Reply to: Do you work flat out?

[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.

[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.

[MarillionFan]

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

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

[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.

[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.

[mudskipper]

Some of us only work 4 day weeks.

slacker.

[psychocandy]

The way I see it is I'm a specialist and they're paying for my skills, how they use my skills is down to them. Good thing about my current gig is I've picked up new skills and enhanced my existing skillset, use the time wisely I would say as no gig last forever.

WHS +1.

Be professional but at the end of the day there are limits. Gone are the days when I'm working my nuts and making myself ill be it permie employer or contract clients.

If they dont like, they can find someone else dull enough.

[escapeUK]

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

Some of us only work 4 day weeks.

[mudskipper]

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

[The Spartan]

It's quite funny here as all the permies must work really long hours and I work only 8 a day unless we sync up with one of the other sites in the US. When the clock strikes 5pm my coat is on and I'm on my way out the door. One of the permies made a joke about and told him straight my contract states 8 hours and the company has to gain express permission in advance if they want me to work on. Never had anyone say anything again about it, still when I'm here I put 8 quality hours in and in that time I break a lot so they can't grumble as they're snowed under fixing them lol.

[minestrone]

Fridays on CUK.

Sockies armed and dangerous.

[Old Hack]

It kind of depends. I was given 20 days to do something that was going to take 24, 25 days, so worked late, as I wanted to replace a crap process with a better one, and the only way I could have done it, was to give them some of my time for free. But there again, there are times where I don't really have much at all to do, so do my own thing in their time.

Feast and famine really.

I think it's fair to say if your clients are good clients, let you flexi work, take time out, and tulip like that, then you tend to go that little bit further for them. There's also clients where as soon as that clock strikes 4.59:59 the machine is already off and the coats on your back.

Depends.

[MarillionFan]

I tend to adapt to the workload.

WHS

Trick is to be 10% ahead. Pace yourself youngsters that way you can shag all those cows.

[The Spartan]

Same here, but still feeling guilty.

The way I see it is I'm a specialist and they're paying for my skills, how they use my skills is down to them. Good thing about my current gig is I've picked up new skills and enhanced my existing skillset, use the time wisely I would say as no gig last forever.

[Support Monkey]

Public sector so i can still look good at half the speed, otherwise its flat out.

But as was said if you do a long contract you can feel a bit burnt out so you need to take those breaks when the contract end rather than jump straight back in, of course thats easier said than done as people fear being benched for a long time.