Getting sick is never fun. As a virtual assistant, illness is usually even more hectic because you don’t have a sick leave to utilize. If you don’t work, you won’t get paid. There are no project managers to communicate with co-workers or clients either.

Oftentimes, you get tempted to work through the days that you’re not feeling well. The hours just seem to drag on, yet you can’t force your body to operate at 100%. It’s likely you’ll make your condition worse and it’ll just take you longer to recover.

So, what should you do when you get sick as a freelance virtual assistant and don’t have a team to back you up?

Plan for the Worst

Being a freelancer sometimes involves working odd hours and pushing past your limits to meet client deadlines or income goals. This results in getting stressed and run down.

Release the guilt and realize that it’s inevitable for you to fall ill at some point. What you can do is prepare for when that happens.

Work in advance

In this line of business, it’s important to work as far ahead as you can. Try to be a few days early with whatever tasks that have been assigned to you.

Some things can’t be done in advance due to their nature of work so determine what they are.

Divide your list into 3 parts:

1. To be done – this includes items with deadlines that cannot be moved along with messages that you can’t put off replying to.
   
   
2. To delay – this is everything that can wait until you recover or have flexible deadlines, such as personal projects.
   
   
3. To delegate – this is the stuff that you may ask a fellow freelance virtual assistant to help you with.

Categorising your tasks also makes it easier for you to stay organised.

Have a backup

Find someone to assist you should you need to take a day off. This may be other virtual assistants with the same qualifications as you. Or, it may be a secretary who knows the ins and outs of your job.

Other freelancers

Check out their rates, availability, skills and anything else to outsource to them. Discuss referral fees, commissions, and similar arrangements in advance.

Personal assistant

Ideally, choose a relative or friend who lives nearby. Talk to them what you do, what’s expected of you, and how your relationship with your clients as early as now.

Remember to share the necessary documents to your backup, including your calendar, to-do list, contacts, templates, and so on.

Double your estimates

Take some of the pressure off by extending your project time. For instance, instead of saying that you need 2 days to prepare a long-form article, make it 4 days. By doing this, you’ll have the time to accommodate a sick leave should something come up.

If you’re worried about chasing clients off by doubling the duration, make sure that you deliver only quality results so they won’t have any reason to question it. If you think this will affect your income, consider raising your rates.

Anyway, if you’re able to finish tasks early, you may always move on to the next job or reward yourself with a relaxing holiday.

Think of contingencies

You never know when you might fall sick. At the same time, it’s hard to predict if your Plan B will turn out as you hoped. That’s why you must set up multiple options to cover you for different scenarios.

It might be that the freelance virtual assistant you were counting on is already fully booked. Maybe the backup you picked isn’t feeling well either. Perhaps your secretary is feeling overwhelmed by the number of emails they have to reply to.

Don’t just have a Plan B; prepare all the way to Plan G if you can. Stay in contact with more than one freelancer to help you in a pinch. Ask your entire group of close friends if they can communicate with your clients in case of an emergency.

Get health insurance

In the Philippines, it’s not common for a freelance virtual assistant to receive the same medical benefits as that of a traditional employee.

You may pay contributions for PhilHealth voluntarily to benefit from the public health insurance. Refer to this official circular to know the guidelines along with the premium rates from 2019 to 2025. The national government fortunately suspended the hike for 2021 so it remains at 3%.

It’s a good idea to get private health insurance as well. There are affordable health plans available but do your homework before signing up. Choose the company and plan that best suits your needs. A prepaid one might be more suitable than a regular HMO, for example.

As odd as it might seem to plan for when you get sick, it makes a lot of sense when you’re self-employed.

Prioritize Your Own Health

You can make all the contingency plans in the world but nothing beats not falling ill in the first place. So, recall that old adage of “prevention is better than cure”.

Take care of yourself

Start with the basics such as eating a healthy and balanced diet. Cut back on the junk food and sweets whenever you can.

Do some light exercises 2 to 3 times per week, even if it’s simply walking around the neighborhood.

Indulge yourself in leisure

Maintain a healthy work-life balance to minimize stress. Schedule a fun activity a few times a month, be it watching a Korean drama, hanging out with a friend, visiting a local park, or sketching urban views.

Set aside a budget to go on a spa day too.

Go on a long break

It’s one thing to have a rest day every week. It’s another thing to have a vacation at least once a year. You need both if you want your mind and body to function well. There’s no need to go far as staycations have gained popularity recently.

Don’t get so caught up in working that you lay waste to your body. Remember that it’s your main money-maker, after all.

Work Through It

There are times where you have no other choice but to work even though you’re ill. In this case, you have to clench your teeth and see things through.

Boost your recovery

There are sicknesses with symptoms that are completely tolerable. A common cold is annoying, for sure, but it won’t necessarily knock you down for the day.

Keep yourself hydrated and take medications if you need to. Do your part to get better faster.

Contact your clients

Let your clients know that you’re sick and that you’ll be working in a limited capacity or at a slower pace.

If you need to be off completely to rest, see to it that they’re informed. They’ll surely appreciate this simple courtesy as opposed to you going AWOL.

Focus on your priorities

Limit your schedule to your urgent tasks. Once you’ve met the deadline and accomplished everything on your to-do list, take time off.

It’s harder for your body to recover when you bombard it with stressful activities, so know when to log off.

Working through your sickness should be your last resort. However, don’t be quick to take a sick leave when what you have is just a minor illness.

A Better Option for the Freelance Virtual Assistant

Being a freelancer is harder than it looks. On top of the actual work you have to do, you also need to prepare for when you fall sick.

If you can’t be bothered with finding a backup yourself, why don’t you work with an offshore staffing agency like us at Remote Workmate? Not only do we connect you with clients but also we provide you support for when you need to take a sick day.