Discussion on:

Five scheduling tips for busy IT consultants

.. particularly about mixing your work and life scheduling and priorities.

I work any times, any day. My major clients know this, so they get me to do things overnight, over the weekend or ring me Sunday morning (when half the execs in the world seem to be working).

They also know I go fishing once a week (someone's gotta do it!), so I tell them that they won't get it for a couple of days. They also know I avoid doing a software installation or reconfiguration the night before I go fishing. (This is a BIG lesson to learn, if you dislike aborting a fishing trip.)

I often ask them when they need it by. After a while they get honest, which helps scheduling heaps. If they want to press, I often tell them I can't do it by then (even though it just *might* be possible). That's when you really find out why they want it.