Game Life Balance Min-Maxing

+Mark Knights Post about Game and Life Balance.
My Ideal time to play is weekdays, in the evening after work Philippine Time (which is the same as Singapore, China, HK, and Perth; work hours is usually 9-6pm). Unfortunately because I'm studying Chinese on Tues and Thurs I only have about 2 slots left - Wed and Monday. Friday is reserved for taking the wife out, (as it should be :D).

Week ends are the most important days for family. My only "Cheat" is that I could game before they all wake up, and saturday is when they all sleep in. a 7am-9am possibly extending to 11am game, but that leaves my wife a irked because its usually up to me to change the diapers and get the food.

I had to drop a game on sunday recently, this is because it was 10am my time and we had to see my inlaws at lunch time. the wife and I jog at around 6am, last time I met the in laws at night my head was pounding.

Rant-ish > In GURPS terms i can't nap during the day sadly, sleep is a Meditation skill with concentrate maneuver a skill-8 with constant retries until sleep is achieved. It roughly takes me 30mins of concentration to go to sleep :( If I had even one point in meditation (a teaching company lecture I have to get and be able to exercise) I would be able to sleep... Oh and I have a 2.2year old who happens to have the same problem but being stir crazy at night - he would be shouting and playing even in the dark and scaring me and his mom as he would start jumping on the bed (we're the sleep in the parents' bed family culture, for our family)... sleep is a Challenging task at an Skill-8 :D! It doesnt help that I and my dad are light sleeper :(

I think all my problems would be solved by a deep sleeper perk, I have a list of compulsions (as many gamers have compulsive personalities) and it does wonders getting sleep and exercising self control.

The signs that there is balance is:

• The wife (or partner) is sustainable in being happy - meaning even she doesnt see this current state of gaming escalating negatively
• The professional career is moving forward - in my case I am able to study continuously and gain new skills for others they will have their own personal metrics for such. 
• the children get their Quality Time with their gamer parent, as in they are still attached buzz around the parent (even when they game; and the exception is when they are teens). And of course the wife thinks you get enough time.

...of course most of us skirt the edges of these prerequisites to get a little bit more game time. :D