Realize that you may let someone down, and that’s ok
Telling someone that you can’t do something for them right away might not go over very well, but you have to be honest about what you can and can’t do in a certain time frame. I have clients that I do projects for in my business and sometimes they will send me a project and want it done the same day. There are times when I can oblige, but there are also those times where I have other work deadlines to accomplish or plans I’ve made with friends or family. In those times, I have to let my client nicely know that I won’t be able to complete that project in the time frame requested, but that I can have it done within the next day or so. I have to realize that this may slightly bother them, but it’s better than accepting the deadline and stressing out over finishing it that same day and possibly missing other deadlines because I said yes when I should have said no. (See my previous article on saying no for more on this).
