When you do contracting, you outline a maximum number of hours you can charge. It's usually <=20/week for any given client if you have high rates. You don't us

When you do contracting, you outline a maximum number of hours you can charge. It's usually <=20/week for any given client if you have high rates. You don't usually get overtime or benefits, so working more than ~120% time sets a bad precedent. (It's good to do right by your clients, and people appreciate not being specifically billed for small things) Setting aside time to not-work is a good hedge against getting over-committed, especially since individual contracts can ebb and flow in the volume of work required. Also, do you realize exactly when you are asking this question? It's two days before Valentine's Day, and a Friday evening for most readers. I know this is Hacker News, but I'm kind of surprised at how tame the responses are.