When I was being payed by hour, I billed only effective work hours.
I was pushing myself to do 6 effective work hours a day, which was not always easy (some days I would work throughout the whole day just to accomplish those 6 effective hours).
I was tracking procrastination / break / meal time initially in 5-min and later in 15-min intervals. That was kind of extreme and my friends did not understand why I was being so honest or felt guilty otherwise. In hindsight, they were right.
I suggest you bill by day, or by month if you can. Rather than lowering your rate, consider taking a slightly more relaxed, less stressful approach and don't feel bad about it as long as you deliver. If it'll make you feel better and you think there's no risk involved, consider discussing this openly with your client(s).
I was pushing myself to do 6 effective work hours a day, which was not always easy (some days I would work throughout the whole day just to accomplish those 6 effective hours).
I was tracking procrastination / break / meal time initially in 5-min and later in 15-min intervals. That was kind of extreme and my friends did not understand why I was being so honest or felt guilty otherwise. In hindsight, they were right.
I suggest you bill by day, or by month if you can. Rather than lowering your rate, consider taking a slightly more relaxed, less stressful approach and don't feel bad about it as long as you deliver. If it'll make you feel better and you think there's no risk involved, consider discussing this openly with your client(s).