My yoga instructor just canceled a private yoga session we had planned for tomorrow. I was so looking forward to starting my yoga program, especially because we had crafted an experiment perfect for tough times. She wants to work on her writing. I want to work on my yoga. So we’re bartering services — private writing classes for private yoga sessions — something ideally suited to freelancers with a marketable skill, and even for small businesses thinking creatively in tough times. 

But my yoga instructor was feeling sick, and she wrote me a sweet note telling me she didn’t want to infect me. So despite my disappointment, I thanked her. And then I sent her this post, “Feeling Sick? Stay Home,” which I wrote last winter in the thick of the season when large numbers of people were spreading around their germs by going to work and meetings when they should be staying home.  

So as the current environment continues — with unpredictable weather and turmoil in the economy — think about ways you can barter, and whether you can avoid meeting with other people when you’re sick.

If there is one thing that separates the self-employed from those employed by others, it is their preoccupation with health insurance.

I normally pay a lot of attention to people striking out on their own. But lately I’ve been noticing those who swim against the tide of self employment. You know, the ones who ditch all that flexibility and autonomy for the life of a steady paycheck, defined hours, in-person colleagues, and a bundle of benefits. Read more in my Shifting Careers column today at www.nytimes.com.