How do you go about setting aside time for studying and projects after work such that you are progressing significantly while also enjoying your free time with other hobbies?
For a few months when things were very hectic (birth of our second child, recent job change, learning 2 new programming languages, volunteer planning a local BarCamp, wife’s birthday, wedding anniversary, and probably other things I’ve forgotten) I put EVERYTHING on my calendar, including sleep time, eat time, family time, study time, etc. Every minute of my day was captured on my calendar. It helped me timebox things and get stuff done during a hectic, busy time, but it’s a useful technique even if you’re not experiencing an especially hectic and busy time.