skills compare with yours before handing over any responsibilities.

The last thing anyone needs is a situation where they’re having trouble keeping up because they didn’t realize how much work went into something until too late!

Tired of the corporate rat race? Freelancing could be your ticket to freedom. Our article on freelancing to escape the rat race of corporate America explores the advantages of freelancing, including flexibility, autonomy, and the opportunity to build a fulfilling career on your own terms.

10. Ask Others How They Manage Their Time And Get Ideas From Them That Might Work With Your Business And/Or Family Life

Asking others how they manage their time and getting ideas from them that might work with your business and/or family life can be a great way to get some new ideas. You probably have friends who are self-employed or people in your social circle who also have families.

People often do things differently than we do, so it helps to ask others about their process and see what works best for them.

For example, my friend Julia has a successful business where she designs jewelry and sells it online through her website.

She also has three kids under the age of eight! I asked her one day how she manages everything in her life (the business, the kids’ schedules, and activities) while still having time for herself.

She told me that she wakes up early in the morning so that she can work on her jewelry before anyone else gets up at home; this allows her to use some quiet alone time before everyone else wakes up too!

This just goes to show that there’s no one way or even ten ways to run a small business while also being around for your family when needed most during maternity leave!

11. Use Google Calendar Or Some Other Online Scheduling Program

Google Calendar is a free tool that allows you to schedule and keep track of meetings. It has the option to add all types of events, from reminders about upcoming bills and doctor appointments to birthdays or anniversaries.

Evernote is another useful tool for organizing your work life. This app lets you easily create lists, add files, and make notes for yourself or other people in your network. You can also use it to store images and links related to your business so they’re easy to find when needed.

Asana is an organizational app that lets team members collaborate on tasks in real-time (or at least as close as possible).

The platform allows teams across different companies or projects to stay up-to-date with one another’s progress by sharing documents and creating projects together through Asana’s system of checklists, task lists, labels, and comments among other features.

Trello is a visual way of managing projects that divides tasks into boards for each project along with columns for due dates and descriptions so users know exactly what needs to be done next without having to worry about forgetting anything important along the way

Working for yourself doesn’t mean you have to face loneliness. In fact, there are various ways to build connections and find support. Dive into our insightful piece on working for yourself without feeling lonely to discover strategies for cultivating a network, finding like-minded individuals, and staying connected in the freelance world.

Conclusion

We hope this article was helpful to you. It will take some time and care to successfully work while on maternity leave, but if anyone can do it, it’s you!

Just remember that there are no rules when it comes to parenting; your way is the right way, as long as you’re doing what feels right for your family.

It might be a bumpy ride at first, but once you get into the groove of things you’ll find that running a business with your child isn’t so stressful after all!

FAQs

Q: What are the legal considerations when working during maternity leave?

A: Legal considerations when working during maternity leave vary by jurisdiction. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the laws and regulations in your country or state regarding working during maternity leave, including any restrictions, rights, and benefits available to you.

Q: Can I work for my own business during maternity leave?

A: The ability to work for your own business during maternity leave depends on the laws and policies in your jurisdiction. In some cases, self-employment or running your own business may be allowed, while in others, there may be restrictions or limitations. It’s advisable to consult with legal professionals or relevant authorities to understand the specific regulations that apply to your situation.

Q: How can I manage my workload and balance work with taking care of my newborn during maternity leave?

A: Balancing workload and caring for a newborn can be challenging. It’s important to prioritize self-care and establish boundaries. Consider setting realistic expectations, delegating tasks when possible, and creating a support network of family, friends, or hired help to assist with childcare responsibilities.

Q: Are there financial implications to working during maternity leave?

A: Working during maternity leave can have financial implications, including potential adjustments to maternity benefits, tax considerations, and changes in income. It’s advisable to consult with financial advisors or professionals who can provide guidance specific to your financial situation and jurisdiction.

Q: How can I prepare my clients or customers for my maternity leave as a freelancer?

A: Communication is key when preparing clients or customers for your maternity leave as a freelancer. Notify them in advance about your upcoming leave, provide information on alternative contacts or arrangements, and set clear expectations regarding project timelines and availability. Open and transparent communication can help maintain client relationships during your absence.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.