Having a full-time job doesn’t leave much room for a side hustle, especially if most of your free time is already spoken for. The good news is that some small money-making tasks can fit into a 30- to 60-minute lunch break, giving you a chance to earn extra cash without giving up your evenings.
Here are 21 side hustles you can work on during your lunch break, depending on your schedule, skills, and interests.
Sell Items on Facebook Marketplace
Use your lunch break to take photos, write listings, reply to interested buyers, and arrange pickup times for things you no longer need. Once you’ve sold your own belongings, you could start buying inexpensive items to resell for a profit.
Related: I Made $1,032 in a Single Day at My Garage Sale—Here’s How I Pulled It Off
Resell Thrift Store Finds
You don’t have to visit thrift stores during your lunch break to make money from secondhand finds. Use that time to check resale prices, photograph items you’ve already bought, and list them on eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, or Facebook Marketplace.
Freelance Writing
You can split short writing assignments into smaller tasks, such as researching a topic, outlining an article, or editing a draft. You can find clients through freelance websites or contact businesses and bloggers directly, aiming to land regular projects.
Proofread and Edit Content
Bloggers, businesses, students, and authors often need help checking their writing before it goes public. You could use your lunch break to review a short article, newsletter, product description, or a few pages of a longer document.
Create Print-on-Demand Designs
Make designs for T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, stickers, and other items, then upload them to print-on-demand websites. The platform handles printing and shipping, leaving you more time to create new designs and update your listings.
Sell Canva Templates
Canva templates can include resumes, invitations, social media graphics, business flyers, planners, and checklists. Once you list your templates in an online shop, customers can buy the same digital files without you having to prepare each order from scratch.
Manage Social Media for a Small Business
Some small businesses need help keeping their social media pages active but don’t have the budget for a full-time employee. You could create posts, write captions, schedule content, and respond to comments in short sessions throughout the week.
Become a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants help clients with online tasks such as organizing emails, researching information, entering data, managing schedules, and uploading content. Look for project-based work or clients with flexible deadlines so you aren’t expected to be available throughout your regular work hours.
Flip Free Items
Check local Buy Nothing groups, Craigslist Free, and Facebook Marketplace for furniture or household items people are giving away. With the owner’s permission, you can clean up items in good condition, take better photos, and list them for sale.
Offer Resume or LinkedIn Help
People looking for new jobs often need help editing their resumes, writing cover letters, or updating their LinkedIn profiles. If you have strong writing skills or hiring experience, you can complete these projects in smaller sessions between work tasks.
Create Pinterest Pins for Businesses
Bloggers and online businesses often need fresh Pinterest graphics to promote their articles, products, and services. Make a few reusable Canva layouts and use your lunch break to create several pins at a time.
Build a Social Media Page
Choose a subject you enjoy and use your lunch break to create posts, reply to comments, or plan future content. A page with an active audience may eventually earn money through brand partnerships, affiliate links, merchandise, events, or products you sell yourself.
Walk Dogs
If you work from home or have enough time to leave your workplace, dog walking can turn your lunch break into a paid activity. Finding clients near your home or office can make scheduling regular walks much easier.
Do Cat Drop-In Visits
Some cat owners need someone to check on their pets while they’re away, whether it’s to refill food and water, scoop the litter box, or spend a little time with them. These visits are often short, so they may fit into a lunch break if the client’s home is nearby.
Take Paid Surveys
Paid survey websites let you answer questions from your phone or computer during a spare moment. The pay is usually modest, so check the estimated time and reward before spending your break on a survey.
Create Digital Products
You can spend 30 minutes a day making downloadable items such as planners, spreadsheets, printable checklists, guides, and templates. Once a product is ready and listed for sale, multiple customers can buy the same file without you having to make a new copy for each order.
Try Mystery Shopping
Mystery shoppers visit stores, restaurants, and other businesses as regular customers, then submit feedback about their experience. Some assignments involve longer visits, but shorter checks may fit into an hour-long lunch break if the location is close enough.
Use Gaming Reward Apps
Some apps give users points or small rewards for playing games and completing certain challenges. The payouts are usually limited, so treat these apps as a way to earn a little extra rather than a reliable source of income.
Work on a Newsletter
You can use part of your lunch break to write a few paragraphs, research a topic, reply to subscribers, or schedule your next email. A newsletter takes time to grow, but it may eventually earn money through sponsorships, affiliate links, paid subscriptions, or your own products.
Complete Paid Industry Surveys
Some research companies offer paid surveys for people with experience in a particular job or industry. These specialized business surveys can pay more than ordinary consumer surveys, with some opportunities offering around $40 to $75 for a completed survey.
Do Online User Testing
Companies pay people to try websites, apps, and digital products and share feedback about how they work. Many tests take only a short amount of time, making them worth checking out if you have a spare 15 to 30 minutes.
