Got a client email at 11 PM moving a deadline to 8 AM the next day

I was sitting in my living room in Portland at midnight with a half-finished logo revision, and I just built a quick checklist of what had to be done versus what could wait, which got me to a rough draft by 6 AM and saved the job.

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_anderson541d ago

I read an article in Inc. magazine a few years back about how the best entrepreneurs handle sudden deadline shifts by breaking down the work into quick wins versus heavy lifts. That idea stuck with me because it's exactly what you did with your logo revision. You figured out what was truly time sensitive and what could slide without losing the whole project. It's a smart way to handle those panic moments when the clock is ticking and you need a clear head.

logan27117h ago

Right? That quick wins vs heavy lifts thing is such a game changer. I saw a similar breakdown in a Fast Company piece a while back and it's saved my skin more than once when a client drops a "can we speed this up" email on a Friday afternoon. Just knowing what has to be perfect now versus what can be good enough for today makes all the difference.

the_betty14h ago

Yeah I gotta admit I used to be the opposite. I'd just try to do everything at once and hope it worked out. But hearing you guys break it down like that makes so much sense. I mean I always thought quick wins meant you were cutting corners or something, but now I see it's more about being smart with your time. Like you're not saying the heavy lifts don't matter, you're just saying don't let them crush you when the clock is ticking. Idk it's kind of obvious when you say it out loud but I really needed to hear it spelled out like that. It's like a permission slip to not be perfect right away.