So, you’ve had surgery. Maybe it was something planned, like a knee fix or facial plastic surgery, or maybe life just threw you a curveball. You’ve binged everything on Netflix, rearranged your pillows a hundred times, and now—let’s face it—your brain’s itching to get back to work. Here’s the good news: you can be productive without setting back your recovery. But you need a little patience, a dash of planning, and a whole lot of “go easy on yourself.”

Start with Your Doctor (and Actually Listen This Time)

Before firing up the laptop, have a real conversation with your healthcare team. Ask them straight up what’s safe and what’s off-limits. If you’re recovering from facial plastic surgery, for example, your doctor might ban heavy lifting or recommend keeping that camera off for a few days while the swelling goes down. Be honest about the type of work you do, and take their advice seriously—even if you think you feel better than you probably are.

Check up with your doc before jumping back into the daily grind, especially for activities involving concentration, stress, or long hours.

Set Up a “Recovery-Friendly” Work Zone

You don’t need a Pinterest-perfect setup. Just focus on comfort and convenience. Spread out in a way that lets you keep your feet up, your posture decent, and everything you need (laptop, charger, pain meds, water bottle, snack stash) within easy reach. If you have to take meetings, try to schedule them for times of day when you feel your best—usually mornings before fatigue catches up with you.

If screens give you a headache or make you woozy (it happens!), consider voice-to-text tools or take regular breaks. Indeed recommends working in short spurts and building in extra recovery time.

Prioritize Ruthlessly—And Actually Accept Help

Now isn’t the time to be a superhero. Figure out what’s absolutely necessary (bosses and clients usually get it, especially if you’re up front about your limitations!), and delegate or push off what can wait. If a colleague offers help or to step in on a meeting, let them. Your future self (and your body) will thank you.

Set a timer to work in manageable blocks—say, 30 minutes on, 15 minutes off. Even during “off” periods, get up, stretch, walk a bit. Boring? Sometimes, but it’ll help you heal faster.

Know the Signs You’re Overdoing It

Fatigue, pain, foggy thinking, or just plain crankiness—these are signs you need to slow down. Don’t let stress or guilt sabotage your recovery. Your body is doing heavy lifting behind the scenes, even if you’re just answering emails in your jammies.

Celebrate Small Wins (and Take More Breaks Than You Think)

Maybe your “to-do” list shrinks to just one or two tasks a day. That’s okay. Celebrate the tiny wins, keep family or your boss in the loop, and don’t forget to schedule some real rest. You’ll bounce back faster than you expect if you let yourself go slow now.

Long story short: the work will still be there when you’re ready, but you only get one body—so let it heal. You’re doing just fine.