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This past Monday was like any other day. I had a list of things to do, meetings on Zoom, investment reviews, tax prep and Social Media Planning. One thing on my list was to get my Covid Vaccine. I was reflecting on how well the quarter was going and that client projects finally had the moving forward that I needed.
What I could not have prepared for was the significant unexpected reaction my body had to it and how my plans for the day, week and month would change.
In a matter of moments my life changed dramatically. My day would not go on as planned, and I would be admitted to the ICU. While my first focus should have been on my family it wasn't. It was then I realized, I didn't have a clone or another person that could perform the work.
As I sat in my hospital room, on an eerily quiet floor learning how to order meals from my bed (thank you Kaiser for your online ordering) I really got clear about what matters most. I also was grateful that we already had systems.. Slack.. Asana.. Trello where some of this knowledge was accessible.
While I'm grateful to have not had any loss of brain function there have been some significant changes in my life, mainly with stability and walking. I'm so grateful I can talk... (although not as fast).. type. I can't just run downstairs to grab a quick coffee - or even make it down the hallway without help. As a stubborn, independent woman - this is hard. All day I'm having to ask for help.
This whole experience has really made me step up and think differently. Immediately I implemented a few changes to help me create a sustainable and scaleable business approach while on the mend. Each day is getting better than the next. Each day I become more clear in what my mission is and Each day I learn to ask for help when I need it.
Here are the 5 things I'm currently doing in Week 1, to continue to run my business and serve while on the mend.
Determine what you actually need to do and what needs to get delegated. In a matter of moments it'll be clear what you can hand off to the team and what you need to do. In my case, I'm a bit confined to bed, but my new setup allows me to be active when I'm up to it. The rest of the work I have is being delegated to partners.
Share your condition or issue with friends, family and your high ticket clients. This is hard but resist the urge to power through. I don't want to appear weak or unprofessional- or even worse have a client think I can't do the work. The fear of financial insecurity can be overwhelming- but hiding this can be even more detrimental down the road.
Ask for help. This is the time to call in the favors of people who have offered. Don't worry about how it looks or "feeling bad" - if they can't help no worries. Now, might be the time to train up your #2 or hire a new virtual assistant.
Document your processes or your frameworks. If your process is in your head, it just won't transfer. So take the time while you have down time to record videos on how to do different things. This not only creates a library of knowledge but helps identify any gaps.
Ask for extensions on time and timeframes. It's natural to want to power through - but your body might be healing and things might take time. Set expectations for response and turnaround to be a bit longer than normal- because you have to face it- it's not normal.