the Midwest hard, and members of my team already catching the bugs that are going around, here are a few ways to avoid (or at least prolong) the germy season

Get a flu shot – an ounce of preventive medicine never hurt anyone, and getting a flu shot is an easy and affordable way to prevent the bugs from gripping you.

Stop shaking hands – one of the other managers at my firms stops shaking hands in late October, and doesn’t shake hands again until March, to avoid spreading anything with his team and the other managers.

Wash your hands frequently – Take a few extra opportunities every day to wash your hands can make sure the hands you shake don’t shake your core and send you off to bed

Use hand sanitizer – If you can’t wash your hands as often as you’d like, or if you spend a lot of time traveling or in board rooms, put some hand sanitizer in your pocket and use it frequently to slow the spread down

Clean the telephone handset – the grossest place on many people’s desks is their telephone handset. Take 15 minutes today to de-dunk it and clean the ear boogers off to make your handset just a little cleaner

Use a headset – Better than cleaning your handset is using a headset. This will stop bugs from living on for years to come. Make sure you turn the headset away when you need to cough

Clean your coffee cup – How long has your coffee cup been sitting at your desk? Take it home today, run it through the dish washer or wash it with very hot water and soap and get it super clean.

What are you best tips on preventing the cold and flu season from debilitating yourself and your team?