You open your inbox and notice the “URGENT” subject line.
Your stomach jumps into your mouth, and your heart starts racing. Did I do something wrong? Did something break? Are they mad at me? How can I fix this?
Not every day starts out with a perfect morning routine and quiet time to get into flow. And during my 13+ years freelancing, I’ve had my fair share of emergency situations.
But how you deal with them and get back to creating makes all the difference in the world.
If Something Broke…
Websites down, designs looking wonky, words not appearing as they should.
If something is broken, your first step is to acknowledge you received their message and to tell them you’re on it. Then it’s time to put on your detective hat.
Figure out why it broke first, then you can give another update and start the fix.
If You Made a Mistake…
Breathe.
We all make mistakes and your first step is to put a pin in any self-loathing or anger.
Next, decide if the fix is easy enough to do before or after the apology. If it’s an easy fix, do it right away and respond back that the mistake has been corrected.
If it isn’t, respond back with the quick apology first and let them know you’re on top of it.
Afterwards, Make Sure You Reset Your Nervous System
When a day starts with a client emergency, it’s incredibly important you reset your nervous system afterwards.
Take a walk, do some exercise, meditate, watch funny cat videos or call a friend.
You’ll get rid of the post-emergency jitters and increase your focus level for the other items on your to-do list.
Try these tips for your next client emergency and you’ll find things go much smoother for you.