Hi Reader!

The goal of a contract is to pre-determine what will happen when likely hiccups occur. But you can’t foresee everything.

A contract also shouldn’t include ALL the unlikely hiccups that might happen, because then every contract would be dozens of pages long.

So your goal needs to be to balance the length of your contract with the risks involved in this exact project.

This means maybe in your formal client contracts, you want them to be several pages long so that you can cover all the most common hiccups. But for informal, short collaborations, that would be overkill. And you might only need a page.

That’s why, with shorter contracts, it’s important to recognize any assumption gaps early and address them. Because over time, these small, early missteps will compound.

And once things compound and emotions start to get high, it’s harder to agree.

If even this 20-minute task feels like too much this week, I get it. I am furious and sad by the oppressive and horrifying actions of the U.S. government. I’m also proud of those on the protest front lines, willing to put themselves at risk to speak up and protect their neighbors. If your bandwidth is maxed out and you are running on fumes, file this away for when you have the capacity.

Chat soon,

P.S. My friends at Aeolidia are looking for a Project Coordinator to help with Shopify design and development projects. The job is salaried, full-time (a 4-day week), remote, with flexible hours. Apply by February 4, 2026 here.