HOW TO STAY PRODUCTIVE WHEN YOU ARE SICK

Concentrate on the "Other" Stuff...Having a cold or flu sucks… there’s no doubt about it. I know because as I write this blog post, I’m oozing body fluids, coughing, wheezing, and wanting a bullet in my brain… yet here I am trying to make an attempt at being productive.
Nothing's worse than having to work when you feel like crap – having to think when your head feels like it's filled with cotton; having to sit in meetings when all you want to do is crawl into bed; having to make important decisions when you were up all night coughing and wheezing.
You know exactly what I'm talking about.
No productive person wants to take a day off, even when they really need it. This is especially true of leaders. We sometimes feel that the sky will fall and the world will collapse if we aren’t there to prevent it from happening. I am no exception to that. Even when I’m forced to stay home, I can never feel relaxed unless I also feel like I’m being somehow productive.
So there lies the dilemma. What to do to feel productive when you’re sick? 
If you don’t feel up to tackling anything major, but want to stay productive, it may be a good time to focus on the minor routine tasks on your list. Anything that doesn’t require a lot of thought or analysis is probably a good candidate for a light work day. Here are a few tips I’ve learned over the years…

Prioritize your To-do-list
To stay productive when sick, you need to figure out where your priorities lie. Not everything has to be done today, and deep down, you know and understand this.  Figure out what absolutely has to be done today, what would be easy to get done today and what can be caught up at a later date. By doing this now, you will be ready and organized when you get back to work.

Catch up on email
This is a good time to read and answer some of those emails that you haven’t had time to check. You can do it at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home, and it will be less of an overwhelm when you return to work.

Read
As leaders, we strive for constant expansion and inner-growth. Nothing helps us do that better than reading. Use this opportunity to read and learn… then you’ll be in better position to lead and achieve.

Sleep
Even when you’re not sick, it’s important to get enough sleep at night, but when you’re sick and your body needs to recover, sleep is even more important.  Lack of sleep can affect your immune system. Studies show that people who don't get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.

Clean up
There is an inseparable link between our psychology and our physiology. And when our body is sick, our minds turn to dull shells of themselves and tend to agree with our bodies. But we can make a conscious decision to clean ourselves up physically to feel better mentally. After all, no one likes to feel sweaty, snotty, sticky, and icky. Cleaning up your body and will make you feel a little bit more energetic. It will also help to clear your mind and allow you to relax a bit.

Chicken/vegetable soup
This well-worn axiom exists for a reason. Home-made chicken or vegetable soup provides your body with much needed vitamins, minerals, and hydration… which puts you on the road to recovery. It goes down easy when you have a sore throat, fills your feverish body with hot liquid to help sweat out the toxins, warms the chills, and induces sleep.


So you see, even if you are not feeling well, you can take advantage of your sick days for some “professional development.” What I mean is spending the downtime to benefit your uptime. Take advantage of the time you cannot spend in the office to make the most of it when you make your triumphant return. 
What do you do to stay productive when you’re sick? Please comment below… someone may benefit from your wisdom.

Learn. Lead. Achieve!



Joe Vulgamore is a Life Coach and Leadership Development Specialist - as well as a Personal Development Author and Speaker. He works with people to develop life and leadership skills to sharpen their edge, perform at optimum levels, and achieve excellence. He has 30 years of leadership experience and a proven track record of helping thousands of people from over 14 countries, across 5 continents, to make life-transformations through one-to-one coaching and workshops.