Planning for an Unplanned Day Off

Planning for vacation is a wonderful thing. At least it is for me. I get really excited just thinking about those days off that are coming up. I get caught up on work, let clients know I'm going to be off and take care of any other arrangements so I can just sit back and enjoy my time of no work. But, what happens when I'm sick or an emergency comes up and I have to take an unplanned day off? Where does that leave me and my clients?

I (Frankie) hate pretty much anything that isn't planned. I mean, I can be spontaneous sometimes, but mostly I just want a solid plan. So, when I get sick or an emergency comes up and I have to take an unplanned day off work, it really throws me for a loop and when I get to return to work, whether that is the next day or a week later, everything is a mess. I despise a mess. I can't work in a mess. Even though I work from home, everything has a place and everything is in its place. Clutter and disorganization are not my friends.

So, what do you do to keep things running smoothly when you have to take an unplanned day off? You plan for an unplanned day off. Huh? Yeah, let me 'splain. After a couple times getting sick or an emergency coming up and having to take off work unplanned, I learned a few things. I learned that if I don’t do some preemptive planning for these situations, not only will work be a mess when I come back, but so will I. I'll be so anxious about getting things caught up that I won't be able to get anything done! So, I've started doing little things to help me be a little better prepared if I have to take an unplanned day off work.

Do a little extra each day. I know some of us have a hard time getting done what we're supposed to get done every day much less doing extra work. But, let me tell you that a little extra work today will put you in a much better place if you have to take an unexpected day off tomorrow.

If you blog, keep a few ahead. This one is big for me. I write a blog for CTC every Thursday. If I keep a few written in advance I don't have to worry if something happens Wednesday night because my blog is already written and scheduled.

Make a plan with your boss and/or clients. Go ahead and talk with your boss/clients about how you will handle unexpected time off. Having a plan in place for situations like this takes the pressure off you and your clients because neither of you are scrambling around wondering what you're going to do. If you have a boss, it's really important to discuss a backup plan with them in case you're unexpectedly off work so they know the most important work will still get done.
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Those are just a few things you can do to help plan for an unplanned day off. If you have more suggestions on planning for unplanned days off, let us know in the comments.