This month has been amazing for my business. I brought in four large clients this month. I couldn’t believe it. Then today happened! I was supposed to finish a project that I promised a client today. And when I couldn’t continue working any further mentally or physically, I felt it was best for me to stop instead of barreling through like I have in the past. For some reason, I just didn’t have the mental and physical capacity to finish today. I’ve had a 60+ hour week and honestly was mentally too tapped to finish the work. I was able to complete 70% of what was required and decided I would do the rest for him on Monday.

I honestly think he will be fine with it or at least I hope so (I’ll know in a few days when we meet) but my issue right now is my feelings about it. I not only let my client down but I let myself down. I feel bad about that. I can’t recall when I’ve missed a deadline in years of doing lots of projects even if I had to stay up all night. I’ve done that but I can’t and don’t want to do that anymore but I DO want and need to honor my commitments.

And the funny is that earlier this week, I felt that it just wouldn’t be enough time to get it done. I had miscalculated the amount of effort. To help with that I did have my assistant help with some of the work which saved me hours but it was still more than I anticipated and could handle at the last minute. Yet, I probably could have accomplished it this week if I had spent less time trying to get more sales, and managed my other appointments better. I pride myself on meeting deadlines and honoring my commitment to my clients.

C: Project
T: I should have planned my time better so that I could honor the deadline promised.
F: Disappointed, Shame
A: Didn’t manage my calendar and protect my time, greedy for more sales calls, didn’t create a good plan to delegate, set up unrealistic expectations of me and the team
R: I didn’t honor the deadline

C: Project
T: I’m willing to learn how to manage my projects more effectively
F: Curious
A: Identify areas where I need help and hire, add extra time to my initial deadlines, block and protect calendar time, learn to honor my calendar
R: Manage projects without missing deadlines or experiencing burnt out

I would love some feedback on my models. Thanks.