Had a client change a deadline from Friday to Tuesday morning while I was mid move last month

I was actually hauling a couch down three flights of stairs in a walkup in Seattle when my phone buzzed. It was the client saying the whole project needed to be finished by Tuesday instead of Friday. I nearly dropped the couch. I had to stop, call my crew lead to take over, and spend my lunch break rewriting the whole schedule. Ended up working until 2am Monday and Tuesday morning. The client never even noticed the rush. Has anyone else had a deadline change hit you at the worst possible moment?

3 comments

3 Comments

sanchez.julia4d ago

Ngl @the_riley, I see where you're coming from but it's not just about the deadline shift. It's about getting that news while physically holding furniture mid-move with zero heads up. That changes everything about how you plan your whole day.

the_riley4d ago

Hold on, let me get this straight. You're framing this like it was some kind of crisis when really it's just a Tuesday deadline instead of a Friday one. That's a three day difference. Yeah, it sucks getting that news while wrestling a couch, but it's not like they told you it had to be done in an hour. You had time to rewrite the schedule and even worked until 2am which means you got it done fine. Sometimes clients just change their minds and it's not that big of a deal.

knight.uma4d ago

You say "it's not that big of a deal" but you didn't have to be the one hauling furniture and rewriting a schedule at the same time. Have you ever had to reshuffle a whole project timeline on zero notice while physically exhausted and sweaty? It changes how you see those "simple" three days pretty fast.