Consulting Articles > Consulting Lifestyle & Career Growth > How Do Consultants Spend Their Time Between Projects in Consulting

Consulting work does not move in a perfectly continuous stream of client projects. Many candidates wonder how do consultants spend their time between projects and what actually happens during these quieter periods. This guide explains what consultants do between projects, how consulting bench time works in practice, and why these periods matter for performance and career progression.

TL;DR – What You Need to Know

How do consultants spend their time between projects is shaped by staffing cycles, firm expectations, and individual initiative rather than idle downtime.

• Consulting bench time exists because project timelines, sales cycles, and skill matching rarely align perfectly across teams.
• Consultants use time between consulting projects for training, internal initiatives, proposal support, and professional networking.
• Productive bench periods depend on proactive skill development and clear communication with staffing teams.
• Bench time affects evaluations through utilization trends, visibility, and demonstrated initiative rather than short gaps alone.

How do consultants spend their time between projects

Consultants spend their time between projects on structured firm activities, development work, and limited recovery while awaiting new assignments. How do consultants spend their time between projects is managed through staffing and resourcing processes designed to keep consultants engaged even when they are temporarily unassigned.

The time between consulting projects is commonly referred to as consulting bench time. It begins when a client engagement ends and continues until a consultant is staffed on the next role.

During this period, you remain fully employed and accountable. Many firms track availability through staffing systems and guide consultants toward productive work aligned with business needs. Policies vary by firm, geography, and practice area.

Common elements of this period include:

• Completing required training or optional upskilling programs
• Supporting internal consulting projects such as research or knowledge development
• Contributing to proposals and business development efforts
• Networking with managers, partners, and staffing teams
• Taking limited recovery time after demanding delivery cycles

Short gaps are normal in project-based environments, especially when demand fluctuates across industries or regions.

Why consulting bench time exists across firms and teams

Consulting bench time exists because client demand fluctuates while firms maintain a stable workforce to meet long-term delivery needs. Consulting bench time is a structural outcome of project-based staffing, sales cycles, and skill matching rather than a signal of underperformance.

Consulting projects rarely start and end in perfect sequence. Even well-staffed teams experience short gaps due to factors outside individual consultants’ control.

Structural reasons bench periods occur include:

• Project timelines shifting due to client approvals, budget changes, or scope adjustments
• New work being sold before exact staffing requirements are finalized
• Skill or industry mismatches between available consultants and open roles
• Seasonal slowdowns affecting certain practices or regions

Firms accept limited consulting downtime to avoid overutilization and burnout while preserving the ability to scale delivery quickly when demand increases.

What consultants typically do during bench periods

What consultants do between projects usually includes training, internal work, proposal support, and networking activities aligned with firm priorities. What consultants do between projects is often influenced by staffing teams, but consultants are expected to take initiative rather than remain passive.

Bench periods generally come with clear expectations around contribution and availability.

Typical activities during consulting bench time include:

• Completing formal training tied to role progression or new capabilities
• Supporting internal consulting projects such as research, benchmarking, or tool development
• Assisting with proposals and business development during active sales cycles
• Contributing to knowledge management through documentation and playbooks
• Strengthening internal networks across practices and offices

These activities allow firms to remain competitive while giving consultants space to build skills that are difficult to prioritize during intense delivery phases.

How do consultants spend their time between projects productively

How do consultants spend their time between projects productively depends on how intentionally they align bench activities with staffing demand and career goals. Time between consulting projects is most valuable when used to improve future staffing fit rather than simply filling hours.

Productive bench periods start with planning rather than waiting.

Effective approaches include:

• Upskilling in tools, industries, or functions with strong upcoming demand
• Volunteering for proposal work in preferred practice areas
• Updating internal profiles to reflect recent project experience
• Communicating availability clearly to staffing and leadership teams
• Building relationships with managers involved in resourcing decisions

Consultants who demonstrate ownership during bench periods are often staffed more quickly and viewed as reliable contributors.

How bench time affects performance, staffing, and evaluations

Bench time affects performance reviews primarily through utilization trends, visibility, and demonstrated engagement rather than the existence of gaps alone. Most firms recognize that short bench periods are unavoidable in project-based work.

Utilization is often reviewed over a defined period such as monthly or quarterly, depending on firm policy, rather than week by week. Context and effort matter more than isolated gaps.

Common review inputs may include:

• Frequency and duration of bench periods over the review cycle
• Contributions to internal initiatives or business development work
• Feedback from managers on responsiveness and initiative
• Alignment between skills developed and upcoming staffing needs

Consultants who remain visible and helpful during bench periods are rarely penalized for short transitions between projects.

How time between consulting projects changes by seniority

Time between consulting projects changes as consultants progress from entry-level roles to leadership positions. Time between consulting projects is often more structured early in a career and becomes increasingly self-directed at senior levels, with higher expectations around value creation.

Junior consultants may be assigned structured bench activities depending on team and office practices. Senior consultants are expected to define priorities independently. Expectations differ by practice, leadership team, and local staffing model.

Typical differences by level include:

• Analysts and associates focusing on training, certifications, and internal support
• Consultants and managers emphasizing proposals, team development, and practice contributions
• Senior leaders using gaps to sell work, mentor teams, and shape long-term strategy

As seniority increases, bench time becomes less about waiting and more about actively creating future opportunities.

How consultants spend their time between projects long term

How consultants spend their time between projects over the long term reflects experience, sustainability, and career strategy. How consultants spend their time between projects long term often shifts from pure skill building toward deliberate energy management and positioning.

Experienced consultants learn to use these periods to protect performance across multiple years rather than optimizing each gap in isolation.

Long-term patterns include:

• Using short gaps for recovery after intense delivery cycles
• Planning learning objectives across multiple bench periods
• Building reputations that shorten future consulting downtime
• Balancing availability with personal sustainability and retention

Over time, consultants who manage bench periods intentionally tend to experience smoother staffing transitions, stronger performance reviews, and greater control over their consulting careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do consultants do during bench time?
A: During bench time, consultants typically focus on firm training programs, internal initiatives, proposal support, and professional development in consulting while awaiting their next assignment.

Q: How consultants use bench time productively?
A: Consultants use bench time productively by prioritizing skill development linked to future demand, contributing to proposal and business development work, and staying visible within staffing and resourcing cycles.

Q: Do consultants work on multiple projects?
A: Consultants may work on multiple projects at the same time during transitions, but most roles prioritize one primary engagement based on staffing and resourcing cycles.

Q: What do consultants call their projects?
A: Consultants commonly refer to client work as engagements, cases, or assignments depending on firm terminology and the nature of the work.

Q: How does bench time affect utilization rate in consulting?
A: Bench time affects utilization rate in consulting by temporarily reducing billable hours, with impact typically assessed over monthly or quarterly review periods rather than short gaps.