Last night I hastily messaged a client. I hadn’t begun work on the project (It had been 72 hours since winning the bid) and I was so nervous I would lose them. This made me realize something very simple…
When I accepted the terms, I didn’t ask what the deadline would be. I hastily thought, “Oh, I’ll bang this paper out in no time!”
Yet without a deadline, drift begins to happen, the natural work flow of putting priorities first causes you to put things that are simple, last.
I considered pulling an all-nighter, cranking it out, and sending it to him. But then I realized… don’t be a fool! Just ask about a deadline, everyone loves honesty, and it is important to know so that you aren’t wasting all this time stressed out.
So I got a quick response. I have four more days.
No more stress. But I could’ve avoided a bunch of stress if I asked what the deadline was.
Rule #1
Always set a tangible deadline that is reasonable, imminent, and obtainable.
This is my first guiding rule for any project.
-Jake
Jake the Freelancer 