We’ve all made decisions we’d like to quietly file under “never happened”. For me, one of my most valuable business lessons came during — or just after — COVID. Unfortunately, it arrived wrapped in stress, complexity, and a CMS I’d already promised myself I’d never use again.

When I Chose the Short Game

Work had been scarce for a while when a client approached me with a big website project. The only catch?
He wanted it built in Joomla.

By that stage, I’d already made the call to move all my work to WordPress. It was more robust, more flexible, and frankly, far less likely to make me question my career choices. But I’d built plenty of Joomla sites before, and in my head, I thought, How bad could it be? (Famous last words.)

The scope sounded big but manageable, so I said yes. What I didn’t anticipate was just how complicated it would become. The client kept saying, “Don’t worry about the detail, we’ll get to it,” but when we did… well, it turned into a Mount Everest of detail. On top of that, he wanted all sorts of visual intricacies that required very unusual, very fiddly coding.

The reality was, it was a massive project — exactly the kind I’d already promised myself to be wary of. But in that moment, with work scarce and bills to pay, I let desperation win. I took a healthy deposit (which, as these things go, didn’t last nearly as long as I’d hoped) and began slogging my way through the complexity.

My ADHD didn’t exactly make the mountain smaller, and the project dragged. Eventually, the client moved it elsewhere to get it completed.

It wasn’t just the loss of the job, and the cost of my reputation that stung, it was knowing I’d broken my own unspoken rules — the ones designed to protect my time, my focus, and my sanity. I’d played the short game, and the cost was more than just financial.

Why Rules Matter

When things are slow, the temptation to take whatever comes along can be strong. But here’s the thing: the quick fix now can be the slow bleed later.

Rules aren’t there to make you rigid. They’re there to keep your future self from having to send your present self a strongly worded email. They help you stay consistent in your values, build trust with your clients, and make choices based on where you want to go — not where you happen to be standing today.

Without them, you risk saying yes to work that drains your energy, derails your focus, and delays your long-term goals.

My Rules for the Long Game

1. Keep your brand voice consistent.
   Even in emails. Especially in emails.

2. Don’t say yes just to fill gaps.
   Gaps in the calendar are not an emergency.

3. Follow up with dignity, not desperation.
   People can smell desperation, and it’s never a good cologne.

4. Work on the business, not just in it.
   Otherwise, you’ll wake up one day realising your “dream job” is just… a job.

5. Trust the seeds you’ve sown.
   That networking coffee you had last month is still doing its thing.

6. Reputation is long-term currency.
   Spend it wisely.

7. Desperation isn’t a strategy.
   If fear is steering the wheel, pull over.

Write Your Own Rules

The best rules are the ones you’ll actually follow — the kind that make sense for your personality, your business, and your goals. They don’t have to be fancy or long. Just a few sentences you can look at when you’re tired, stressed, or feeling the urge to say yes to something you shouldn’t.

Write them down. Keep them close. And when the next tempting-but-dangerous project comes along, let them answer for you.

Because the truth is, winning the long game isn’t about luck. It’s about making decisions today that your future self will want to high-five you for.