Last week is the first time I’ve had to deal with sick days since I started freelancing full time almost two years ago (I can’t believe it’s been almost two years …)
I’ve had a couple of days here and there where I didn’t feel great or was overtired or my daughter was home sick from school but overall I’ve been mostly healthy and haven’t needed to take almost an entire week off from work.
It was hard but here’s how I handled it.
Fortunately, I was on top of my projects and didn’t have any looking deadlines. A couple of smaller things were due but it wasn’t as hard to postpone them.
The Tips
- Don’t procrastinate – I’ve never been much of a procrastinator (except for doing my taxes this year) so this isn’t usually an issue. I always say, “don’t put off until tomorrow that which you can do today because tomorrow you might feel like crap”. If you have been procrastinating on a project, the deadline is approaching and then you get sick, you are going to run into problems with the clients understanding. So, try to stay on top of things when you do feel well.
- Notify clients as soon as possible – I have a number of clients that I work with on a weekly basis. As soon as I realized how bad my tooth infection was and that I wasn’t able to work, I sent an email letting them know about the situation. They were all really understanding. The one mistake I made was thinking I would be all better as soon as I started taking the antibiotics. I thought I would be back to work in 2 days and I ended up needing the entire week. Even now, 10 days later, I am still run down and don’t have the energy level that I had before all of this started.
- Notify clients of current projects that are close to being due – I had two Facebook pages that were due a day or two after I got sick. Fortunately, my policy is that a “page will be completed within one week after the deposit and all materials are received unless there are unforeseen circumstances that I will notify you of as soon as possible.” This is the first time I had to utilize an unforeseen circumstance for work being delayed but I’m glad I always include that message.
- Get help at home – I’m divorced and have an 8 year old. As soon as I started feeling ill I called my ex, told him about the situation, and asked if he could help. He took our daughter for the first two nights, which were the worst of it, and even arranged to leave work early one day because we didn’t have after school care that day. Like any ex, he drives me nuts sometimes, but I’m fortunate in that when I really need help, I can rely on him.
- Ask your kids for help – On my daughter’s first day back, I still wasn’t feeling well and I hadn’t really slept in a couple of days so I was slightly out of my mind. She realized that I needed her and totally stepped up. She made her own dinner (microwave Mac&Cheese – but she did it), did all the dishes, took a bath without being nagged, waited on me, and tucked me in before putting herself to bed. She’s close to 9 but I was still impressed. I’m pretty sure, however, that she was still wishing she were at her Dad’s house. ;-) I remember being very disconcerted when my Mom was sick when I was a kid – it scared me because we rely on our parents for strength so I’m sure it scared her a little.
- Save for it – Freelancers need to set aside a portion of their income for sick time so they don’t feel like they have to work because they can’t lose the money. I don’t specifically save for it but I have x number of months of income saved so if I miss a week I don’t feel like everything is going to fall apart.
- Rest – Prior to the tooth infection I was working really long days – 12+ hours. I’m sure the infection happening after that was a coincidence but it was a reminder to slow down a little and to take better care of myself.
Everyone I work with was kind, understanding and supportive. I think most people would be because we all get sick at some point and I’m reliable the rest of the time – I meet my deadlines and don’t have excuses for being late with my work all of the time. If someone hadn’t been understanding, I think it would have told me to finish up the current work with that individual and then sever out professional relationship.
How about you? Do you have any sick time tips? How do you handle it?
photo credit: WindRanch
Great tips, Kim! This shows you are an excellent organizer even when you sick :) .
Thanks! I try to be but you should see my office right now ;-)
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your post about sick days. I also have encountered some sick and bad days in the past and your suggestion of having savings for those unexpected days strucked me. Now, I’m planning to save a portion of my income monthly. Thanks a lot! God bless us all!
Hi Anne – It’s really the best way to handle it. I put aside money for taxes, sick days and vacations.
One of my outsources has many a personal issue. She is really good when shes on it, but I admit, sometimes i do get a bit irritated.
For better or worse, we’ve become “friends” of a sort.
Hi Dennis – When it happens a lot, if can get irritating. If she had kids, it does make it hard – if she’s not the one that is sick then one of the kids is. Prior to this incident any sick time I had taken before was due to my kid being sick – not me.
No kids, mostly her job which is beating the hell outa her.
Hi Kim,
You are so prompt and so dedicated to providing quality service that I knew when I got the e-mail that you were seriously in trouble. With many more years of freelancing, self-employment or entrepreneurship, I have had times when I couldn’t deliver on time. At the time, besides the resume side of me, I also had the contracts with non-profits and I sometimes missed activities or meetings. When I broke my leg in 2003, I had to change all kinds of things. But the steps you outline are great.
#6 and #7 are still very important to me. I am following Dave Ramsey now with his Total Money Makeover and I am trying to break away from my desk.
Great advice. Thank you for all your work on Design Resumes and this new project I am launching soon!
Hi Julie – Thank you so much! It was a rough week but I somehow managed to get through it and get caught up. And then I had the joy of doing my taxes ;-)
I decided this was the year to give my taxes to a professional. He can figure it out.
Wow! Props on your 9yo! My 7yo daughter would’ve had skittles for dinner and then a jumping-on-the-bed party! I am fortunate enough to have a boss that allows me to bring my child to work or take anytime off that I need, but then that brings up the topic of money set aside. I have always worked paycheck to paycheck, but when I get my taxes done, any money left over goes straight to the bank for emergencies!
Hi Jasmine – I was surprised at how well she did – granted she did have mac&cheese made in the microwave but she still did it herself.
It’s always good to have some money set aside – not only did I not earn money that week but I also spent quite a bit at the dentist.
Kim, I am glad your back and feeling better!
I really enjoy your content on here too!
This is a wake up call for me. I freelance too, in fact its my primary income. Another great reminder to get things done!
My favorite quote “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. ~ Mahatma Gandhi”
Best wishes,
Nate.
Hi Nate – Thank you – I really appreciate that :-) And that’s a great quote.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your advice, I would have had them in January, I have been sick to and from the pneumonia and fever in the first 3 months of this year and haven’t coming back properly until now, but you never know…
Hi Marbella – What a rough start to the year – I really hope you are back on your feet soon.