[nperez]

I would really like to, but I've only had time when it's necessary for my full-time work.

..sort of. I'm sure I could make time if I were determined enough, but it's hard to feel good about spending 8+ hours working in front of a screen, then spending more hours working in front of a screen for free. It's probably more of a mental + physical health concern than anything else.

[fluoridation]

Mind if I ask why you would really like to do it? It sounds like you view programming as just a job. A lot of the people who work on this stuff in their free time just view it as a hobby that they do for fun, not as a second job (although there are people like that, too). Why would you "like" to do something you apparently don't enjoy, and apparently would only do if you got paid to do it? I'm not being snarky, I'm honestly asking.

[nperez]

I don't view it as just a job. It started as a childhood hobby and will always be a part of who I am, but as I've gotten older I've found it more important to balance it out with physical/outdoor/social activities. I'd just spend way too long not moving.

[fluoridation]

If it's a matter of balance, then there are two possibilities: either you are currently approximately in balance with the amount of programming you do at work and would not do any more unless paid to do so (maybe not even then?), or the amount of programming you do at work is slightly below the balance point and you could do allow yourself to do a little bit more at home; say, 30-60 minutes a day.

If it's the former, then regardless of what what place it used to have in your life, programming right now is just your job. There's no more room for it in other parts of your life because they're being occupied by the things you balance it out with. So my question stands: why would you like to do it?

If it's the latter, then why aren't you doing it already?