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As a consultant and contractor I should be able to spend a lot of time on the beach. But I don’t. I work long days. I spend a lot of time on work related travel. I often have late night conference calls with colleagues, partners and customers in other time zones. In my spare time, I do things to keep up with professional developments and stay connected with my peers. One example would be this blog.
Getting more Beach Time
Why don’t consultants get more beach time? [bibcite key=”citeulike:13422455″]
- The cyclic structure of employment.
- The centrality of reputation in markets for skill.
- The practice of billing by the hour.
- The nature of technical work.
Is there a way around these constraints? There is probably a solution for each of the constraints. But would the market accept someone trying to solve all of them at once?
Mind shift
Perhaps a mind shift is the true solution? A professor once told me that he never worked.
– Really, I said.
– Yes, he replied, I’m playing around with my hobby.
– But you get paid? That makes it work!
– I can’t help if these idiots want to pay me for my hobby.
– But if you never work, you never get vacation!
– Have you heard of “business trips” and conferences?
References
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Image sources
- Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina: Lheld1023 via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY SA 3.0
Greger,
The billable hour concept is a major challenge. Have you considered “Value-Based Fees” by Alan Weiss or some other approach?
Value-based fees is a golden dream for all consultants. Sometimes we are able to negotiate that with the client but it is often hard. Two major reasons for that: 1) We live on a market where there is always at least one competitor willing to offer a cost based model. 2) Client is often constrained by finance or purchasing department. They have their models which are often based on “older” best practice.
Would be nice to know more of your experience with value-based fees.