Do you work flat out?

[escapeUK]

slacker.

Too right! Last year I put my prices up a third and reduced my days by 20%.

Which has helped me stand it, but only just.

[al_cam]

I do feel guilty when not busy but worse is the boredom - nothing worse than having nothing to do but trying to look busy.

Trouble is that I am a PM so I am mad busy at the start setting everything up then it is usually a case of sitting back and ensuring everything is going to plan. Last two contracts I worked part time towards the end - allowed me to spend more time with the kids and removed the guilt - result.

[MarillionFan]

Only slackers or benchees have time to post on CUK during working hours.

I multitask so I can work and post multi-threaded.

[Gentile]

I have only been contracting for over 8 months now so please bare with me. Before when I was a perm, I would not feel guilty not being too busy and being able to put my feet up from time to time. However to be honest it did not happen very often. Now that I am a contractor, I do my work and sometimes can "take it easy" if you know what I mean. The difference is that I feel so guilty, whereas before when I was a perm I didn't. Is there anything wrong with me or is this a natural feeling during the transition from permidom?

S

When I was still relatively inexperienced, I used to spend more time doing than thinking. I'd be up until all hours figuring out how new technologies worked and trying to apply them to discrete problems to achieve some desired result or other. These days it's the opposite: I still learn new technologies all the time, but I spend more time thinking and less time doing. To an unskilled casual observer, thinking can look a lot like putting your feet up.

It's got nothing to do with being a contractor, I don't think, though the point at which I made the switch from doing a lot and planning very little to planning a lot and doing tasks efficiently did happen to coincide with my switch to contracting. These days it's rare for me to find myself in crisis management / flat out working mode. I've turned down roles that valued that 24/7 approach to work over planning properly and having a decent work/life balance.

[mudskipper]

I do feel guilty when not busy but worse is the boredom - nothing worse than having nothing to do but trying to look busy.

Trouble is that I am a PM so I am mad busy at the start setting everything up then it is usually a case of sitting back and ensuring everything is going to plan. Last two contracts I worked part time towards the end - allowed me to spend more time with the kids and removed the guilt - result.

PM 101

Call regular meetings - twice daily if required - to ensure that a) you are busy and seen to be busy, b) the developers are prevented from doing any productive work ensuring that the project overruns and you get extended.