What I Do With a Work-From-Home Afternoon I Can’t Promise to a Client

I found out what I could do with a work-from-home afternoon I couldn’t promise to a client when my refrigerator started screeching.

The good news was that it was still keeping everything cold. We caught the problem before any food spoiled, and replacing the condenser motor was covered under our extended warranty.

The bad news was that we had to listen to that awful noise for about a week while we waited for the part to come in.

By the time we had a repair appointment, I was happy to work around the technician’s arrival window. I wanted my quiet refrigerator back.

So I took my live mentoring slots off my scheduling page for that afternoon. Nobody had booked them yet. I could be there to let the technician in whenever he arrived, and I could give my mentoring clients my full attention when they booked another day.

That still left me with an afternoon at home. And there was plenty I wanted to do with it.

What I Did While I Waited

I cleaned up my email inbox, paid a few bills, and reconciled my business bank account. I scheduled some social posts and spent time reading and responding to other people’s posts, being visible on the platforms where my audience spends time.

And can I just say that I’ve kept my inbox at zero unread emails ever since? I’m pretty proud of that. 😉

All of that work belonged to my own business. It mattered, and none of it had to be done at a particular time that afternoon. I could set any of it aside whenever the technician showed up.

That’s one of my favorite things about working from home and working for myself. Working from home meant I could be there for the repair without a separate trip home. Working for myself meant I could decide what kind of work I’d do while I waited.

I used to think of an appointment window like that as a lost afternoon.

This one turned out to be an afternoon for work that tends to wait its turn behind client projects.

I got to give my own business some attention, and we finally got our blissfully quiet house back when the repair was done. I was pretty happy with that version of the day.

The Tradeoff for a Workable Afternoon

Last week, I wrote about saying yes to something new (the Substack Challenge) and seeing what had to move to make room for it.

This time, I knew right away what mattered most. I wanted the refrigerator fixed. The choice I had was what I could reasonably offer through my business while I waited.

I could technically have left my mentoring slots open. The technician might have come between calls. But I know what I’d be like on a call if I were also listening for the doorbell. Part of my attention would be out in the driveway. And I’d rather give the person I’m mentoring the time and attention they came for.

That’s where I see CEO You and Employee You in this story. CEO Me made the call about what people could book. Employee Me got an afternoon of work I could set down without leaving somebody waiting on Zoom. And YOU, Inc. got a little attention behind the scenes.

There’s a difference between the work I can do at home and the work I can do while something else is happening at home.

I can reconcile the bank account and come back to it. I can write a reply to a social post and leave it sitting there for a few minutes.

A live mentoring call, on the other hand, is a commitment I make to another person for that exact stretch of time. I want to be able to keep it.

I also like that I could make that distinction without writing off the whole afternoon.

On another day, I might have called the repair the main event and left the laptop closed. It would still have been worth making time for.

This time, there was work I actually wanted to catch up on, and the timing suited it.

Making a Workable Choice When Faced with Competing Demands

I didn’t need to pull out my Tenacious WFH CEO Tradeoff Sheet for this one. The refrigerator had been making its case for a week. I knew what mattered most.

But I used the same basic thinking. I looked at the competing demands. I knew what mattered most that afternoon, and I knew what I was willing to give up to make it happen. I took my live mentoring slots off the calendar and gave myself work I could set down when the technician arrived.

I like having the sheet to work through decisions where the competing commitments are closer or the workable solution is less clear.

For example, maybe a client needs something sooner and I’d like to help, but I’d also like to keep the evening I’ve already promised my family. Writing it down gives me a chance to consider what I can actually offer.

I might be able to send the part the client needs first and finish the rest during my next workday. I’d feel better making that promise up front than hoping I can get back to my desk after dinner.

Your Action Step This Week

Think of one afternoon when something at home needs you to be available and you’d still like to get some work done in your business.

Decide what matters most during that window.

Then look at what you’ve promised, or what someone could still book, and ask yourself what you’d be comfortable delivering even if the doorbell rang at the least convenient moment.

If you’re keeping that time free of calls, pick one thing your own business needs that you can put down and come back to. Mine happened to be the inbox that day. Yours might be sending an invoice or scheduling the social post you’ve already written.

And if the only thing you get done is getting the refrigerator fixed? Speaking from recent experience, I’d still call that a worthwhile afternoon.

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FAQs

How do I plan my work-from-home day around a repair appointment?

Block the repair window on your calendar and close any unbooked client call slots that overlap it. If you want to work while you wait, choose one task you can pause as soon as the technician arrives.

What business tasks can I do while I’m waiting at home for an appointment?

Pick work you can put down and resume on your own time. I used my repair window to clear my inbox, pay bills, reconcile my business bank account, schedule social posts, and respond to other people’s posts.

Should I take client calls during a home repair window?

I take unbooked live mentoring slots off my calendar when I know I may need to step away. If you already have a call booked and can’t give it your full attention, contact the client in advance and offer another time.

What can I offer a client when I can’t meet their requested deadline?

Ask which part they need first and when they need it. If you can deliver that piece sooner, offer a specific date for it and another for the rest. Give yourself dates you can meet within the work hours you actually have.

How do I decide what to give up when home and business both need me?

Name what matters most during that window, then identify what you’re willing to move or give up to protect it. I wanted the fridge fixed, so I gave up an afternoon of bookable mentoring time and chose business tasks that could wait whenever the doorbell rang.