On having the flu

Last weekend, the two people I live with were sick. I wasn’t, but despite taking precautions to avoid infecting each other, it was pretty clear what was coming.

Sure enough, I got sick on Monday and tested positive for flu. It’s sweeping the country. I suppose this is what I get for trying so hard to go viral — I finally did.

I’m pretty much back to normal now. It was nasty and brutish, but pretty short. I recovered quicker than my family did.

What I learned

You’re contagious before you show symptoms. This is likely why I got sick — by the time my wife and daughter were sick, they’d likely already infected me.

Working freelance has advantages. No one expected me to go into an office, where I would have just become another infection vector. I could put off most of my clients — they have no idea and don’t care when I work on their projects and when I’m curled up in bed. My client relationships are cordial, so they care if I’m healthy. Sure, if I had a job, I could have taken a paid sick day, but I prefer to manage my own time even when sick.

“Powering through” is stupid. When I was younger, I would often keep working through colds like this. But if you don’t rest and treat the problem, it takes a lot longer to get better. And when you do work, your brain is not going to function well. I’d prefer to be out of commission for a few days and at full capacity after that, rather than operating at 50% efficiency for weeks.

Rest matters. This is the hardest thing for me. I don’t like to be idle. What I learned was that when I was sick, I had about three hours of useful work time and after that, I was too tired to work effectively. So I rested. I slept 9 1/2 hours a night and even took a couple of naps, which I never do. I did everything else you’re supposed to do — knocked down the fever with ibuprofen and drank a lot of fluids — but I think all that rest made the most difference. I got sick on Monday and I’m pretty close to fine on Thursday. Rest made that possible.

I believe in the flu shot. This flu is an offshoot of the H3N2 variant of flu A. This year’s flu shot offered only partial protection against it. I had that shot and I think it helped. If the flu shot reduces the length and severity of infections and keeps them from spreading as quickly, it’s worth it. (You may recall that the CDC cancelled its spring 2025 meeting at which contagious disease experts share evidence to determine what variants to include in the annual flu shot. Did that make this year’s shot less effective? I wonder.)

I did what I needed to do. I continued blogging, with posts queued up from before I got sick. I launched the Bernoff Book Coach as previously planned. I sent invoices for work already completed. I updated some work on a ghostwriting project. I cleared snow off the driveway so my wife could get to a doctor’s appointment. None of those things could be put off.

I didn’t do much else. I cancelled a planned in-person meeting with my top client to kick off 2026. I put off additional work on that project. I stopped poking other clients who owed me material. I left until next week preparations for presentations that were due. I regretfully cancelled my thrice-weekly strength training at the gym, which I wouldn’t have been able to do properly, but which would have infected other people. (I’ll pay for slacking off later.) A lot of the work I do goes forward only when I push it forward. If I stop pushing, it waits. I’m sure the next few weeks will be extra intense, but that’s what happens when you prioritize rest.

Slack matters. And I don’t mean the communication app — I mean actual slack, unscheduled time. My schedule is loose, not packed tightly. That makes it a lot easier to shift things around when an unexpected crisis hits.

I didn’t request a prescriptions for Tamiflu because I take enough medications already and it’s best for people who have additional risks.

I just prepared properly, designed my life to deal with unexpected shocks, and allowed myself to rest.

If you’ve got the flu, I hope you get better soon. And if you possibly can, don’t show up where there are other people until you’re better. Sharing isn’t always a good thing.