The Pursuit of the 40-Hour Work Week

I think that making this my first 40-hour work week leaves my wife conflicted.  For a long time I've been Available Guy, the utility infielder, the part-time poker player that could do whatever needed to be done, at whatever time it needed to be done, while my wife worked her eight-hour days, five days a week.  We had a few conversations yesterday that went something like this:

Me: I have to put in at least 40 hours a week.  Poker is my job now.
Her: I know, but I need you to help me with (fill in the blank.)

This isn't just about my wife and I.  Once I got a call asking me to pick up my granddaughter because other family members were "at work."  All of those people who were "at work" were closer to her than I was at the time.  I was Available Guy.

As I type this it's 0208, Saturday morning, and I have recorded 29.25 working hours this week.  We had our grandchildren over for several hours yesterday.  My wife finished her work day.in time for us to pick up the girls from school.

I spent time with my grandchildren yesterday, and I have to make up that time today to get my 40 hours in.  It's not negotiable. I won't set that precedent my first week.  I'm going to bed soon, and when I wake up my number one priority, my only priority, will be to put in those last ten work hours.

I now have my own office. I can set my own schedule, though I do have to pay a lot of attention to the tournament schedule.  I'm not going to fail in my first attempt to put in a 40-hour week.  I hope that every month I can put in at least one 50-hour week, but one step at a time.  I have had many jobs where I worked a lot of overtime.  Sometimes my wife works a more-than-40-hour week.  Poker is my job now, and there is no reason that I can't put in my 40 hours, and more, to make poker a big success.

Available Guy is dead.