>That's true. But what do you do if you're in the middle of a project and a previous client needs something? There are bound to be times when you're not available.

You've got to be able to step in, if it's necessary, I think. Not that you can give that previous client a week, but you've still got to be available for bug fixes and other support. And that's not possible if you're trekkiing through Nepal for four months. :)

Also, contracting depends heavily on word-of-mouth. If you let things die down for too long, that fizzles out.

>That's one big downside to all this. I'm not so sure I have the energy to put in the 12-14 hour days I hear consultants putting in. But, then, I'm not in it for the big bucks. If I keep to small projects and don't take on too much it should be ok.

That's the way I prefer. You're there, you're available, but you can limit your projects so that you can work as many or as few hours in the week as you want (as long as the bills get paid). At Sierra, it's common to _require_ 16 hour days, six day weeks for months on end. I'll never do that again!

>I probably would have [turned down a job when your plate is full].

It's hard to say until you've been in a situation of being (fairly) desperate for work at one time. The people who went through the Great Depression became _very_ hard workers. :)

>Or maybe they'll find a cure for fibromyalgia in the next 5 years and I'll have energy to spare. :)

I hope they do, Michelle.