I REALLY look forward to my weekends. 
 
During the week, I'm lucky if I get more than an hour or so to sit down and play any particular game, between work, the commute, cooking for the fam, and taking care of anything else.  And of course fighting for time on the console. 
 
So when the weekend rolls around, I'm stoked, because I'll finally get longer stretches of time to sit on my ass and play my game of choice.  And it all starts with Fridays. 
 
Or at least it should. 
 
But lately, Fridays SUCK.  Work is so crazy-hectic on Fridays, I'm lucky to get out by 5.  Which means I'm lucky if I'm home before 6:30.  And because work's been crazy and I've been up since 6am, I'm already tired by the time I get home, and most of the time I end up going to bed around the same time I would if I had to work the next day. 
 
How the hell am I supposed to enjoy my games this way? 
 
I need a stress reducer just for Friday afternoons at the office.  So I can get home and procrastinate on dinner while I play whatever strikes my fancy. 
 
Suggestions for stress relief?  I don't think I want one of those squeezy stress balls either.  Also, my desk is out in a fairly trafficked area. 
 
I'm talking stuff like those zen gardening kits where you draw in the sand and stuff.

Seeing as how no one could sit you down with a planner, I have no idea what you expect to get out of this thread.

I didn't mean for suggestions planning my days. 
 
I meant stress reducing stuff.   You know how some people like fountains and crap.

Drink a 5 hour energy at some point.

Funny, I've just been thinking that I have the opposite problem. I'm sure to get in a few hours of game time every day, so when its Friday night and I can't think of anything more interesting to do than play a game I am forced to confront the sadness of my existence.
 
Anyway, why don't you take up guitar? Once you get past the part where your fingers hurt, its very relaxing.

Music. There has to be some kind of music that can enjoy and find relaxing.

Kinetic and perpetual motion stuff!  I think that's what I need! 
 
Or something like this: 
 

I use podcasts to relax.

I'm not sure what to suggest since I don't have this problem. I set my own work schedule so I have Friday's off. 

" @melcene: I like plants. If i weren't in a dungeon I would have some on my desk. But i'm pretty sure only mushrooms would grow down here. "

 Quit your job or manage your time better. I started working two weeks ago and have not had a day off since and have not played a game since I started. I get home at 6:00 pm, eat supper and with the hour or two I have before I go to bed, I gotta be up at 5:00 am so I go to bed early, I choose to spend that time watching videos on Giant Bomb and checking a few other sites- if I'm lucky I may have a meal that I can eat while I watch an episode of Black Adder.
 
My point is that if you want to play games more you gotta make the time by sacrificing other things like sleep or the quality of your food by eating quick meals. For me, I know that my job is only going to last a month or so before I'm back to having all the free time in the world, It's a seasonal job cutting wood for x-mas decorations, so what few hours of free time I have I choose to spend on websites instead. You just gotta do the same with video games.

" @gpbmike said:

" @melcene: I like plants. If i weren't in a dungeon I would have some on my desk. But i'm pretty sure only mushrooms would grow down here. "

Any you know of that will withstand a black thumb?  I've heard plants are good stress relievers. "

Don't know what to tell you. I wish I knew how to handle my stress.

You know what works for me?
Masturbation.
Yep.
YEP.
DEAL WITH IT.

Not sure what to do about Friday afternoons, but just roll with going to bed at your normal time Friday night.  Then get up at about your normal time Saturday morning and you should have a quiet hour or two to game in the morning.  
 
Saturday morning is probably my favorite time of the week.

sexual stimulation, drug use, or apathy

Stress relief? Masturbation or straight-up coitus does wonders. Or you could listen to relaxing orchestral scores from various sources. My favourite song to relax to is "Vigil" from the Mass Effect soundtrack.

Comedy is the perfect stress reliever.

you either have to go to bed earlier and wake up during the night to play or manage in a way to find to play with video games. 
 
watching pr0n.

Call Doctor Robert. :P

" @melcene: Well, just play between the time you eat dinner and whenever you go to bed. Or just sleep early like you do, wake up early the next morning and play some vidya games. It's like waking up to watch Saturday morning cartoons all over again. "

I work double shifts on Friday, so I start at 0630 and end at 0200 the next morning.  That's 20 hours. 
 
THAT'S MILLION BUCKS

Breathing exercises? Tea? I'm not sure what else you can do at your desk to relieve stress.