I recently spent a week in bed. No, not in the John Lennon-Yoko Ono love-in kind of way; rather, the "I feel like crap and don't want to move" model. I forsook Twitter and became strangely obsessed instead with the details of a murder trial on TruTV. The problem is that, when you're a solo workshifter, the work doesn't end when you're not there. And there is a big distinction between planned absences (whether a vacation or a hospitalization) and those of the unplanned variety.
The challenge with unplanned work stoppages is to manage expectations as well as you typically manage the tasks on your to-do list.
From my experience, there are five actions you must take to avoid a workshifting meltdown:
1. Check Your Calendar. Seriously, check it. I thought I knew what was on my schedule, but I would have missed a conference call on Day One if I hadn't double-checked and found it there. (It was instead rescheduled.)
2. Triage. It's important to figure out what has to be done, and what you can reasonably knock out during the odd hour of lucidity. Either because of luck or sheer determination, I got sick three days after a major client conference--which saved me from pretending to function when I was actually quite useless. It's also important to figure out what's going to have to wait--and then take action to make sure everyone else is on the same page.
3. Contact Everyone. Whether it's clients, colleagues, or co-workers, it's important to reach out and let people know that you won't be reachable for a few days.
4. Renegotiate Deadlines. Most deadlines are negotiable in an emergency--and being unable to process a coherent thought certainly qualified in my case.
5. Check Your Email at least Once a Day. I know some people will disagree, but business doesn't stop just because you're not there. Don't miss out on queries from colleagues or prospects. You don't necessarily have to answer their questions; but you probably do want to acknowledge their emails.
Of course, sometimes you just have to pretend to function. I don't get really sick often, but I once went on a prospecting call when I really should have stayed in bed because I was afraid I'd loss the opportunity if I tried to reschedule. (I won the business and somehow my new client didn't catch anything from me.)
Things you can avoid: Writing new blog posts, Twitter updates, and everything in your RSS Reader. Seriously, you can catch up later. Plus, would you tweet when you were drunk? So why tweet when you're drugged up on cold meds--or worse.
What have I missed? What have you done to avoid a workshifting meltdown?
Photo Credit: Snugg
