From the Editor’s Desk: Puente (Premium)

Every Sunday, I have the same pointless conversation with my wife Stephanie about my need for another Sunday. She tolerates this like she tolerates most of my nonsense. But the need is real. And the solution isn't as simple as it sounds.

That is, I'm not looking to transition to a regular four-day work week. That sounds good in theory, but we own a business and I can't just arbitrarily decide that I'm going to shift away from the schedule the rest of the planet observes. It's not just selfish, it's short-sighted. It's a good way to turn a five-day workweek into a premature retirement.

No, what I'm looking for is tied to the uniqueness of my schedule and the way I work. Like many people, I work during the daytime hours during the workweek, and I have regular responsibilities at set times throughout the week. In my case, that means recording First Ring Daily every morning at 9 am. Writing the From the Editor's Desk editorial each week before the end of the day on Monday. Preparing for and then recording Windows Weekly on Wednesday afternoons, a process that often runs to three hours and drains my energy horribly. Writing Ask Paul each Friday, which often takes three or four hours. We also walk in the mornings, and I try to get to the gym at least four days a week, and lately that's gone well. I work on my Spanish in Duolingo every day, usually at night, and I just hit a one-year streak the other night. (My longest Duolingo streak is 818 days.)

And then there are the less regimental requirements, like recording Hands-On Windows every second or third Thursday (which, surprisingly, still occupies most of my time those days), plotting, recording, and then editing Eternal Spring (which is time-consuming), the normal monthly or one-off virtual meetings, and all the appointments and other routine rigmarole that we all deal with. This week, I have meetings and/or random podcast recordings on Tuesday (two), Thursday, and Friday afternoon.

And I hear you. It's not like I work in a coal mine. But that's not all of it, of course.I also spend an hour or so each morning, a few hours on most nights, and much of most weekend days on other work. This can be writing directly related to the site—triggered by news or just an inspiration to write a Premium post or whatever—but it's often what I think of as secondary work: Books—I'm updating my two most recent books now and have started a third with my wife—basic PC configuration tasks, and the like.

This other work, the work that occurs in off hours, is curiously relaxing and fulfilling, and I think part of it is that it just feels like a win. If I can get a new or updated book chapter finished, as I did this past weekend, it feels like I got something done, and that feels good. I realize that it also looks like some bizarre form of work addiction from the outside, but bear with me. I like what I do. And like a shark has to swim to survive, a writer needs to write. (On a related note, a friend...