First three months as a contractor

I've been contracting now for over three months. I've been lucky my first contract is for 9 months, so plenty of time for me to get use to contracting before having to look for a new role.

So this is what I've learnt so far:

1. Have all your bank account set up before you get started. It takes so long and without you don't get paid.
2. Get a good accountant, don't try to do it all yourself.
3. Ask your accountants a lot of questions, you pay them so they answer your questions no matter how trivial they seem.
4. Keep thinking about your next role, though I have a few months left on this role, I'm still working on new skills for the next role. You never know this could end earlier than planned.
5. Keep an eye in the job market to see what people are looking for. So you know your skills will still be relevant.
6. If you can and you know someone else who is a contractor, speak to them, ask them loads of questions. There are many freelancer/contractor sites, but sometimes the amount of information on these sites can be a bit overwhelming. So having a chat with another contractor helps.

So far I'm enjoying contracting, I like the feeling I have more control over my career. If I want to go on a new course I can, if I want to become a iOS developer I can, I don't have to get involved in the office politics that sometimes overcomes a company from working effectively  All I'm there to do is build great stuff, which is all I want to do....