Do you think it's acceptable to occasionally call in to work sick, even if you really aren't?

We all need a break from work sometimes. If you want to call in a sick day instead of a personal day, you have to prepare in advance, make a convincing call, and follow up smoothly. If you're looking for a way to call in sick without getting caught, follow these easy steps and you'll be enjoying your day off in no time.

1Pick the right time for a sick day. If you're committed to calling in sick, you should take a look at your calendar in advance to make sure that the day you choose doesn't stand out as the perfect day to be off from work. First, make sure you haven't been taking too days off recently, whether it's been for a real illness or not.

You don't want to look like the person who is always looking for a day off. Make sure you've gone to work every day for at least two months before you decide to play hooky. Don't pick a particularly important or annoying day, like the day of a meeting everyone dreads, or the day when a client everyone knows you don't get along with will come in.

This will make it obvious that you're trying to avoid being at work on that particular day. Don't pick a day of a major sporting event in your town. If everyone knows you are a fan of a certain team and that you're dying to go to a day game, your excuse will not work.

Don't pick a Monday after Super Bowl Sunday. This is a big drinking day for many Americans, and it'll be pretty obvious that you're calling in because you're hung over, not sick. Recognize that if you pick a Friday or a Monday, you will have to be extra convincing because it will seem like you're trying to carve out a nice little three-day weekend for yourself.

2Start acting sick the day before. Once you've chosen the sick day of your dreams, you should give signs of an oncoming illness at work the day before. It will look suspicious if you were working harder than ever or cracking up in the coffee lounge one day and then calling in with a debilitating illness the next.

Cough or sniffle once in a while. During lunch, casually mention that you don't have an appetite. Look slightly unkempt.

If you're a man, tussle your hair or don't tuck in your shirt all the way. If you're a woman, wear less makeup than usual and don't wash your hair to give yourself a "slightly tired" look. Don't take this too far---remember that you want to look like you're getting sick, not like a slob.

Don't be too obvious about your illness. Once people hear your cough or sniffle, they will ask how you're feeling. Try to brush it off.

Just say, "No, really, I'm fine" or "I'm just a little tired today, I guess." If you're a big coffee drinker, have tea instead. Hold your hands to your head like you have a headache.

Casually take Advil during your work day. Bring a full bottle of pills to work so everyone can hear the pills shaking in the bottle when you take it out. You can also just pretend to take the Advil, but it has to be convincing.

Be more reserved that day. Don't go out of your way or be friendly to everyone. If your coworkers invite you to happy hour or out for lunch, thank them but say you're just not feeling up to it.

If it's a Friday and you're planning on taking a Monday off, mention that you're not feeling well at the end of the day, but that you'll be able to sleep it off over the weekend. Then when you call on Monday, you can mention how you started feeling terrible over the weekend and that you're feeling a bit better, but not recovered. 3Prepare for your phone call.

Once you've started Operation Sick Day at work, you should prepare for your phone call when you get home. You should be ready for anything that may come up during your call so you're not caught off guard and don't have a good answer when you need one. Know your illness inside out.

Is it a migraine, a cold, something else? A migraine or a cold are good excuses. Don't try to pick an illness that is so complicated that it'll be hard to describe, or something that it may take several days to recover from, such as strep throat or food poisoning.

Know your illness, but don't give too many details. You want to keep the call short and sweet. If your boss asks questions about it, you can give answers.

Prepare for any questions your boss may ask so you sound like you're being honest. Know when your illness started, how you think you'll feel tomorrow, and what you'll be doing that day to recover. Rehearse your conversation.

You can even call a close friend to practice on him or her. You can try writing down what you'll say to help you rehearse, but don't just read from a paper when you're making the real call. 4Make your phone call early.

After you've prepared for the call, you should call your boss nice and early. Don't call so early that you wake him up and are a nuisance. Just call right around the time you would normally wake up for work so it looks like you woke up to go to work and realized you weren't feeling well enough to go.

You may get lucky and reach your boss's voicemail. Then he won't ask questions. But if he calls back, be prepared to answer the phone any time.

If you get your boss's voicemail, you can also follow-up with an apologetic voicemail. 5Sound sick during the call. Whether you're leaving a voicemail or talking to your boss, it's important to sound convincing about being sick.

If you're not too nervous about making the call, you should really call your boss right after you wake up. Your voice will naturally sound hoarse in the morning before you've had a chance to use it. Practice what you'll say once if necessary.

Cough or sniffle occasionally during the call. Don't overdo it because fake coughs can be really obvious, but a well-placed cough or sniffle can do the trick. Make your voice sound hoarse.

You can do this by screaming into a pillow to make your throat ache a little bit, or making sure not to drink water before the call. You can also call while laying down and having your head hang upside-down, but make sure this doesn't disorient you and make you forget exactly what you were going to say. 6Act a little sick the next day at work.

It would be suspicious if you showed up to work looking well-rested and excited about life. Instead, you should act like you're feeling better after your cold, but still exhibiting signs of that pesky illness. Don't groom yourself as well as usual.

Again, you don't have to look like a slob, but your hair, face, and clothes should look just a tiny bit disheveled. Keep to yourself more than usual. Blow your nose or cough once in a while.

Be apologetic about having to miss a day of work. Of course, you really wish you could have been there. Don't show up with a nice tan or new outfit.

This will make it obvious that you spent the day out in the sun or shopping.