5 ms·

I recently switched to billing by the half day and it has been a big improvement in my quality of life. I don't think I wanna bill by the full day because some

by shkkmo 4y ago

I recently switched to billing by the half day and it has been a big improvement in my quality of life. I don't think I wanna bill by the full day because some days I wanna be able to take off after lunch, even if I have more work to do, without feeling guilty. On days where I go into and stay in a deep focus and work from early till late, I can bill for a day and a half and feel both productive and uncheated. Perhaps full day billing is better for people who work on a more regular schedule, but for my nomadic lifestyle I think half day billing strikes the perfect balance. It certainly is a massive QoL improvement from billing in 15 minute increments.

tptacek 4y ago
You shouldn't feel guilty about this even a little bit. Consultants are a steal for clients. The alternative is to hire someone full-time, committing to their salary and benefits for years at a time. That you're willing to bill them a single day, and then get out of their hair? Unreal. Your bill rate should be an integer multiple of (your salary / 250).
- shkkmo 4y ago
  These are recurring clients and it is less about what is fair for them or how much work they have for me (which is usually more than I want) and more what is good for me mentally and helps me manage the unreasonable expectations bI place of myself. With half day billing, if I work the first part of the day and have more work to do (that isn't time sensitive), it is easier for me to stop working and go do something fun. When I do work a full day or put extra time for a day and a half, then I don't feel like I gave away my time and it helps me feel fully satisfied with my productivity.
  - tptacek 4y ago
    You can still do that with day-rate billing! Your client cares about (a) the calendar date your project is completed on and (b) the total price tag. They don't want to care about anything else. Asking them to care about whether you worked a full or half Tuesday is counterproductive.

by shkkmo 4y ago

tptacek 4y ago

You shouldn't feel guilty about this even a little bit. Consultants are a steal for clients. The alternative is to hire someone full-time, committing to their salary and benefits for years at a time. That you're willing to bill them a single day, and then get out of their hair? Unreal. Your bill rate should be an integer multiple of (your salary / 250).

shkkmo 4y ago
These are recurring clients and it is less about what is fair for them or how much work they have for me (which is usually more than I want) and more what is good for me mentally and helps me manage the unreasonable expectations bI place of myself. With half day billing, if I work the first part of the day and have more work to do (that isn't time sensitive), it is easier for me to stop working and go do something fun. When I do work a full day or put extra time for a day and a half, then I don't feel like I gave away my time and it helps me feel fully satisfied with my productivity.
- tptacek 4y ago
  You can still do that with day-rate billing! Your client cares about (a) the calendar date your project is completed on and (b) the total price tag. They don't want to care about anything else. Asking them to care about whether you worked a full or half Tuesday is counterproductive.