I've done both hourly and fixed price contract work and found that fixed price works better for me. In an industry that is known for software taking 10 times l

I've done both hourly and fixed price contract work and found that fixed price works better for me. In an industry that is known for software taking 10 times longer than estimated, clients have good reason to try and protect themselves with upfront pricing. The fixed pricing forces me to become better at planning ahead and giving good estimates. The trick is to document every detail of what they get for $XX and agree that any changes to that will cost extra. Software development depends largely on inspiration. Sometimes I'll crank out a weeks worth of code in one day. Others I'll stare at a screen all day and produce very little. In the end it all averages out, but I do feel bad billing for the unproductive hours even if I know it's fair in the end.