My best answer would be to switch to hourly consultancy.

The best thing I ever did was to billing by the hour. I have enough clients that need extracurricular attention, and enough of the Things I'd Rather Be Doing But Don't Pay Me (record label, playing in a band), that I can't, with a fair concience justify going in anywhere to sit on my tush for X hours a day, while knowing I'm going to spend at least three of them taking care of non-client productive activities (email, phone calls, what-have-you). Most people do, I guess, to a lesser extent (IM with the wife, personal email, shopping online, whatever), but I don't like being in the position where I have to justify or lose control of my time.

Prima donna, sure, but I think "Tell me what you need, tell me when you need it, and I'll get it done and sent you a bill for the hours I spent *actually* working on it" is alot more honest.

I also *hate* having to go into an office. It's a waste of time. I do give up any seperation between work and private life (I regularly get calls from clients at 9pm), but it's worth it.

Ask any artist/actor/writer -- there is no downtime, since generally the work you prefer doesn't pay enough to live on, paid work is just the preamble to another any number of hours that you can stand at rehersal/studio/computer/whatever.

Me? I'd rather have the control over my own schedule, and the responsibility of maintaining my own affairs (and life, and clients, for that matter).