How did you do in 2019?

[NotAllThere]

How are you lot coming up with a running total of days? Other than going through a years worth of invoices or keeping a spreadsheet I can't think how...

Easy. When you bill by the hour or day, you have to specify how many days you're billing for on the invoice, or with an accompanying timesheet. I keep a running total on the spreadsheet I use as a timesheet. Sometimes my clients as how many days I've billed so far this year. I've got those numbers to hand.

Of course, I could just look at how much I've billed for the year and divide by my daily rate.

It's called "permie mindset".

Twaddle

Real contractors tally paid invoices.

I do both. I have two goals - financial and billable days. Once I've achieved both, any extra work I only do if I feel like it - it makes it easier to take holidays and time off when I want. Part of the benefit of contracting is being able to take more time off than sad permies on 25 days a year.

[PCTNN]

I do both. I have two goals - financial and billable days. Once I've achieved both, any extra work I only do if I feel like it - it makes it easier to take holidays and time off when I want.

How do you make this work?

Say you achieve your 2 goals halfway through your contract, what do you do? Just leave mid contract and that's that?

[Poker space]

Assuming a constant rate, of course...

and that you have not invoiced expenses

[DeludedKitten]

How many days have you billed in 2019?

Four months work (68 days), eight months (and counting) not working

[DeludedKitten]

How are you lot coming up with a running total of days? Other than going through a years worth of invoices or keeping a spreadsheet I can't think how...

Put the project in FreeAgent. Put the time in FreeAgent so that I can generate an invoice. Look at the project and it tells me.

So for the contract that I had from August 2017 to January 2018 (the one I happened to open just now in FreeAgent), I billed 96 days.

[NotAllThere]

How do you make this work?

Say you achieve your 2 goals halfway through your contract, what do you do? Just leave mid contract and that's that?

As I said:

any extra work I only do if I feel like it

I usually do. But the day goal is 200 days. I can usually hit my financial goal in 150 days.

[DeludedKitten]

Assuming a constant rate, of course...

And no expenses.

[KinooOrKinog]

Reading some of these comments it's no wonder contractors have a reputation for being money grabbing!

I've worked roughly seven months out of 12 this year & although it's impossible to measure success, I would consider that a success for me as I was able to take three months off at the start of the year without finances being an immediate worry.

[Lance]

Reading some of these comments it's no wonder contractors have a reputation for being money grabbing!

Do you class that as bad or good?
I have no shame about the fact that I'm mercenary. My clients know it and know that they can rely on me to deliver.

[KinooOrKinog]

Do you class that as bad or good?
I have no shame about the fact that I'm mercenary. My clients know it and know that they can rely on me to deliver.

Well for me I'd say bad. Only because I would take time over money any day. Like I said though, it's impossible to measure success so if your measure is based on how much cash you have in the bank then that's fine for you.

Btw, my clients also know they can rely on me to deliver. I'm not taking time off at the drop of a hat. But if I have the choice of working just for the money or having a day off, then I'm having the day off!