13d • General discussion
Lesson 9: Why you must reject fixed deadlines (and how to train clients to own their delays)
You have secured the work. The deposit is paid. You are ready to execute.
Now comes the most dangerous phase of the engagement: The Schedule Squeeze.
Here is the classic scenario:
The client insists on a deadline of the 30th. You agree. You submit the first draft on the 10th. The client, busy with their own internal chaos, takes two weeks to send feedback. They finally reply on the 24th, but they still expect the final delivery on the 30th.
Suddenly, their procrastination becomes your emergency. You end up working evenings and weekends to meet a deadline that they jeopardised.
This happens because you agreed to a Calendar Deadline. To survive, you must switch to Relative Timelines.
Here is the brutal truth: A project timeline is a relay race. If the client holds the baton for three weeks, they cannot expect you to run your leg of the race in three hours.
Here are the tactics to ensure the client knows exactly when the clock is ticking for you, and when it is ticking for them.
1. Kill the "Fixed Date" Promise
Never promise a deliverable on a specific calendar date (e.g., "Final website by 15 May") unless you control 100% of the variables. Since you need client approval at various stages, you do not control the variables.
Instead, frame your deadlines around Lead Time.
Bad: "I will deliver the draft on Friday."
Good: "I will deliver the draft 3 working days after I receive the signed-off brief."
This subtle shift changes the psychology completely. If they take a week to sign off the brief, the deadline automatically slides by a week. You don't even need to ask for an extension; the logic is built into the agreement.
2. The "Pause Button" Clause
Your contract and your "Rules of Engagement" must contain a clause regarding feedback delays.
It should state clearly: "Timeline estimates rely on feedback being provided within 48 hours. Delays in feedback will result in a day-for-day extension of the deadline."
But you must go one step further. You must protect your queue.
If a client disappears for two weeks, they cannot simply reappear and demand immediate attention. Your clause should add: "Significant delays (over 5 days) may result in the project being placed on hold until a new slot becomes available in my schedule."
This signals that your time is a scarce resource, not a tap they can turn on and off at will.
3. Visualise the "Ball"
Clients often do not realise they are the bottleneck. They think the project is just "in progress." You need to explicitly show them that the project is currently stopped, waiting for them.
Use a simple "Traffic Light" system in your weekly email updates. Do not write long paragraphs. Use a status header:
- Status: 🔴 PAUSED (Waiting for Client Feedback)
- Action Required: Approval on Section 2.
- New Estimated Completion: TBD (Dependent on feedback date).
When they see the red light and the "TBD" date, they realise the delay is active and it is their fault. It stops them from asking, "How are we getting on?" because the answer is staring them in the face: We aren't getting on. You are.
4. The Re-Entry Fee (The Nuclear Option)
Some clients are habitual draggers. They delay for weeks, then throw a spanner in the works by demanding a rush job to hit the original deadline.
If they missed their feedback window but still demand the original fixed date, you must charge a Rush Fee.
This is not a penalty; it is overtime pay.
"I can certainly pull the team together this weekend to hit the original 30th deadline despite the delay in feedback. However, this falls under our Rush Rate of 1.5x. Shall I send the revised invoice so we can proceed, or are we happy to push the deadline to the following week at the standard rate?"
90% of the time, the client will suddenly decide the deadline isn't that urgent after all.
The Result
When you enforce Relative Timelines:
- You stop resenting clients: You no longer care if they take a week to reply, because your deadline moves with them.
- The urgency is shared: The client realises that to finish fast, they must move fast.
- You eliminate the "Where is this?" email: They know exactly where it is. It’s in their inbox, waiting for a reply.
Final Thought
A deadline is not a command the client gives you. It is a mutual agreement based on mutual effort. If they drop the ball, do not dive to catch it. Point at it, wait for them to pick it up, and restart your stopwatch only when it is back in your hands.
Protect your time. It is the only inventory you have.
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Lesson 9: Why you must reject fixed deadlines (and how to train clients to own their delays)
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