I usually work at 2 rates depending on the project or engagement. I have a "developer" rate where I'm looking at an every day engagement for longer than a month. Essentially I'm guaranteed work for a considerable period of time so I charge less.
Sometimes I get called in for one of consulting gigs, maybe just a day to a week of training or consulting. I usually charge about 50%-100% more for these types of gigs, this is common - you incur a lot of overhead on a gig like this. I'm up front about this with potential clients as well, they know my rate goes down for a longer engagement.
By the way where are you? Do you have some unique skillset?