It's so hard when you're sick to accomplish anything. Today's one of those days for me- I've got a cold, and despite my best efforts, I'm pretty foggy. When you're fighting to just get through the day, to just do the minimum, great things rarely happen.

One of the challenges to being successful in your career is writ large when you're sick- the ability to get things done in less than optimal circumstances.

As a musician living in a less-than-perfect world:

• You're never going to have your ideal gear.

• You'll never have going to have enough interrupted time to practice.

• You'll never be as sharp as you'd like to be at every performance or business meeting.

Here's three ways to deal with it:

1. Focus on the end

If you concentrate on what you're trying to accomplish and less on how you accomplish it, you'll be amazed at the shortcuts you can find. You don't necessarily need that new piece of equipment to get a good sound from your rig. Be creative, and don't let means keep you from reaching the ends.

1. Pretend

Pretend that you're okay, and you might actually start believing it. I do this regularly, and it's amazing your mind starts to fool you into feeling better over time. Give it a try and see what happens.

1. Sleep, eat right, etc

It's simple: eating right + sleeping enough + moderate exercise = less time sick. Enough said.