Found a stat that says 73% of freelancers get last minute deadline changes - is it really THAT common or just the loud ones?

I was reading the Freelancers Union 2023 survey and saw that nearly 3 out of 4 of us deal with this. But I wonder if it's just a vocal minority in places like this forum making it seem bigger than it is. Has anyone else seen numbers that differ from this or do you think the stat is accurate?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hayden7d ago

Heard a similar stat at a coworking meetup last year and it tracks with my experience. Had a client once email me at 11pm on a Tuesday saying they needed the project done by Friday instead of next Monday, no warning at all. Spent the next two days basically living in my studio drinking cold coffee and ignoring my cat's judgmental stares.

the_felix7d ago

Nah, @the_hayden, boundaries are on you for letting that happen.

garcia.cameron7d ago

Three days straight I've had clients pull that same move, @the_hayden. I had this one graphic design client last fall who sent me a revised brief at 10pm on a Thursday and expected the whole thing reworked by Monday morning. Ended up sleeping on the floor of my office with my laptop still running under my head, woke up with a dead battery and a sore neck. The cat thing hit hard too, mine gave me that look like I'd personally betrayed his entire lineage. Boundaries are definitely something you gotta put up before they walk all over you, I learned that the hard way.