A few weeks ago–September 5 to be exact–I ordered myself a shiny new car.

The experience went along these lines. First, I did lots of research and decided on my ideal vehicle make and model. Then, I went to the only dealership in my city that sells this type of car.

I met one of the salespeople, we took it for a drive, I looked at all the options and discussed all the features, and pretty much made up my mind. This process took a few visits, and then we got down to negotiating the two big questions: cost and delivery date.

Those of you who’ve worked in the Web for some time will have become accustomed to expecting everything instantly, as I have; however, when we reached this stage, the salesman had some bad news.

He first started by saying that it could take anywhere from two to six months to take delivery of the car, depending on the model and options that I decided on. After a few phone calls, he was pleased to announce that he’d found the exact model and options I wanted on the other side of the country, and that he could offer me a six-to-eight week window for delivery.

I was crestfallen–I wanted the car right then, or next week at the latest. Then I realized this really did boil down to just my own impatience. I decided to go ahead with the purchase anyway, given that I was already in love with the features and the idea of driving the car, and placed my order.

I’ve been thinking about this experience over the last few weeks, in terms of what a close analogy this situation offers to most web site projects. I’m talking about the common scenario where the client (in this case, myself) becomes sold on the concept of you doing the work, loves the options you’ve offered them, and they want the finished product right now–but of course, it’s impossible to have that site or feature built until after their ideal deadline.

I felt for the poor sales guy at the dealership, who could see my disappointment, and resigned myself to the fact I wouldn’t be getting behind the wheel of this vehicle until mid-to-late October.

So you can imagine my delight when I got a call last Friday to say I could pick the car up the following Tuesday, only three-and-a-half weeks after I placed the order!

Not only has it made me super-pleased with the product, but very appreciative towards the sales guy and the dealership. The cynic in me wonders if perhaps they always intended to have the car sooner, but they always add some leeway to their timelines, just in case.

The result of this situation is that they have broken their own promised deadline by weeks, and their business now has a very big fan. With that in mind, look at your own projects–how hard would it be for you to add a few weeks or a month to the deadlines you promise, and then work hard as you can to meet the original date anyway?

We’ve all heard that cliché about under-promising and over-delivering, but when you’re the client, it certainly feels like a great result! Try this theory with your next project, and let me know how it goes–I’m very confident that your next client will become your biggest fan if you manage to deliver quicker than planned.

This post first appeared as part of Issue 416 of the SitePoint Tribune, a very popular email newsletter that I am co-editor of. Thanks to SitePoint for allowing me to reproduce the work here.

Do you stay seated at your desk for just about every lunchbreak? Is the line between work time and break time increasingly blurred? We’re all guilty of doing that from time to time. It’s a nasty habit though, and not good for you or your productivity. Here are nine ways to have a better lunchbreak.

• Go for a 20-minute walk. It could be around the block, or choose somewhere further from the office (or home, if you work there) to buy your lunch, and walk it. The trick here is to gain that extra bit of walking into your working week.
• Eat smart. Go for fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid processed food. Eating healthier foods for lunch means less sugar highs and lows, better nutrients and fibre intake, and a better metabolism. See this site for more fruit and vegetable information.
• Have lunch with a friend. We’re all guilty of skipping social contact in favour of more work. Regain some social contact by arranging regular lunch dates with friends–the social contact will do you a world of good, and your friendships will benefit.
• Join a health club. Is there a health club nearby? Even half an hour on a treadmill or exercise bike can boost your fitness, and improve your motivation for the afternoon. If there isn’t a club nearby, consider hiring or buying some basic equipment for the office or home.
• Learn. Download podcasts, print out interesting articles, find a short course you can do nearby for less than an hour. The key here is to stimulate the brain and finish the week with more knowledge than you started with.
• Meditate. Just five or more minutes of silence can not only relax your mind and reduce stress, but it’s also likely to allow you time to solve some other nagging issues as well! You’ll probably have to leave the office for this one, or close your door and take the phone off the hook.
• Swap your coffee for a glass of water. As I’ve already mentioned, water is so good for you. Instead of reaching for the coffee machine, grab a bottle of water and keep it on your desk.
• Read something new. Join a library, buy some new books; whatever you do, get away from that monitor for a while and read a newspaper, book, or magazine. It’ll expand your knowledge and take your mind off your projects for a short period of time, which is a very good thing.
• Get away from your computer. If you must work during this lunchbreak, stand at a whiteboard or sit in a different place and write on paper. Whatever you do, give your eyes and posture a break and try a different location or activity for a while.

You needn’t start all this at once–try to start incorporating one of these tips into your lunchbreak every week. Even better, combine a few at once, such as walking while eating an apple, or put headphones on and chill out while reading a book or this week’s Tribune (for example!).

This post first appeared as part of Issue 415 of the SitePoint Tribune, a very popular email newsletter that I am co-editor of. Thanks to SitePoint for allowing me to reproduce the work here.