Staying Productive and Healthy During Flu Season

http://www.healthymummy.com/pregnancy/morning-sickness/

Over my vacation I was battling the flu. Now that the worst of it is over and I've returned to some sense of normalcy and productivity, I decided to take this time to write about my experience because there were a few takeaways (yes, even from being sick) that I thought would be helpful to share. As a driven and ambitious young professional, nothing is more menacing than the threat of sickness. For us, sickness = less productivity, lost billable hours, and an overflowing inbox.

But the reality is that sickness is inevitable; so what that says to me is that maintaining your edge is all in your attitude. What I've seen is that people typically deal with being sick one of three ways.

1. You deny that you're sick at all and try to plow through.

And while this may seem like the epitome of champion behavior, it also opens the door to "crash and burn" syndrome. You find yourself ignoring all of the signs that say you need to slow down and take care of yourself. You become more sluggish and start paying less attention to detail, which can lead to some costly mistakes in your work.

FAIL.

2. You succumb to and wallow in your sickness.

You draw the shades, cuss the dog, put on the depressing music, and hug your cup of Theraflu tight. You've pretty much given up on the idea of work. The problem is that that looming deadline is still there. But you don't care. The universe has cursed you and you intend to let her have her way, therefore nothing gets done on your watch.

FAIL.

3. You admit you're sick and make the best of it.

WINNER!

You have accepted the fact that you're sick so you're going to make sure you get the treatment that you need, but still try to be as productive as possible in the interim. This is definitely the most desirable way of dealing with illness. Yes, you should definitely see your doctor and stock up on your meds and chicken soup.  Take time to rest yourself and regain your strength. However, you may want to plan small intervals of time where you focus on getting some lightweight tasks done.

So what kinds of projects should you try to tackle? What worked for me was periodically logging in to my email and sorting through what could be answered quickly and starring what required a little more thought.

Another thing I did was use some of my energy spurts to get a jump start on projects that I knew I needed to work on in the very near future. I accomplished this by just keeping a small notebook next to my bed, so that as I was laying there thinking healthy thoughts, when I happened upon a fabulous idea about a project, I could capture it quickly and continue to flesh it out little by little. Now a modification to this would be if you're not feeling up to writing, downloading the Evernote app for your Android device or iPhone comes in handy because it allows for dictation of your thoughts which you can always transcribe later.

Now I know you're probably saying, "this is typical workaholic advice". However, there are some advantages to this approach. Allowing yourself to do nothing for days on end knocks you out of the swing of things. Not only do you fall behind in your work, but your brain eventually becomes adjusted to the inactivity and it gets harder to get back to your normal pace once you're feeling better. It's like trying to go 0-100 mph in 60 seconds. While Jaguars may be built for this kind of speed, the human body isn't. I always remember the advice I received in college from my fitness instructor. She said that the people she often sees quit exercising early on are the ones who tried to do too much too fast. She recommended starting slow, pacing yourself, and then building up to a more intense workout. She never recommended giving yourself a break (meaning stopping all activity). She just recommended scaling back until you felt comfortable upping the ante. This is also a great piece of advice to apply to our careers as well.

So the bottom line is that your health is extremely important. How can you give others your time and expertise if you're not well? But depending upon the severity of the sickness, it doesn't have to mean that you completely shut down either. There are ways that you can scale back to allow yourself time to recuperate, yet still remain productive.

What are some ways that you stay productive even when not feeling 100%? I'd love to hear from you!

Christina's Reads - December 30, 2012

I thought I'd take a little break from writing and share with you guys what I've been reading and drawing inspiration from. Below you'll find links to some pretty awesome posts from fellow bloggers.

Today I learned that being an overachiever doesn't necessarily mean boring. In fact, being an overachiever has never been more trendy and fabulous and quirky as described in this awesome list compiled by Penelope Trunk in 15 Things Overachievers Do

And if you are an aspiring thought leader but are having doubts about the effectiveness of blogging, this post from the Harvard Business Review may change your mind. Find out why they believe that people who are serious about their ideas are blogging.

As we approach the new year, start organizing your to-do lists to reduce clutter and increase your productivity.

And in that same vein, Penelope Trunk made me re-think the entire concept of being busy.

Happy reading!

Christina

Turning off the biological clock and living the life you want

In November I turned 30, and in so many ways, it felt like a rebirth. A lot changed, but it was for the better. I fell in love with a man who makes me feel like it's absolutely splendid to be me. After five years of being an admissions counselor, due to reorganization, my position was eliminated; but then I was subsequently promoted to director of my department. I shed some people from my life who were toxic to my growth and development, applied to study abroad in Italy in 2013, and I made the decision to pursue being a solopreneur.

I finally felt that I was in a place where I was boldly taking steps toward the next phase of my life. But the question looming for me was, "what will that next phase be?" For many women my age, the natural steps are marriage and motherhood. And while I definitely have the desire to take those steps one day, I still struggle with accepting if the time for that is now. There are still so many other leaps I'd like to take before I take THE leap.

Is it wrong for me to want to pursue my personal and professional goals first before settling down to raise a family? I gave myself a resounding "no!" Women are often put in a position to feel that they are on a time schedule. But I think this restricts us in so many ways. One of the biggest lessons I've learned in 2012 is that it's okay to admit when I'm not ready for something. In fact, it's perfectly fine and beneficial for me to take time to continue developing myself into the woman that I know that I can be, so that I can add good things to the lives of others.

When I enter a marriage, I want to walk into it already fulfilled and content in the life that I have built for myself, and rest upon the knowledge that the man that I marry and the children we bring into the world will only add to my life.

So the gift I've given myself for Christmas this year, is the decision to turn off the proverbial biological clock. Will you join me?