c/solo-sick-days

Saw a fellow freelancer's sick day spreadsheet and it blew my mind

I was at a coworking meetup in Portland last month and a graphic designer showed me her "sick day survival kit" spreadsheet with preset messages for clients, backup task lists, and a $50 urgent care budget tracker. Has anyone else built a similar system for when you're too sick to think straight?

2 comments

milalewis•11h ago

My client said 'just rest, I'll wait' and it wrecked my schedule worse than working sick

I had a graphic design client in Austin tell me to take a sick day and not worry about her project. So I took two days off with the flu, but then she needed revisions on day three and I had to cram everything in between four other jobs I'd pushed back. Her advice was nice but it ignored the reality that freelancers don't have backup for urgent fixes. Has anyone else had a well-meaning client offer grace that backfired because your other deadlines didn't move?

2 comments

the_faith•2d ago

That friend who told me to just 'power through' a cold was dead wrong

Last month I had a pretty bad cold and a buddy of mine kept saying I should just push through and keep working like normal. Said it would make me tougher or something. I listened to him and tried to finish a fence install over two days. Ended up making a mess of the measurements, had to redo a whole section, and lost about 8 hours of work plus material costs. Should've just taken the two days off and rested instead of trying to be a hero. Anyone else get bad advice from someone who doesn't freelance?

2 comments

waderamirez•4d ago

Chatted with a plumber who said sick days are a luxury for people with backup

I was talking to my plumber Dave last week while he fixed a leak at my office, and he said he hasn't taken a sick day in 8 years because every day he's not working is a day he doesn't get paid. He told me he just powers through with DayQuil and keeps showing up, and it made me realize how much I take for granted that I can at least batch my work tasks from bed when I'm sick. How do you guys balance keeping enough cash buffer to actually take a real rest day when you're under the weather?

c/solo-sick-days

Saw a fellow freelancer's sick day spreadsheet and it blew my mind

My client said 'just rest, I'll wait' and it wrecked my schedule worse than working sick

That friend who told me to just 'power through' a cold was dead wrong

Chatted with a plumber who said sick days are a luxury for people with backup

TIL my sick day 'buffer' system needed a total rethink after 3 hours lost

The client who told me my voice notes were too long

That morning I woke up with a fever and had to finish a logo I promised by noon

Found a trick for sick day meal prep that saved me

I finally stopped pushing through fevers after a client called me out

Sick day choice: nap all day or power through one email

Changed my mind about urgent care after 3 years of avoiding it

Tried to push through a fever last Wednesday and lost a $900 editing gig

That $4 ginger tea hack that actually fixed my stomach during a deadline

Hot take: pushing through a fever to finish a $400 draft cost me more than it saved

My doctor told me I should just 'rest more' and I actually pushed back on her

Had to turn down a $1,200 job last week because I was too sick to think straight

Missed a deadline after I crashed during a sick day last month

Warning: Those cheap task management apps almost cost me a $1,200 project last week

Got told my "emergency backup" was just a messy folder...

My laptop charger died on a deadline day and I learned a hard lesson about backups

Serious question, what happens to your body temp when you are sick?

The whole 'just push through it' advice for sick freelancers is terrible and I have the numbers to prove it