The other day a good friend of mine who is going to school to learn application development asked me just how do I fit in pet projects into my daily schedule when I'm busy as is already. I told him that it's actually fairly simple! My schedule may look busy, but it doesn't feel busy, at least not to me. Here's what a typical work day would look like for me:
Before 8 AM
Defeat the alarm monster. Typical morning hygiene stuff. Maybe some coffee if I still feel tired.
8 AM until 5 PM
Be a "rockstar ninja" coder.
5 - 6 PM
Make dinner. Get away from all these monitors and computers. Destress and unload.
7 - 9 PM
Spend at least an hour on my pet projects. Minimum one hour! If I get frustrated or run into a roadblock, I call it quits for the day and will pick it up the next day. If that happens, I usually move on to catching up on the news, personal emails and communications.
9 PM - 10 PM
Hit up the gym and do some weight lifting! Pump some iron!
10 PM - ?? PM
If I need to get things done, I usually try to get it done after this time and get ready for bed.
I don't necessarily stick strictly to the above schedule but it's roughly how my day-to-day routine is like during the weekdays. Weekends, I try to relax, but if I get bored I will jump on my pet projects and work on them. I'll occasionally mix in some video games or reading when I don't really want to do anymore coding. Overall, I like keeping myself busy. It's hard to sit around being bored nowadays!