I had a quiet couple of months with the business this year – things were going okay, every client seemed to be in maintenance mode, no big projects or drama. It was okay, but I knew I could take on more work. All of a sudden a month ago everyone came out of the woodwork to ask for help. And so I said yes – a couple of new longer term potential clients, and a couple quick and short projects.

And I kept saying yes but not really paying attention to what was coming – a week out-of-town for work, and a few days vacation in New York, where I’d work (yeah, sure…) and then, oh right – Thanksgiving.

So it’s been a crazy few weeks for me – and balls have been dropped. And a client changed their mind, which they should have. I was half assing with the best of them, which I hate. I tried to tell clients what was going on with my schedule and they have been mostly okay – but I should have paid better attention to my calendar and probably said no to one or two things. The problem was – everything was in my wheel house and wasn’t a big challenge to take on – so it seemed easy to say yes.

Before you pick up that next project that seems like an easy paycheck take a quick beat. Look at your client load, look at your calendar, and figure out if you are going to provide the service and experience that EVERY client deserves, or if you might drop the ball and have clients change their mind.