Someone asks whether you can review a document. You agree because the document sounds short. Later you learn that the answer is needed tonight, alongside work you have already promised to finish. The missing detail was the deadline.
Ask when the person needs your response before agreeing. If the date is flexible, say which slot you can offer. If it is fixed, look at the commitments already occupying that slot, including the time needed to read and understand the work.
Offer a usable answer
You might say, "I can review this on Thursday morning. Would that still help?" The person can then accept the timing or find another reviewer. A vague agreement leaves both of you guessing until the final hours.
When the deadline changes after you accept, revisit the agreement. Explain whether the new timing works and what you can deliver. Keep the confirmed date with the task so that the request does not acquire an earlier deadline simply because another message arrives.
