Dragging on…
Sometimes you’ve got work that just drags on like lead. And it doesn’t matter if it’s Mr. X standing in the corner cage boring you to death, or the overly colorful Power Point your customer sent you for corrections. Or it’s one of those day on which you have some projects on your desk but not enough to really propel you to start working. Instead, you’re idling, reading Bloglines, enjoying a comic strip or two and drinking more coffee than any living being should.
Well, that’s fine. Even better - it’s completely normal and human to do that once in a while. Especially on Mondays.
However - never let your customer know. Mr. X paid lots of money for your service, so look very concentrated and concerned about his well-being, even if you chew nails behind his back or repair your whip. The customer whose work you should have started yesterday already doesn’t have to know nothing really happened yet - send him a little mail, possibly with “received your mail, starting now”. Or even better, ask him a question that shows your growing expertise in his field but also occupies him for some hours.
The point is that your customer needs to feel that you cherish him (and I hope you do), that you invest your time and energy into what he paid you for, that you keep in contact and that in the end, all will be well. It’s not about telling him about your bad conscience for being lazy on Mondays, or - even worse - coming up with some wacky excuses. It’s about your customer’s satisfaction, not you.