How do you deal with rushed deadlines?

“The client went silent for weeks. But now they’ve come back to me with a whole raft of changes that they want completing before Monday. Looks like I’ve got a busy week ahead!”

Ever had that scenario?

I have.

And I dutifully dropped everything, woke up at 5am a few mornings (I hate mornings) and worked the weekend to get it all done.

Because the client needed it. And they’re paying the bills.

More importantly, you can’t just sack clients. Where will your money come from?

The thing is you need to decide who you are.

Are you an employee whose work life is owned by someone else?

Or are you an expert in your field who chooses which problems you solve and gets paid handsomely for it?

Because if you’re the latter you wouldn’t let a client treat you like crap. And if you’re the latter the best clients will happily pay a premium and join a waiting list to work with you.

Because the expert gets them results.

So now it’s up to you. Who do you want to be?