I just saw my 50th contract revision this month and it made me stop

I was putting together my monthly report for my bookkeeping and the number hit me. Fifty separate rounds of edits on client contracts, just in March. It wasn't one big job, it was a bunch of small things adding up. A marketing client wanted to add a new social media platform, a web dev project had a scope shift after the first mockup, and a regular client needed their standard agreement updated for a new law. Each one was maybe 15 minutes of work, but together they ate a whole day I hadn't planned for. I realized I was giving away too much time on admin without charging for it. Now I'm adding a line in my proposals that says the first two revisions are free, but after that it's a $75 fee per round. Has anyone else put a hard limit on revisions, and did clients push back?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanes666d ago

My 40th revision broke me last year...

robin8966d ago

Broke me" feels like a strong way to put it for a revision. It's just text on a screen getting tweaked. I've had projects go through tons of changes and you just make the edit and move on. Calling it breaking seems like giving a simple task way too much power over your day.

david9205d ago

Count those small revisions and you'll see where your time goes. It's not about the text on the screen, it's about the constant mental switch from deep work to admin tasks. That fee is smart because it makes clients think before asking for a tweak. I had to do the same thing after losing a week to change requests.