Hold leftover hours against the fence
A rip fence keeps a board parallel to the blade so the cut does not wander. Side work needs the same rail: hours kept parallel to the main week, not leaning into the day job.
What the rail holds
- Write a maximum for leftover time before the week starts. If the board is longer than the fence, it belongs to another week.
- Price the work after fees, tools and unpaid setup. The fence does not hide the kerf of cost.
- Leave one short mark after the week: hours used, money in, costs out. Without that mark the next pass starts blind.
- Hours against the rail A written maximum so leftover time stays parallel and does not drift into Monday.
- A rate after the cut What remains once fees and unpaid setup are taken off — the board that stays on the table.
- A weekly mark One short note along the rail after each week, not a second ledger that eats the evening.
Notes from the fence
- Hours held against the fence How to park leftover time so it stays parallel to the day job.
- The cost parallel to the main cut Fees and unpaid setup are part of the pass; the rate is what remains.
- A weekly mark along the rail One short note after each week, not a second book that steals the evening.
- Boards that wander off the fence Offers that lean on weeknights or unpaid learning do not stay parallel.