Apr 22, 2019
How to deal with needing a sick day when you're running a business
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How to deal with needing a sick day when you're running a business
How do you deal with REALLY needing a sick day when you’re running your business.
Too many of us do the hustle, hustle, hustle and feel like we can’t take any time off and that does nothing good for our health...especially when you won’t take a sick day when you’re sick!
Or, we feel GUILTY when we do take time off for a sick day which is even worse because you’re trying to relax and get better and you’re sitting on the sofa in and out of netflix, nap, netflix, nap and at the same time full of all the negative thoughts about what you SHOULD be doing instead and how much time you’ve ‘wasted’.
Meh! Annoying right?
So, a little context for you. I don’t actually get ill very often but last week seriously had other ideas!
I shall spare you the gory details but I managed to pick me up a lovely case of gastroenteritis...which lasted much longer than it was supposed to.
I was totally wiped out with no choice but to do nothing, and I had a TONNE of things to do.
You KNOW I’m ill when I have no appetite, can’t nap OR watch netflix.
Horrendous.
BUT, I was able to take that time off.
Yes I was momentarily VERY annoyed at the situation because I'm human BUT I didn’t panic about things going wrong in my business, or not showing up as much on social media, or not posting any stories on my Instagram...you can thank me for that actually, nobody needed to see that!
Yes it would have been lovely to have that time to get lots ticked off my to do list BUT that clearly wasn’t going to be the case and health is wealth people, you have to look after yourself.
This is one of the MANY reasons having behavioral flexibility is one of the keys to success. You can waste your time being annoyed and frustrated or re-group and work out a new plan of action
If you take a few days off to recover the world won’t stop!
I had to shuffle a few things around, have AMAZING understanding clients, had team members in the wings if anything was REALLY urgent and I allowed myself that time to get better. I wasn’t as present on Instagram and my whole business didn’t collapse!
BUT, it does highlight something.
We’re all human and these things can happen and it’s important to get systems in place that mean we can allow ourselves whatever time we need to heal.
From the sick days to the big things that require a little time off, we can put things in place to make sure everything is handled, take the weight off your mind!
It's also WAY better to rest and get better than push and procrastinate and produce sub par work anyway right? You’ll actually end up getting more stuff done.
Here’s a few ideas, have a think about things you could apply to your own business and get them in place so you can enjoy the sweet Netflix and nap time.
Look at your diary and move the moveable!
It’s easy to look at things as ‘fixed’ but with a little jiggery pokery and honesty with your clients and audience there will be things that can move.
I moved my live podcast recording in my group, client calls and my group call with my mastermind. I would have been no good to anyone in my state so they appreciated the move and the honesty! I also got super honest about what was really ‘urgent’ I also worked a bit at the weekend which I try not to do as a rule BUT meant that I could nap guilt free and still get the same amount done.
Have your business ‘processes’ mapped out.
If you have regular or key processes mapped out step by step you can hand it over to someone else. Whether it’s short term...or you kinda like it and it becomes a long term thing. I looove me some outsourcing! If things are mapped out you could even ask a family member to help you out if you wanted to!
Batching
Batching is your best friend. The only thing I don’t batch is my podcast recordings because I do them live but even that might change based on last week, ha! It made me realise I COULD have a few backup batched episodes ready to go. Think about it, you could take one day per month and write and upload 4 blogs, use a tool like Missinglettr to set the promo up to run on autopilot. 1 day of work for one month of content! Ooooh!
Team
Even part time, or by the hour team members can be a total life saver. All the little things that are on the to do list can be sorted, yes it may cost you a couple of hours but to me that’s worth it for peace of mind and to know I can rest. What can you outsource? My lovely VA does all sorts of things for me that give me the gift of time. Go find yourself your very own unicorn!
Make passwords easy
On the subject of team keep all your passwords safe and handy with something like Last pass. So instead of people chasing you for various passwords you send them one and it’s all sorted!
Set an OOO
For the love of all things please don’t be tempted to answer every email that comes through, you will NOT rest. Put an out of office message on either directing them to your VA in an emergency or letting them know you won’t be available for a couple of days. If you’re telling yourself you can’t do this then it’s time to have a look at the wider picture here. You’re human and you need to be able to take some time off or you will burn out. You can do this, you just need to find the way that works for your business, what is it because it will be there!
Think about your business model
Recurring revenue streams so taking time off doesn’t impact your ability to make money in your business. For so many people they have a belief that taking time off equals losing money but setting up your business with that in mind will really help. What recurring revenue ideas could you implement? What could you automate?
Honesty is the best policy
Just be honest with the people in your community and with your clients. You’re human and so are they! So many people feel the need to be ‘online perfect’ but reality is very different. You get to be imperfect, you get ot be ill and take a sick day, you get to move things around in your diary, you get to take time to heal, you get to be a human!
What else could YOU do in YOUR business to make sure that if anything happens it can still run smoothly and you actually get the time you need to heal?
It’s important to take care of YOU first. Body and mind, it’s all linked, you can’t affect one without the other. Make it as easy as you can on yourself.
If you know that now is the time to start changing things for yourself and want to explore this further, have any questions or want some accountability to make sure you’re doing the things you need to then please book in a free discovery call so we can see what needs to happen to get you from where you’re at right now, to the successful business owner you know you can be!!
Fx