Can't Say No

I can't help but remember those lyrics from the musical, Oklahoma! -- "I'm just a girl who can't say no; I'm in a terrible fix." Not saying no got me into a terrible fix last week.

It started with the never-ending India proposal. I hadn't heard from my client for a couple of days -- not terribly unusual for this client -- and I assumed they were moving ahead in finalizing the proposal and didn't need my help. So when one of my other clients called and asked if I could help with a proposal that was due the same day as India, I figured that I could fit it into my schedule. I don't like to say "no" to established clients. Sure, I still had to finish up the final report that was still on my plate, but that wouldn't take too long. And the other client who had called assured me that much of the new proposal could be put together by cutting and pasting sections from a previous proposal that I had worked on last fall. Piece of cake.

I was pretty much wrong on all counts. Sections of the India proposal reappeared in my inbox for further writing, editing and decision-making. I was able to get the final report done, but it took longer than I expected. Moreoever, the new proposal required a lot more work than I had anticipated, and not just cut-and-paste work. So there I was with waaay too much work and not enough hours to do it in. No time for blogging either, which explains my mysterious disappearance last week.

But everything got done somehow, and now I'm trying to catch up on my sleep and do some personal things that fell by the wayside. But it's not over yet. On Friday I learned that the due date for India has been extended for a few days. So instead of spending today and tomorrow loafing around as I had planned, I'll be putting the final version of the proposal together.

Lesson to self: learn to say "no" once in a while.