It’s happened to the best of us. 

The.dreaded.summer.cold.

It’s the worst, right?

Well that recently happened to me – except it wasn’t just a cold. 

My little summer cold was actually a case of undiagnosed strep (anddddd I had a strep test but the Urgent Care office didn’t call me with the results for SEVEN days WTH???)). 

Lucky, lucky me strep brought along its friend bronchitis with it.

I am sure you can guess the second part of this story.

Come on…guess?

Ohhhhhhhh it’s happened to you too?

WHY IN THE WORLD DO WE GET SICK AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIMES.  Like just before a: 

• Major presentation 
• Delivering a big proposal
• TV or Podcast appearance
• Major life event like a wedding, prom, family reunion, etc.
• Smack dab in the middle of tax season 

Welp. There I was, sick as a dog just before a major two hour long training for my Bookkeepers Business Incubator group.

The morning of, hesitatingly contemplating canceling, I thought “Well I could do it…” Then I realized it was going to be a really crappy experience for my students – I needed them to focus intently and absorb all the material. That just wasn’t going to happen with me coughing and honking my nose every few minutes and that wasn’t fair to them.

So what did I do?

I reluctantly canceled but knew it was the right choice. I posted in our private VIP Facebook group and sent out an email immediately. In very simple terms, I communicated clearly. 

The point of this blog is that you will get sick, and you will miss work, and you will fall behind.

AND THAT IS OKAY.
IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE PERFECT. 

In fact I like to say “You can’t be a do it all woman, all of the time.” And you certainly can’t do it all when you aren’t feeling your best.

You know me, I like to keep it real and practical so here are some tips for you bosslady:

Build margin into your schedule. If you are working six hour days, plan on only four hours of work. This will help you play catch up – and also helps you handle the never ending last minute client requests and needs. 

Set expectations with your clients. Let them know you aren’t available 24/7 starting from the very first phone call. 

Plan days off – mid week. Rest and rejuvenation isn’t a luxury – it’s necessary. Sometimes you just need to lay in bed and binge watch things – it okay to take care of yourself. 

Send out a mass email to all of your clients. As soon as you know you are going to be out of the office, let all of your clients know and set your Out of Office autoresponder. Most people are reasonable but they are more likely to be understanding if you communicate with them – and this is the most important part – IN ADVANCE.

And of course if you feel off, don’t wait friend, go to the doctor. Take care of yo’self – there’s only you who can do it!

To good health, 

Justine