No one likes a late comer⌚️.

However, sometimes life gets the best of us, and we're unable to deliver what we promised when we said we would 🤷🏿‍♂️.

What makes all the difference when that happens is how we manage the expectations of those who were counting on us 👨🏽👵🏿👩🏿🧑🏾.

There are respectful and dignified ways to go about managing a missed deadline, and we’re here to ensure that you know about them! 😋

1. Apologise For The Delay 😔😔😔

There’s no room for pride at this point - apologise 😔!

Accountability is key🔑 , and owning up to your actions can help to soften the blow of a missed deadline.

An apology says that this isn’t usual for you and it does not represent your usual standard of work.

It also signifies that you recognise your wrongdoing, and you’re ready to make a wrong a right 😅.

Sometimes being humble is the way forward! ⏩

1. Address Any Change of Plans ASAP! 💨💨💨

This lightens the load on everybody involved.

This way you don’t have the niggling anxiety of an upcoming deadline ⏳ that you know you’re going to miss, and your clients are prepared for any setbacks, so they’re a lot less likely to feel hard done 😌 by or count this as a lack of professionalism.

Giving a heads-up ahead of a deadline you will probably miss can introduce a chance to adjust plans accordingly 👍🏽.

1. Explain Yourself Briefly 🗯🗯🗯

Out of common courtesy, an explanation will be required .

Showing up with just a sorry and expecting to just jump back in will definitely raise a couple of eyebrows 🤨.

It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate.

The longer the explanation, the more it looks like you're making it all up 💭. Narrow it down to your largest blocker 🧱, and communicate that to the relevant persons.

1. Give An Option Or A Bonus 🎁🎁🎁

If you've got the capacity to deliver a condensed version of the expected deliverables, put that option on the table 🍽.

That way, it doesn’t appear as if you’ve just been twiddling your thumbs 👎🏾 the entire time.

It demonstrates that you’re committed to seeing what you’ve started though, it’s on your mind, and you’re making progress ✅.

Appearing with just nothing can read as you though you didn’t even try, and us that is NOT 😒 a good look…

1. Propose A New Timeframe⏳⌛️⏳

Work with your clients 🫱🏽‍🫲🏿.

Bring them in on your plans, your foresight, and your capacity.

Determine when you'd realistically be able to get the job done and communicate that time frame 🕰 . Also consider the consequences of this new timeline for the objectives at hand so that there aren’t any overlaps to compromise you seeing it through this time around 🙃.

1. Don't Make This A Habit ❌❌❌

Tardiness has never 🚫 been a good look and it’s probably not going to come into fashion anytime soon ...

As Stephen King once said, ‘fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me 🤨’. Your clients definitely won’t want to be made to look silly a second time because they decided to give you a second chance.

Do what you need to do to ensure it doesn’t happen again, whether it’s tweaking 🪛 your calendar, adjusting your bedtime 🌓, or reducing your work intake.

As a creative, staying ahead of deadlines , expectations, and tasks can be very demanding 😴.

You won’t always be as on the ball ⚽️ as you were hoping and whilst missing a deadline sucks it isn’t the worst thing in the world—these things happen!

There are ways to bounce back and to demonstrate to your client that yes, you are still very much dependable and professional, this was just a small slip 🤷🏿‍♀️.

To stay ahead of the curve when it comes to these things, ensure that you’re planning ahead, communicating your capacity and NOT spreading yourself too thin 🥱.

With all the advice and tips we’ve prepared for you, we can guarantee that you’ve got this in the bag! 🎒🎒🎒

For more hard-hitting tips and posts tailored specifically for our Creative Geniuses be sure to head over to the New Comma page on Instagram @new.comma 🫶🏿🫶🏾🫶🏽

If you’ve come this far but have yet to sign up to New Comma what are you doing?🤯

Get into it and sign up over on the New Comma site to become the latest newcomer at New Comma

(See what we did there!😉😉😉)