TIL a simple contract issue ate up my whole weekend

A client asked for a 'small wording change' on a project scope document, which I figured would take an hour. It turned into a 12 hour back-and-forth over three days because they kept adding new requests each time I sent a draft. I finally had to call them and say the next revision would start a new contract cycle. Has anyone else had a tiny edit request blow up into a massive time sink? How do you handle scope creep on already-signed work?

3 comments

3 Comments

faith_carter1mo ago

Call them immediately to talk it out before making any changes. What's your go-to move when you spot that first extra request?

paul2861mo ago

Grab a coffee first. It's probably not the end of the world.

elliot_barnes28d ago

Actually faith's advice to call them immediately is solid, but grabbing coffee first can backfire. If you wait, the client might think you're ignoring their new request. I've seen small asks turn into big problems because someone took an hour to reply. Better to send a quick text saying you saw their message and will call soon. That way they know you're on it.