5 Tips to Avoid Missing Client Deadlines

When clients describe my work as a freelance writer, a word that comes up repeatedly is “reliable.”

Apparently, the world is full of freelancers who turn in work late. And sure, life happens and sometimes missing a deadline is unavoidable.

But knowing that the bar is low, you can easily make yourself stand out.

If you struggle with project management or time management, there are some things you can do to better equip yourself to meet client deadlines, every time.

1) Give yourself a cutoff time

When I’m writing for clients, I give myself a deadline of 11:59 pm on the due date.

Do I want to be writing late into the night? Absolutely not. But if something happens during the day and I get off track, I know I have some evening time available and can still meet the deadline (even though I know the client won’t see it until the next morning).

For example, if one of my kids is unexpectedly sick and is home from school, I know I won’t get as much done that day. Sure, I could ask the client for extra time. But if I get in the habit of asking for extra time, then it will start to happen more often. I’ll fall into the bucket of “unreliable” freelancers. I only want to ask for more time if it’s desperately needed (like I’m sick).

Plus, if I ask for more time, it has a cascading impact. It might push back the next deliverable or create a crunch for the rest of the week.

As long as I hit “send” before 11:59 pm, I’ve met the deadline.

I’ve even gone to sleep at 8:00 pm, slept for an hour, and set an alarm to finish. Does that sound absurd? Maybe. But it works with my brain: I’m not missing the deadline.

2) Block off time on your calendar

I’m a huge fan of time-blocking. I know I only have a few hours of “good” writing time per day, so I need to use them effectively.

I will add chunks of time to my calendar labeled “writing block.” I’ll have one writing block in the morning and one in the afternoon. I don’t allow clients to schedule meetings during those times.

With the time blocked off and optimizing for your best work hours, you’re less likely to miss a deadline. You know that the block is work time — not scrolling social media time or having lunchtime.

3) Work ahead

Admittedly, I struggle with this one. My brain operates around deadlines, so the idea of working ahead of a deadline is hard.

But if you can, work ahead for the week. That way if something goes awry, you’ve got some built-in extra time. At worst, you’ll wrap up early and have some free time.

If you work ahead, you should not provide the work to your clients ahead of time. This sets a bad precedent that you can get the work done in less time. Clients may come back to you in the future and ask for a shorter delivery window.

Use “Schedule Send” in your email or create a reminder for yourself to deliver the work on the day it’s due.

4) Build in some “buffer” time

Most of the time, I only work four days per week. The last day is spent grocery shopping, going to yoga class, and some administrative aspects of my business. I might send invoices or schedule my social media content. But not client work.

But this also means that I have some extra time every week. If something happens and I get off track, I have an extra day. I could work on that fifth day, if I needed to.

I also never allow meetings on that fifth day. I want it to be a quiet day, with as little work as possible.

5) Set some guidelines around requesting more time

Make a list of the reasons you would ask for more time: an illness, a death in the family, etc.

A few weeks ago, my son broke his arm. I spent hours at the doctor with him, getting a cast.

Could I have done my 11:59pm trick and delivered the work later that evening? Of course. But I was emotionally drained from the day. I emailed my client, and he was very understanding.

Mental health is certainly important, so if you need a day, take it.

But also outline the reasons you shouldn’t ask for additional time. Poor planning or poor project management aren’t good reasons.

In my work, sometimes a client will come back and ask for revisions on something I’d delivered previously. I can’t let that request interfere with my current deadlines. I have to bake in some time to address revisions, if needed.

One missed deadline can lead to another

Here’s the thing: if you allow yourself to ask for more time, and the client says yes, it becomes too easy to ask for more time in the future.

And just because a client says “yes” doesn’t mean they’re ok with the missed deadline. Maybe they’re just polite, but in the backs of their minds, you’ve put yourself into that bucket of “unreliable” freelancers.

Even if you have a good reason to ask for more time, you need to consider the business impact. Asking for more time from an existing client is far different than asking for more time from a new client. The existing client knows you and trusts your work. The new client will immediately become skeptical.

After all, your clients have deadlines also. If you turn in something late, you might be creating problems on their end.

Managing your time can be one of the hardest aspects of being a freelancer. But it’s critical. You won’t retain clients based on your deliverables alone. You also have to be known for your clear communication, transparency about your time, and respect for the deadlines you and your clients agree upon.

Check out my free eBook: Manage Your Time + Content Across Multiple Platforms.